's Best of 2001
The Land is Mildred D. Taylor's wonderful prequel to her Newbery Medal winner, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. In the stories Taylor has to tell, life is not fair, hard work doesn't always pay off, and the good guy doesn't always win. That's because this extraordinary author tells the stories of her African American family in the Deep South during and after the Civil War, a time of ugly, painful racism.

Paul-Edward Logan, the son of a white, plantation-owner father and a slave mother, is our narrator, bound and determined to buy his own land and shape his own future at whatever cost. Caught between black and white worlds and not fitting into either one is devastating for him, but his powerful, engaging tales of the love of family, the strength of friendship, and growing up will inspire anyone to dare to persevere despite terrible odds. Taylor's books are not only essential in understanding what led up to the Civil Rights movement in America--they are also breathtaking page-turners, full of suspense, humor, love, and hope. The Land certainly stands alone, but the other award-winning tales of the Logan family--Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Let the Circle Be Unbroken; and The Road to Memphis--are excellent as well. Heartily recommended. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson


From Publishers Weekly
Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling are as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family. This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry focuses on Cassies's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, and explains how the seeds were planted for feuds between the Logans and other families, as well as certain loyalties. Here, the author deftly explores double standards in the South during the years following the Civil War. She lays the groundwork for these issues to be examined through two key relationships in the childhood of Paul-Edward, a boy of mixed race: the strong bond he shares with Robert, his white half-brother, and a tenuous friendship with Mitchell, whose parents were born into slavery and whose father works for Paul-Edward's father. Through them, the hero becomes painfully aware of the indelible line dividing black and white society. Though it is acceptable that his father, plantation-owner Edward, keeps an African-American mistress and helps rear her children, Paul-Edward and his sister, Cassie, are not allowed the same privileges as their half-brothers. An incident of family betrayal and a broken promise prompts Paul-Edward to run away from home and pursue his dream to farm his own piece of land. After arriving in Mississippi and setting his sights on the acreage he wants to buy, he soon discovers that becoming a landowner of color is more complicated and dangerous than expected. Like any good historian, Taylor extracts truth from past events without sugarcoating issues. Although her depiction of the 19th-century South is anything but pretty, her tone is more uplifting than bitter. Rather than dismissing hypocrisies, she digs beneath the surface of Paul-Edward's friends and foes, showing how their values have been shaped by social norms. Here, villains are as much victims as heroes, but only those as courageous as the protagonist challenge the traditions that promote inequality. Even during the book's most wrenching scenes, the determination, wisdom and resiliency-which become the legacy of the Logan family-will be strongly felt. Taylor fans should hasten to read this latest contribution to the Logan family history, and newcomers will eagerly lap this up and plunge into the author's other titles. Ages 12-up. (Step.) Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling are as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family. This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry focuses on Cassies's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, and explains how the seeds were planted for feuds between the Logans and other families, as well as certain loyalties. Here, the author deftly explores double standards in the South during the years following the Civil War. She lays the groundwork for these issues to be examined through two key relationships in the childhood of Paul-Edward, a boy of mixed race: the strong bond he shares with Robert, his white half-brother, and a tenuous friendship with Mitchell, whose parents were born into slavery and whose father works for Paul-Edward's father. Through them, the hero becomes painfully aware of the indelible line dividing black and white society. Though it is acceptable that his father, plantation-owner Edward, keeps an African-American mistress and helps rear her children, Paul-Edward and his sister, Cassie, are not allowed the same privileges as their half-brothers. An incident of family betrayal and a broken promise prompts Paul-Edward to run away from home and pursue his dream to farm his own piece of land. After arriving in Mississippi and setting his sights on the acreage he wants to buy, he soon discovers that becoming a landowner of color is more complicated and dangerous than expected. Like any good historian, Taylor extracts truth from past events without sugarcoating issues. Although her depiction of the 19th-century South is anything but pretty, her tone is more uplifting than bitter. Rather than dismissing hypocrisies, she digs beneath the surface of Paul-Edward's friends and foes, showing how their values have been shaped by social norms. Here, villains are as much victims as heroes, but only those as courageous as the protagonist challenge the traditions that promote inequality. Even during the book's most wrenching scenes, the determination, wisdom and resiliency-which become the legacy of the Logan family-will be strongly felt. Taylor fans should hasten to read this latest contribution to the Logan family history, and newcomers will eagerly lap this up and plunge into the author's other titles. Ages 12-up. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grades 7-10--The Land by Mildred Taylor (Putnam, 2001) is a wonderful novel of close friendship, harsh prejudices, and deep yearning. Fans of the author's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Dial, 1976) saga will enjoy learning how the love of the land was instilled into the family through the story of Paul-Edward Logan, Cassie's grandfather. His mother was a slave freed by the Civil War. Usually acknowledged by his white father, he has more education and training than most blacks of the time. However, frustrated by the inequalities caused by his mixed heritage, he leaves home to find work in order to earn land of his own. Experienced actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a wonderful reader for this story. Told in the first person, he becomes Paul-Edward and reads believably with a soft Southern accent. He moves easily from correct English to the uneducated speech full of grammar errors of other characters. When repeating dialogue, the narrator changes tone to differentiate the sexes. He uses pauses effectively, and knows exactly when to emphasize a word to enhance the realism. This historical novel brings this period of American history to life.Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
