Let the Circle Be Unbroken

Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Logans #5)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05  ·  rating details  ·  2,358 ratings  ·  112 reviews
This is a sequel to the universally acclaimed "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", continuing in the story of the Logan family in Mississippi during the Depression. The children, especially Cassie, are happy in their warm, stable family but outside is a climate of fear and tension. Their friend T.J. goes on trial for murder and stands before an all-white jury. Cousin Suzella tr...more
Published (first published January 1st 1981)
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Beloved by Toni MorrisonThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonKindred by Octavia E. ButlerSugar by Bernice L. McFadden
Best Black Historical Fiction
33rd out of 112 books — 86 voters
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderAnne of Green Gables by L.M. MontgomeryLittle Women by Louisa May AlcottThe Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George SpeareThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Best Children's Historical Fiction
160th out of 415 books — 400 voters


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Community Reviews

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Aleen
I chose to read Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor because it is part of the Logans/Roll of Thunder series and I’d already read the first one which left me asking questions. This book is about a black sharecropping family living during the Great Depression and the struggles they face, including finding out what is to become to their close friend T.J. Avery who has been accused of stealing and murder of a white man. My favorite quote is, “Stones hit noisily against the car's underbe...more
Adeline Pangilinan
When I heard there was going to be another extra credit, to read “Let the Circle Be Unbroken,” I immediately pounced on it. The setting of the book takes place during the Great Depression. The protagonist, Cassie Logan, the daughter of a sharecropping family, is suffering economically and are facing many family issues.Cassie’s friend T.J. Avery is unjustly sentenced to death for attacking a white shopkeeper, her family is scared of losing their land, and certain union groups who are fighting for...more
Arthur
Let the Circle Be Unbroken caught my eye by it's prejudice and poverty. The book Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor goes back in the past how people were still in Great Depression, Segregation, and white landowners of rural Mississippi.

The Logans were poor and lived in the South of Mississippi and lived in a tenement with only there family. The mother had 4 kids to take care of because the father passed away. The mother worked all day and night just to keep the house and have some...more
Kimberly Tardy
The Logan family goes through hard times, trying to raise their children the correct way. T.J. Avery, Stacey's friend, is accused of murdering a white man, Jim Lee Barnett. Although he is innocent, he is tried by an all-white jury and convicted. Stacey does everything in his power to help his friend, but in the end, T.J. is sentenced to death.
A man tries to start a union to join blacks and whites together so the cotton will be sold for fair prices. The union does not succeed and the man who want...more
Gregory Johnson
Let the Circle Be Unbroken is a novel that takes place in a small Mississippi town in the early 1930s, and the prejudice that black people from the community face. It leaves off where its prequel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, leaves off. Author Mildred Taylor recounts the trial TJ a friend of the Logan family, who are the main characters of the story. It specifically, it focuses on Stacey, Cassie, Little Man and Christopher. This family struggles with the changings around them and how they have...more
Susan
Jan 06, 2011 Susan added it
Laura Hilenbrand takes the facts and writes a lyrical story of pain and suffering. When I described the book to a friend whose dad was a Shakespeare scholar at UVA for decades, he was reminded of this poem by WH Auden which articulates better than I how suffering such as occurred in the Japanese POW camps could somehow appear to be normal to those who endured:
Musée des Beaux Arts
W. H. Auden

