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Logan family series
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From: Maia <maia>
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 12:58:03 -0400
It's interesting that Dean brought this up, as that is what I too have been pondering. I've been reading "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" and
"Let the Circle Be Unbroken" for the last several days, and keep putting them down, and skipping back and forth. Taylor is indubitably talented as a writer, so it's not that - it's the continual awfulness of the characters' experiences.
The version I have of "Let the Circle Be Unbroken" has a clip from Taylor's Newberry acceptance speech:
"I will continue the Logans' story with the same life guides that have always been mine, for it is my hope that these books, one of the first chronicles to mirror a black child's hopes and fears from childhood innocence to awareness to bitterness and disillusionment, will one day be instrumental in teaching children of all colors the tremendous influence that Cassie's generation -my father's generation- had in bringing about the great Civil Right's Movement of the fifties and sixties..."
For that stated goal, I think the books succeed, and it helps to know that that is what Taylor was trying to do. I was trying to explain to my husband last night what was bothering me - and I guess it's that the books hop from one horrible thing to another, but don't really give us a glimpse of why the Logans would have such staying power. For the Logans to be such a healthy family, I would think that there would need to be more love-time. And I think that time may be implied, but since it's rarely expressed, it made the books difficult for me to read. Dean said that he has faith that Cassie will persevere, but after reading that preface, it's hard for me to want to read more of the series. I really don't want to see Cassie crushed, bitter and disappointed.
I'll jump ahead and make some comparisons to the Tillerman novels. Life can be pretty awful for the Tillermans. "Seventeen against the Dealer" does deal Dicey multiple blows, and "A Solitary Blue" is painfully accurate in its portrayal of a woman with a sickening lack of boundaries, and an overwhelming selfishness. I don't mean to compare the Tillermans' and Jeff's suffering to the Logans - they're both horrid, with characters in the one being abused from the inside and outside of the family (Tillerman cycle), and a solid family but evil society in the other (Logan series) - but I do think it's interesting that Voigt gives us an understanding of why her characters would persevere, and what empowers them in the midst of shame and hopelessness. I wish Taylor had done the same.
On the other hand, I have to applaud Taylor for the power of her books. If one wants to use them as informative novels, well, one certainly can't take racism lightly after reading those books. And I respect the fact that she doesn't provide pat answers - I've seen books that treat pervasive issues as a one-time problem, and I think that doesn't do much for furthering a real understanding.
While I do think that there are uses for the Logan family series in the classroom, I wouldn't introduce them unless the students (kids or adults) had had a rich introduction to other layers of black history and culture, in particular the joyful, creative and life?firmative. And I think I'd have the class discuss what the students thought the non-eventful parts of the Logan family's life were like - sitting at the dinner table, playing together, etc. - and what they thought enabled that family to be so strong.
Maia
Received on Thu 06 May 1999 11:58:03 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 12:58:03 -0400
It's interesting that Dean brought this up, as that is what I too have been pondering. I've been reading "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" and
"Let the Circle Be Unbroken" for the last several days, and keep putting them down, and skipping back and forth. Taylor is indubitably talented as a writer, so it's not that - it's the continual awfulness of the characters' experiences.
The version I have of "Let the Circle Be Unbroken" has a clip from Taylor's Newberry acceptance speech:
"I will continue the Logans' story with the same life guides that have always been mine, for it is my hope that these books, one of the first chronicles to mirror a black child's hopes and fears from childhood innocence to awareness to bitterness and disillusionment, will one day be instrumental in teaching children of all colors the tremendous influence that Cassie's generation -my father's generation- had in bringing about the great Civil Right's Movement of the fifties and sixties..."
For that stated goal, I think the books succeed, and it helps to know that that is what Taylor was trying to do. I was trying to explain to my husband last night what was bothering me - and I guess it's that the books hop from one horrible thing to another, but don't really give us a glimpse of why the Logans would have such staying power. For the Logans to be such a healthy family, I would think that there would need to be more love-time. And I think that time may be implied, but since it's rarely expressed, it made the books difficult for me to read. Dean said that he has faith that Cassie will persevere, but after reading that preface, it's hard for me to want to read more of the series. I really don't want to see Cassie crushed, bitter and disappointed.
I'll jump ahead and make some comparisons to the Tillerman novels. Life can be pretty awful for the Tillermans. "Seventeen against the Dealer" does deal Dicey multiple blows, and "A Solitary Blue" is painfully accurate in its portrayal of a woman with a sickening lack of boundaries, and an overwhelming selfishness. I don't mean to compare the Tillermans' and Jeff's suffering to the Logans - they're both horrid, with characters in the one being abused from the inside and outside of the family (Tillerman cycle), and a solid family but evil society in the other (Logan series) - but I do think it's interesting that Voigt gives us an understanding of why her characters would persevere, and what empowers them in the midst of shame and hopelessness. I wish Taylor had done the same.
On the other hand, I have to applaud Taylor for the power of her books. If one wants to use them as informative novels, well, one certainly can't take racism lightly after reading those books. And I respect the fact that she doesn't provide pat answers - I've seen books that treat pervasive issues as a one-time problem, and I think that doesn't do much for furthering a real understanding.
While I do think that there are uses for the Logan family series in the classroom, I wouldn't introduce them unless the students (kids or adults) had had a rich introduction to other layers of black history and culture, in particular the joyful, creative and life?firmative. And I think I'd have the class discuss what the students thought the non-eventful parts of the Logan family's life were like - sitting at the dinner table, playing together, etc. - and what they thought enabled that family to be so strong.
Maia
Received on Thu 06 May 1999 11:58:03 AM CDT