The acclaim for ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY precedes this new prequel to the Logan family saga, and Mildred Taylor won the 2002 Coretta Scott King Author Award for THE LAND. We meet Cassie Logan's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, in Georgia just after the Civil War. Ruben Santiago-Hudson crafts fluid portraits of Paul-Edward, his friend, Mitchell, and the memorable characters who surround the struggle for the precious acres of land Paul-Edward is eventually able to buy. Santiago-Hudson brings the Southern dialects alive for listeners and unfolds this rich story with astute understanding and compassion. Listen and discuss this inspiring audiobook with family and young people. It's a powerful, evergreen story that furthers our understanding of American history. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2002 Coretta Scott King Author Award and YALSA Selection © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 7-12. Like Taylor's Newbery Medal book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976), this powerful historical novel, a prequel to Roll of Thunder, refuses to "whitewash" history. As the author notes in her afterword, the language was painful and life was painful for many African Americans, including her family. Drawing directly on her family history, especially what she knows about her great-grandfather, she goes back to the time of Reconstruction to tell a searing story of cruelty, racism, and betrayal. She also tells a thrilling coming-of-age story about friendship, hope, and family strength.Paul-Edward narrates it in his own voice, which combines a passionate immediacy with the distance of an adult looking back. There are things he can never forget. The story begins when he is nine years old in Georgia. Born of a part-Indian, part-African slave mother and a white plantation owner, he is raised by both parents. Paul is treated "almost" as if he were white. He eats at his white father's table--except when there are guests. He learns to read, and his best friend is his white brother, Robert, who is the same age. His greatest enemy is Mitchell, the son of black sharecroppers on the plantation, who beats Paul unmercifully ("You think you way better 'n everybody else"). Then Paul teaches Mitchell to read, and Mitchell teaches Paul to fight.Through Paul's personal turmoil, Taylor dramatizes society's rigid racist divisions. Paul's identity as a "white nigger," caught between black and white, almost destroys him. A bitter turning point comes when Robert betrays him to save face with white friends. Taylor makes it plain that Paul never gets over it. Never. Paul learns another harsh lesson when he loses his temper and beats up a white bully: his father thrashes him to teach him an essential lesson for his survival: "You don't ever hit a white man. . . . Use your head, Paul-Edward, not your fists." Losing his temper could get him lynched, and he doesn't forget, even when whites exploit him, insult him, cheat him, and injure him.His dream is to own his own land. It becomes his obsession. The second part of the book is about his work, backbreaking work for months and years to get that land. As a teenager, he finally runs away, and Mitchell runs with him. They meet up later, brothers now, family, "[Mitchell is] more a brother to me than any of my blood." The bond between Paul and Mitchell is at the heart of the book, all the more moving because it begins with raging hostility.Paul falls in love with a strong, independent woman, whom he eventually marries. But his focus is on the land, working the land, his own land. It's rare to find detail about work and business in books for children. Paul's work is vividly described: he trains and races horses, and he makes money as a skilled carpenter. Then he signs a contract with a white landowner and works seven days a week, clearing the land, chopping the trees, hacking the branches, burning the brush, planting cotton--only to have the landowner tear up the contract ("You think I care about a paper signed with a nigger?"). That moment is like a lightning flash, illuminating the racist truth through Paul's bitter heartbreak. Yet, even then, Paul remains ruthlessly determined. He continues his backbreaking labor and quest for the land, obsessively calculating how much he needs and how he'll earn it. The banks refuse Paul credit. He sells his most precious possessions. Finally, with the help of Mitchell, he earns the money and, through a complicated financial transaction that involves a sympathetic white man and a surprise family inheritance, he buys the land of his dreams.The novel will make a great discussion book in American history classes dealing with black history; pioneer life; and the Reconstruction period, about which little has been written for this age group. Filled with details of how people work the land and build a home, what they eat and how they cook it, the book will appeal to teens who loved the Little House books (a series that also spoke to racism), and it could easily be paired with any number of stories about immigrants' struggles to follow their dreams in America.Taylor's characters are drawn without sentimentality. Not all whites are demonized; some whites help Paul. But many are vicious racists, like the farmers who don't want blacks owning land nearby. The "n" word hits like a blow each time it's used. But, as the author writes, that's what her grandfather endured. Let's hope that the historical truth, the words, and the violence don't cause adult censors to keep this landmark book from young adults who will want to read it and talk about it.Paul-Edward's granddaughter will be Cassie Logan, and readers who remember her from Roll of Thunder will grab this and be astonished by its powerful story. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Booklist, starred review
Readers...will grab this and be astonished by its powerful story.