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters; how well, they understood
Its human position; how it...more
Nick
My love for the Logan Family began when I read "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". I was really intrigued by the story. Mildred D. Taylor does a superb job of making the reader feel as though the Logans became are a part of your own family. It's so natural, and I'm glad to have continued reading their story in "Let the Circle Be Unbroken". I found this continuation of their story to be even better than the first book. Which is almost unheard of because most sequels have a bad reputation of not being...more
Daeqwan Smith
The book is about a family that struggles during segregationa and they face alot of racism.In the first book Roll of thunder,Hear my cry a boy name T.j Avery went in the store with two white boys and they stole a gun but the store owner was killed and he was convicted even though he didn't shoot the man. So T.j was sent to jail because he was found guilty just because he was black and they knew the white boys had killed the man. I liked the book because it about the everyday struggle african am...more
Sydney
The book, Let The Circle Be Unbroken was a great book! This book was filled with adventures and I loved it! I did not really understand why Cassie’s papa would not let her play marbles with her friends. One thing that really confused me in this book was, all the different names and how the people talked, pg161 “ Not since papa passed. With him and sister Lottie both gone, I didn’t much want to go back.” I think I was just confused about the names because there were so many characters that had li...more
Meli
This book is set during the time of the Jim Crow laws (13-15th amendments). I loved this one because it showed that people are people no matter what skin color they might me. There are also many points of injustice being focused on and around the main characters, a family of African-American sharecroppers. This was well written from the last time I remember reading it. It uses accents and dialect, and highlights many themes that had to do with society at that time (multiracial issues, white supr...more
Esmeralda
Cassie and her brothers are sent reeling by a shockingly racist trial - the culmination of events from the first book in the series, Roar of Thunder Hear My Cry. In addition, Cassie's growing up, so she learns a lot about inter-race relations and the often humiliating effects. This is a heart-rending (though sometimes slow-moving) children's historical fiction. The story deals with complex issues and is character-driven, so even though the reading level is approximately 5th-7th grade, this is no...more
Henry
I have chosen the book Let The Circle Be Unbroken since I have read its prequel and I was interested in what happens next. It is about an African American family trying to survive despite the discrimination and hatred in 1900s. My favorite quote is “That water in there and them toilets, they belong to the white folks, and the white folks don't want no colored folks using neither one.” It is very significant and it shows the cruelty of those years. The writing style is perfect. It doesn't give to...more
Brittany
Let the Circle Be Unbroken is a sequal to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I was a little hesitant when I first started reading this one because I had not read the first book so I wasn't sure if I would understand what was going on. Let me say that it is not necessary! I would read the first one only because this one was so good that I want to read more! I am so glad I decided to try to read it anyway. The book follows a black family in what I believe is the '40's in the South. Some of the things t...more
Grace
Another amazing look into history from Taylor. I really love this author. Writing from Cassie a young girls perspective of growing up in Mississippi in the 1930s she really captures the life and experiences of this young girl and her family. Though they go through hard times the book shows us that despite troubles their family and principles are really important to them. this brief glimpse into history is a beautiful yet sad depiction of how times were hard for coloured people in the past but al...more
Sam
I was so close to giving this book only one star. I would have been the first person on this website to do so. So why did I decide against it? Well, as long and unbearable as Let the Circle Be Unbroken may be, there are certain qualities it possesses that allowed me to give it just a small bit of credit.

