Mildred D. Taylor

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born

September 13, 1944 in Jackson, Mississippi, The United States

gender

female

genre

Children's Books

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Mildred Delois Taylor is a famous author, known for her children's fiction books.

She did not stay in Jackson long; the racial discrimination in the South influenced the belief of her father, Wilbert Taylor, that better opportunities awaited his family in more northern states. Thus, after her first three months of life, her family moved to Ohio after her father established a factory in Toledo, Ohio. This move got her extended family to thinking about going North as well; it ended up that Mildred D. Taylor grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins.

But Mr. Taylor still had a love for his old home, so there were several trips to the relatives that had stayed in the South. Many stories of the family history and act...moreMildred Delois Taylor is a famous author, known for her children's fiction books.

She did not stay in Jackson long; the racial discrimination in the South influenced the belief of her father, Wilbert Taylor, that better opportunities awaited his family in more northern states. Thus, after her first three months of life, her family moved to Ohio after her father established a factory in Toledo, Ohio. This move got her extended family to thinking about going North as well; it ended up that Mildred D. Taylor grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins.

But Mr. Taylor still had a love for his old home, so there were several trips to the relatives that had stayed in the South. Many stories of the family history and actual childhoods were told during those visits, and were the core inspiration for Mildred Taylor’s stories and books.

This storytelling time was a regular event on the trips to the South. The family storytellers recollected accounts of struggles with severe racism in the South, tragedies and triumphs; humorous yarns were told and many of the stories were about surviving and the African-American family keeping their dignity in a racist culture. Mildred went to the University of Colorado.

These anecdotes became very clear in Mildred’s mind. In fact, once she recalled that as the adults talked about the past “I began to visualize all the family who had once known the land, and I felt as if I knew them, too...” Taylor has talked about how much history was in the stories; some stories took place during times of slavery and some post-slavery.

Her saga about the Logan family is really based on her whole family history. For example, it starts out with The Land, which is based on the stories she heard about her great-grandfather, who was the son of a white plantation owner and a black woman in Alabama and how he purchased land in Mississippi. She is currently working on her last book, Logan, that finishes the saga off with the Logan family moving from Mississippi to Ohio.

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Books by Mildred D. Taylor

Average rating: 3.76 · 31,545 ratings · 1,985 reviews · 24 distinct works

	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 3.72 avg rating — 26,471 ratings — published 1976 — 53 editions	My rating:
	Let the Circle Be Unbroken 4.02 avg rating — 1,537 ratings — 12 editions	My rating:
	The Land 4.14 avg rating — 972 ratings — 20 editions	My rating:
	The Road to Memphis 4.05 avg rating — 862 ratings — published 1992 — 13 editions	My rating:
	The Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor, Michael Hays (Illustrator), Max Ginsberg (Illustrator) 3.78 avg rating — 313 ratings — 8 editions	My rating:
	The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor, Max Ginsburg (Illustrator), Max Ginsberg (Illustrator) 3.82 avg rating — 291 ratings — published 1987 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator) 3.74 avg rating — 291 ratings — published 1975 — 13 editions	My rating:
	The Well: David's Story 3.88 avg rating — 285 ratings — 12 editions	My rating:
	Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor, Max Ginsburg (Illustrator) 3.73 avg rating — 254 ratings — published 1990 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Roll of Thunder Gift Set: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Let the Circle Be Unbroken; The Road to Memphis 4.31 avg rating — 160 ratings — published 1996	My rating:

More books by Mildred D. Taylor…

Series by Mildred D. Taylor

Logans (6 books)
by Mildred D. Taylor

3.76 avg rating — 30,905 ratings

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Quotes by Mildred D. Taylor

“So many things are possible as long as you don't know they are impossible”
― Mildred D. Taylor, The Land

tags: impossibility , inspirational , possibility

19 people liked it

“She grabbed his arm. "Let it be, son!" she cried. "That child ain't hurt!"
"Not hurt! You look into her eyes and tell me she ain't hurt!”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

13 people liked it

“Poor Christopher-John had fallen into the hands of Miss. Daisy Crocker. I greatly sympathized him, but as in everything else, Christopher John tried to see the bright side in having to face such a shrew every morning. "Maybe she done changed," he said hopefully on the first day of school. However, when classes were over he was noticeably quiet.

Well?" I asked him.

He shrugged dejectedly and admitted, "She still the same.”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Let the Circle Be Unbroken

tags: books , humor , teachers

8 people liked it

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Polls

What Newbery Medal winner would you like to read in August?

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson

3 votes 37.5%

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

2 votes 25.0%

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

1 vote 12.5%

It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville

1 vote 12.5%

M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton

1 vote 12.5%

8 total votes

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Mildred D. Taylor

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Quotes by Mildred D. Taylor

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Mildred D. Taylor