Publishers Weekly, starred review
Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling is as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family.


Book Description
The son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave, Paul-Edward Logan is unlike any other boy he knows. His white father has acknowledged him and raised him openly-something unusual in post-Civil War Georgia. But as he grows into a man he learns that life for someone like him is not easy. Black people distrust him because he looks white. White people discriminate against him when they learn of his black heritage. Even within his own family he faces betrayal and degradation. So at the age of fourteen, he sets out toward the only dream he has ever had: to find land every bit as good as his father's, and make it his own. Once again inspired by her own history, Ms. Taylor brings truth and power to the newest addition to the award-winning Logan family stories.


Card catalog description
After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
In a tale written for young adults, Mildred D. Taylor combines her personal family history with that of a country divided by racism, prejudice, and slavery. The events in The Land unfold through the eyes of Paul Logan, the son of a onetime slave and the white man who owned her. Paul's father treats him fairly and with kindness most of the time, frequently allowing him the same privileges he gives his legitimate sons. But as Paul grows older, certain harsh realities make him realize that he will never be considered a true equal to his white brothers -- or any white man, for that matter -- even if his skin is so light that he might be able to "pass."

Because of his ancestry, Paul feels that he is caught between two worlds, destined to be shunned by black folk as well as whites. The only person he can relate to at all is Mitchell, a black boy who used to torment Paul but who has now become a trusted friend. When the two run away together to escape their past and find their fortune -- which for Paul means realizing his dream of one day owning his own piece of land -- they encounter a world filled with heartbreaking betrayal, backbreaking labor, and rampant prejudice. As they come to trust only each other, their friendship grows ever stronger, until it seems that nothing -- not even a shared affection for the same woman -- can break the bond between them. But for two black men struggling to make something of themselves in a white-run world, life holds some tragic surprises in store.

In an author's note, Taylor explains that the character of Paul is based on one of her own descendants. The hardships he encounters in his struggle to become a landowner offer up a bittersweet lesson on the rewards of hard work and the destructive power of racism, providing Taylor's readers with an unforgettable look at the best, and worst, of humanity. (Beth Amos)