The circumstances under which I read this book were not favorable. I would have never picked it up, but since we had to read it for school, I had no choice. Having not read Roll of Thunder, Hear...more
Heidi
Oh how I loved this one! I can't remember any specifics because I read it a few years ago but I do remember loving it so much!
Kathryn Douglas
I love this book too! It goes with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and The Road to Memphis. I think Mildred Taylor is a great author!
Rebecca
The author introduced a really large amount of difficult and frustratingly hard circumstances that occured in the deep south in the early 1900's. At times it was difficult to keep them coming at you as a reader, but bt trying to put yourself into the character's shoes, it was a reality. Again, she was very fair at showcasing the difficulities that both white and black communities had at racial intergration and fairness. This book isn't pro-black or pro-white, but an honest reflection of both gro...more
Sheryse DuBose
This my favorite book. I actually like this one better than "Roll my Thunder, Hear my Cry". I'm sorry if some people didn't care for it but I have always loved the Logan series.To simply say this is a book about struggle and it harps on racism is short-sighted. It reminds me so much of my own family and the pride we have in our heritage. I think that is what Ms. Taylor is trying to share with her readers. I also love how when I read Mildred D. Taylor, she writes in a way I can see the scenery an...more
Fbooks75
Jan 04, 2009 Fbooks75 rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people that like historical fiction
Recommended to Fbooks75 by: no one
Shelves: 6th-read
Let The Circle be Unbroken is a great book that is a must read. This book is about Cassie Logan and her family. When her cousin came to say with them for a while cassie feels as though the circle has been broken. A lot of people have been paying less attention to her and more time excepting her beautiful cousin Suzllia.
The author's purpose is to entertain and keep you interested. The book's message is life was hard back then and there will continue being problems in life. This book's theme is...more
Glenn Morris
Read in High School along with about a dozen other black history books. Was there nothing about Asians, Arabs, or Indians worth reading? Or anything not primarily concerned with race? Most majors at the college level are things we never even touched on at my High School because, with less exceptions than I can count on one hand, it was always Roll of Thunder or something just like it. My guess is it's a two-star book, a poor man's To Kill a Mockingbird. I'll give it one star lower because people...more
Tommy
Beautifully written. A bit exhausting at times for the amount of detail into which Taylor frequently goes, but all that detail is often worth it. The imagery of rural Mississippi is stunning, and Taylor really uses dialect to great effect. Generally good for introducing 7th-graders to the everyday impacts of racism in the Depression-era South, although we could have done without the painstaking descriptions of crop prices and government subsidies every other chapter.
Matthew
When an author has success with a first book (such as Roll of Thunder) it is often best not to try for a repeat performance. Mrs. Taylor's sequel is wonderful as a sequel, but would have a very hard time standing alone. The characters don't seem to have the same depth and rely to much on previous action history versus new emotional territory. That being said, the end of the book is far more rewarding and leaves you wanting to hear more from the Logan family.

I have a true enjoyment of depression...more
Tigerstarz
Mar 29, 2009 Tigerstarz rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any historical fiction lovers and scholars
Recommended to Tigerstarz by: Teacher
This book is pretty good. The beginning is very monotonous and confusing if you haven't read the books that occur before this one. At the end it begins to get better, because you can warm up to it and become used to the characters and plot.

This book teaches you to cherish what you have. To love your family, because the next day they may not be there. To cherish you're shelter and food, because there is most likely a person suffering by a lack of those things.
Tubah
Amazing book- it covers the hardships that an African American family has to go through before the civil rights movement. On a deeper note its about family and relationships; and growing up and how things are always changing and will never be the same between different characters. The author is one of my favorites! She places the reader into Cassie's shoes.
Hassan Chaudhry
This is the sequel to roll of thunder hear my cry. It is pretty similar in writing the previous book. It pretty much leaves off where the last one left off. You find out what happens to TJ and other things happens. It is sad like the last book some times and it has a similar tone. Overall the book was okay.
Chontavious Glover
This is an excellent book to read.It teaches about the life way back when whites didnt like african americans.It amazes me how well the blacks could survive without the support of white people.They stuck together even when they were in the baddest of times.The father in this book is very out spoken and he speaks his mind.He doesn't let the whites effect his opinoin.I would be willing to read another one of these books in the future
 Imani ♥ ☮
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Amy P.
The Logan family is a tight-knit unit knowing love within their own circle. However, outside the family racism abounds in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The Logan family must deal with the punishment of family member Logan whom is being tried by an all-white jury, and their cousin Suzella, whom tries to pass as white. The racism in their town is so prevalent, that when a black neighbor tries to register to vote, she is run out of town. The story is told through Cassie, the young daught...more
Pamela Saylor
Enjoyed immensely. Felt like I was reading four books all at the same time. The author did a good job going from story to story. It flowed together nicely. Wished things weren't so discriminating because people are people no matter the color of their skin!
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Let the Circle Be Unbroken ( logan 2)
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Let The Circle Be Unbroken
Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Hardcover)
Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Hardcover)

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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...more
More about Mildred D. Taylor...
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4) The Land The Road to Memphis Song of the Trees The Gold Cadillac

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“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.”
15 people liked it
“after all, the bible was always talking about miracles. i figured that if Daniel could get out of the lion's den alive and Jonah could come up unharmed from the belly of a whale, then surely ole T.j. could get out of going to prison.” 4 people liked it
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