Luckily when I began reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which I own, I had the brainwave of actually getting the sequels from the library at the same time. This is something I’ve learned over the years, after the torture of waiting weeks to go back to the library for the sequel. This time I was not going to wait to continue reading of Cassie’s stirring adventures during her childhood – after finishing the first book, I went right on to Let the Circle Be Unbroken.

This book by Mildred D. Taylor is the second novel about Cassie Logan, a black girl growing up during the Depression. A year older and wiser now, ten-year-old Cassie has come to terms with her place in life and the injustices around her, like their neighbor T.J.’s wrongful death. Then entirely new circumstances arise that she must confront and sort out in her mind: their half-white cousin Suzella’s visit at her family’s house, the double-talk about the rights of coloured people, what it truly means to be black and female. As she tackles her jealousy over the seemingly perfect Suzella and studies the constitution with old Mrs. Lee Annie, who is determined to vote, Cassie grows up just a bit more and begins to find where she fits in to a world that seems to have no place for her.

Once again, we find a book full of stories, family interactions, and candid looks at life from the Logans’ point of view, but this time the author seems to share more of the pleasanter experiences (though still stuffed with meaning) and not quite so many of the hard ones. That might make Let the Circle Be Unbroken a more satisfying book than its predecessor while still packing all of the punch of the original. Certainly the anecdotes that Cassie relates, especially concerning Suzella’s naïve friendship with some white boys and Cassie’s brother running away from home to work, impact the reader quite forcefully, but the book also remembers to keep some upbeat moments.

I think that Let the Circle Be Unbroken is much longer at 400 pages, though since my copy is in hardback and Roll of Thunder is in paperback, it’s hard to tell. In some ways this book is much more anecdotal, since it’s difficult to define one big, continuous plot, but in other ways the side stories themselves are longer and make the transition between events more fluid. The stories are interesting, anyway, and many of them are very emotional and tender, told simply and frankly but with underlying feeling that runs deep and strong.

I enjoyed reading this book, perhaps not so much as Taylor’s prequel The Land, but more than I enjoyed Roll of Thunder. It seems like with every Logan book Taylor writes, the storytelling becomes more complex. This is a definite advantage to me, since I’m all for intricate writing, so I’d recommend this novel even for those who tried the first book and didn’t find it interesting because of the childish narrative. I think as a character Cassie has grown more wise and mature, and since the book is told in first person from her point of view, her outlook, her thoughts, and the way she tells them naturally become more grown-up.


“I done come home…and it’s the very best place to be.”

To me, Let the Circle Be Unbroken feels like it’s picking up where the story left off rather than starting a new plot. The end of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry doesn’t give any closure, as I mentioned, and so when you read them back to back, the conclusion of one book flows seamlessly into the beginning of the next. Kind of like when you write an epinion that’s a second part following the first one, because it was too long to put into one. It’s great that Mildred Taylor split them up into two books, as long as you make sure to read both of them. Without the setting that the other book provides, each one feels a bit lost.

However, you can read Let the Circle Be Unbroken by itself if you come across it without the first book at the library or a yard sale. It explains things fairly well in the beginning about what’s gone on before, without being too redundant for those who already know. Each of the Logan novels is a separate tale, combining into a larger picture when put together but still colorful and meaningful on its own. The story in this book, told a bit more cheerfully than before, has almost as much persuasiveness about the detriments of racial division as the first book did.

The characters here haven’t changed much except that of course they all have gained a new sliver of wisdom from their experiences. Cassie, still as impulsive and outspoken as ever, speaks her mind but tries to work on saying the right things at the right time. I’m glad that the author described Cassie’s brothers a little bit more, since I wanted to know the loveable Little Man, fanatical Christopher-John, and dictatorial Stacey better. We also get intimate snapshots of their Uncle Hammer and his quick temper, or Mama and Papa’s loving wisdom, and countless other personal touches with the background characters throughout the book. Suzella is especially well illustrated, a beautiful girl caught between two worlds of white and black. Taylor makes good use of her characters in this book and often communicates her message through them.

Well the writing level may be nothing to write home about but at least it’s a nice break from the extremely complicated James Fennimore Cooper I’m reading right now! Simple and streamlined, Let the Circle Be Unbroken is told in a homey, heavily Southern style that feels quite genuine and heartfelt. It’s a convincing narrative for a ten-year-old, and the author combines her vivid storytelling knowledge with the warm, earnest, straightforward account of a child. It should prove very easy reading for anyone who is mature enough to handle the content, eleven and up I’d say.

There are fewer controversial words in this book than before but maybe more controversial themes and viewpoints discussed. For instance, several times the point is hammered home that white boys only want one thing from black girls; and the strongly monitored dividing line between the white world and the black world might seem unnecessarily prejudicial. Yet this was the way things operated back then. A white woman marrying a black man was an almost unheard-of controversy; their child cannot be blamed for wanting to “pass” in a sphere where she was granted every right and privilege. Cassie insists to Suzella that “when you’ve got coloured blood in you, that makes you coloured.” Yet Cassie must give up her friendship with a young white boy because of this stringent code of behavior that was once common place in America. Themes like these would make excellent discussion topics for teens and adults who want to look into the issues of race and perceptions more closely.


Bottom line

Thoroughly recommended whether you’ve read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry yet or not. This thought-provoking novel proves that a book doesn’t have to be complex or at all grand to be powerful. If you want to let the circle continue to be unbroken, then buy this book for you and a friend. It’s worth it. While you're at it, pick up The Land, a prequel about Cassie's grandparents and the best book in the bunch.


Recommended: Yes