ANNOTATION

After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling are as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family. This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry focuses on Cassies's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, and explains how the seeds were planted for feuds between the Logans and other families, as well as certain loyalties. Here, the author deftly explores double standards in the South during the years following the Civil War. She lays the groundwork for these issues to be examined through two key relationships in the childhood of Paul-Edward, a boy of mixed race: the strong bond he shares with Robert, his white half-brother, and a tenuous friendship with Mitchell, whose parents were born into slavery and whose father works for Paul-Edward's father. Through them, the hero becomes painfully aware of the indelible line dividing black and white society. Though it is acceptable that his father, plantation-owner Edward, keeps an African-American mistress and helps rear her children, Paul-Edward and his sister, Cassie, are not allowed the same privileges as their half-brothers. An incident of family betrayal and a broken promise prompts Paul-Edward to run away from home and pursue his dream to farm his own piece of land. After arriving in Mississippi and setting his sights on the acreage he wants to buy, he soon discovers that becoming a landowner of color is more complicated and dangerous than expected. Like any good historian, Taylor extracts truth from past events without sugarcoating issues. Although her depiction of the 19th-century South is anything but pretty, her tone is more uplifting than bitter. Rather than dismissing hypocrisies, she digs beneath the surface ofPaul-Edward's friends and foes, showing how their values have been shaped by social norms. Here, villains are as much victims as heroes, but only those as courageous as the protagonist challenge the traditions that promote inequality. Even during the book's most wrenching scenes, the determination, wisdom and resiliency-which become the legacy of the Logan family-will be strongly felt. Taylor fans should hasten to read this latest contribution to the Logan family history, and newcomers will eagerly lap this up and plunge into the author's other titles. Ages 12-up. (Step.) Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling are as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family. This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry focuses on Cassies's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, and explains how the seeds were planted for feuds between the Logans and other families, as well as certain loyalties. Here, the author deftly explores double standards in the South during the years following the Civil War. She lays the groundwork for these issues to be examined through two key relationships in the childhood of Paul-Edward, a boy of mixed race: the strong bond he shares with Robert, his white half-brother, and a tenuous friendship with Mitchell, whose parents were born into slavery and whose father works for Paul-Edward's father. Through them, the hero becomes painfully aware of the indelible line dividing black and white society. Though it is acceptable that his father, plantation-owner Edward, keeps an African-American mistress and helps rear her children, Paul-Edward and his sister, Cassie, are not allowed the same privileges as their half-brothers. An incident of family betrayal and a broken promise prompts Paul-Edward to run away from home and pursue his dream to farm his own piece of land. After arriving in Mississippi and setting his sights on the acreage he wants to buy, he soon discovers that becoming a landowner of color is more complicated and dangerous than expected. Like any good historian, Taylor extracts truth from past events without sugarcoating issues. Although her depiction of the 19th-century South is anything but pretty, her tone is more uplifting than bitter. Rather than dismissing hypocrisies, she digs beneath the surface of Paul-Edward's friends and foes, showing how their values have been shaped by social norms. Here, villains are as much victims as heroes, but only those as courageous as the protagonist challenge the traditions that promote inequality. Even during the book's most wrenching scenes, the determination, wisdom and resiliency-which become the legacy of the Logan family-will be strongly felt. Taylor fans should hasten to read this latest contribution to the Logan family history, and newcomers will eagerly lap this up and plunge into the author's other titles. Ages 12-up. (Step.)

Children's Literature

For young Paul Logan, life in the post-Civil War South is complicated. Born to a slave mother and her owner, Paul is seen by outsiders as a social blemish. While his father has accepted Paul, many other people hate him because of his mixed racial heritage. The elder Logan allows Paul to come to his home, to eat with his three white brothers and to receive an education. Unfortunately, society in the South during Reconstruction will not tolerate any further acceptance by a white father for his "colored" children. Paul is also a gifted horseman and woodworker but he struggles against the limited horizons open to him. A neighbor boy, Mitchell, emerges first as Paul's primary tormenter and then his long-term friend. Eventually, Paul can no longer tolerate his partial acceptance by his white father. Fleeing the family home in Georgia, Paul travels to Mississippi where he begins a series of backbreaking jobs in lumber camps. His heartfelt goal is to earn enough money to purchase land of his own and rear a family. He and Mitchell settle on a forty-acre farm that they strive to purchase. Ultimately, Paul must overcome betrayals, intolerance and prejudice to achieve his dream. Written by the author as a prequel to the Newbery Award winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, this moving story is based upon the experiences of the writer's great grandparents. Written with great care, accuracy and emotion, The Land is a wonderful novel, telling a family story that will move and enrich its readers. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of what life in the South was like for African-Americans struggling to make their way in a society grounded upon prejudice. 2001, Phyllis Fogelman Books, $17.99.Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck

