Erica Lerner Book Report

U.S. History per. 6

2/28/01

The Road to Memphis

By Mildred D. Taylor

The Road to Memphis was a set in Mississippi. It is written in first person from Cassie Logan’s point of view. Cassie is finishing high school back home in Mississippi while America is at war in Europe and the Pacific. Cassie doesn’t worry about the war much at all. Her main focus is her dream of getting into college and going to law school. Though she has to eventually pay close attention to the tense dramas happening with her friends and families. These incidents all seem to provide interesting encounters with the black and white races. The story’s main purpose is the insights from racial discrimination. The focus of the plot was on how terrible the discrimination was and how unfair it was that the blacks had no power under the whites.

I didn’t much enjoy this book because it lacked life. I was able to read this book quickly but the characters feelings about one another were poorly expressed. I would have enjoyed it more if the mood of the story had more description. The most important part of the book was the setting that set the mood of it’s location and time period. It was essential in providing the background of the story about racism and discrimination. This brought up attention to the occurrence in which laws and justice favored white opinion.

What I did like about this book was how interesting it was to read about just how the conflicts between the whites and blacks happen and how bad they actually get. All the conflicts happen because of Statler Aames. He is a white man in his early 20’s and makes a point of harassing most of the blacks he meets, especially the Logans and their friends. The largest conflict occurs in Strawberry, Mississippi. It is between Moe and Statler and his brothers. Moe eventually can’t stand the humiliation and cruelty from hi. He reacts by beating the others severely. In the past, the Logans and all their black friends always knew that you had to take insults from the whites and talking back could get you killed. They all accepted that; it was just the way it is.

Word Count: 379