VOYA

Paul Logan has a fine life for a boy of color in late 1860s Georgia. His white father, Edward Logan, was a munificent and powerful man who taught his biracial children, Paul and his sister Cassie, to read and write alongside his three white sons. Edward required that all his children care for each other, although Paul and Cassie live with their African-Indian mother in a cottage on the property. Paul's seemingly idyllic life changes dramatically when he disobeys his father by racing horses for someone else. He and his friend, Mitchell, run away to escape certain punishment for taking money that rightfully belonged to Paul for winning the race. Because of this rash act at the age of fourteen, Paul severs all ties with his family and the land he loves. While he and Mitchell move and work around the South, Paul never loses sight of his dream of owning his own land. He experiences firsthand the harsh treatment Mitchell and other blacks endure. Sometimes he is treated even more cruelly because of his light skin. After several years of back-breaking work, Paul buys the land in Vicksburg, Mississippi, that becomes the Logan legacy. Taylor fashions an engrossing and heartwarming story that is a more-than-fitting prequel to her Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Dial, 1976). Taylor uses stories from her own family's past to create a fascinating and honest look at life's struggles and joys for many African American families after the Civil War. Although this book will be a welcome addition to many middle and junior high school libraries, the fascinating, free-flowing tale will be received warmly by readers of all ages. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being any betterwritten; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Phyllis Fogelman Books/Penguin, 392p, $17.99. Ages 11 to 15. Reviewer: Brenda Moses-Allen

The Five Owls

Mildred Taylor's The Land ranks with William Armstrong's Sounder (Harper & Row, 1969) as an exceptional and inspirational example of fine writing. It is the prequel to the Newbery award winning, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Dial, 1976). The insights into the life of Paul-Edward Logan are chronological and abundant. Paul-Edward Logan was Taylor's great-grandfather. These stories were told to her as far back as she can remember. Yet, this is not a biography. Rather it is a kaleidoscopic probe into the personal growth, tenacity, and fulfillment of a dream of a young Negro sired by a white man as he struggles through the post-Civil War era in the deep South. Through superb dialogue, Paul-Edward reconstructs in a careful self-study his awareness and acceptance of the pain and injustice rendered. The emotional resonance of the personal histories, along with the detailed information about these times, make the story a rich resource. Truly, the Logan family legacy is a powerful force that indeed worked to destroy the racial barriers as much as any organized civil rights movement. I did have a white daddy. He was a prosperous man, or at least he had been before the war. He owned a lot of land, and until a few years back he had owned his share of slaves, too. My mama had been one of those slaves. There are so many facets of Paul-Edward's story as he relates his feelings and dreams in this first-person narrative. He is hated by the other boys on his father's plantation. He was a colored boy whose mixed look caused most folks to think he was white. Cassie and Paul-Edward were Edward Logan's children with Deborah, his slave. Both of the children were born into slavery. There were many such children.Some white men took care of their colored children; most didn't. Cassie and Paul-Edward's daddy acknowledged that they were his, and he raised them pretty much the same as his three white sons. Because my daddy was who he was, I had some of the privileges of a white boy, privileges denied to Mitchell and other colored folks on the place. Cassie and I sat right alongside Hammond, George, and Robert at our daddy's table. We wore good clothes, and our daddy educated us. He'd taught us himself how to read and write and figure...and he made Hammond and George and Robert share their books and all their school learning. Paul-Edward loved and feared his father, but he loved the land unconditionally. His dream was to own land every bit as good as his daddy's one day. And that is one of many of the major themes in this powerful story. He begins to realize the impact of true friendship as he and his friend Mitchell set out on the journey of pursuing Paul-Edward's dream of having land to call his own. When Paul-Edward was fourteen, he and Mitchell ran away, fearing the whipping his father promised Paul-Edward for riding another man's horse. The boys escaped onto a train, where they were hidden by several white women who allowed their skirts to act as curtains while the boys hid under the seats of the train. Thus the focus on this young man's dream begins. The pride and strength of the struggle is filled with words that engage the eye, mind, and heart of the reader. Through the eloquence of the prose, through infamy and suffering, joy and love, Paul-Edward Logan displays the hope and perseverance required for dreams to be fulfilled. Taylor courageously states in "A Note to the Reader" she has attempted to be true to the stories and the history told her by her family. She had included characters, incidents, and the language of that time. "Although there are those who wish to ban my books because I have used language that is painful; I have chosen to use the language that was spoken during the period, for I refuse to white-wash history. The language was painful and life was painful for many African Americans, including my family. I remember the pain." Mildred Taylor should be admired for her determination, her bravery, and being true to her heritage. Her truth in speech will impact generations of readers regardless of race. 2001, Phyllis Fogelman, 392 pages, Clodfelter

KLIATT