This was book #4.5 (book #5) of the Logan series written by Ms Taylor. Although this book was more for children versus the first book "The Land" was, still just as good. And although she didn't write in the beginning of this one this is what she wrote in the first pages of "The Land" and it applies to this book as well... "...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 whitewash history. The language was painful and life was painful for many Africian Americans, including my family." So if your child is reading this it may allow you to open up discussion to things (s)he may never have had to encounter in our society today (as far as the language). But she writes true to her words, if she had changed the language or situations then the book wouldn't have been as Historically OR family accurate to be as good as it was! This can be read as an independent book (without having read the first 4, but in reading the first four you understand fully the emotions behind why the Logan family felt the way they did.) I personally am reading them and this book took me about 25 minutes or so to read. It was as if we were sitting on the porch listening to old folks in the family speak; just like Ms Taylor wanted it to be. This is such a wonderful true story. Ms Taylor takes the stories she has grown up listening to from her grandparents and uncles-aunts and takes the stories of her family and combine them for these stories! Knowing that made it even more wonderful. This is book 4.5 (book 5) of this series of books. There are 8 books in this 'Logan' series which many people don't realize since book #4 apparently was Ms Taylor's first book she wrote for this series. Since it won awards and she had so much more history to write she took off with it and make it into a series. Some of the books are 'novels' and others (like this one) are smaller 50 page 'children's' books (looks like labeled for ages 7-11 according to Amazon) but as an adult I loved this book and am looking forward to continuing reading this series. Now with that being said... I am white and I nor any of my family have ever had to deal with what 'freed' slaves or a child from a mixed family has had to deal with. In this book the time frame (depression President Roosevelt era) black people still had to heed what whites said as not many authoritative people would take a black person's 'side', this book is a little different than the others as instead of it being told from the Logan family members point of view it's told from the community white boy's view. His family is very cruel to blacks and he doesn't understand why, he wants to be friends and interact with them but his Pa forbids it. He simply can not understand the situations he experiences all in one day. He is at the community store when he experiences how nice an elderly white lady and her small granddaughter are treated; but then when a black young woman and her mother come in how they are treated. When people start arriving to await the bus the blacks stand off to one side together and the whites don't speak to them. Even loading on the bus is different. BUT when the bus fills up the driver DEMANDS the blacks to get off to make room for the white. The little boy just can't comprehend all of this. It's raining and foggy and a bit later something happens and one of the same black men that was forced by the driver (driver literally threw him off the bus) was the one to come to the rescue of the whole bus of white people. He didn't have to but because of compassion he wanted to show and felt he did it and the little boy joined although his heart was heavy from the tragedy he was helping in. Such a moving little book! So much that could be open for discussions for children and History of the past. Am really glad I decided to read this series of books by Ms Taylor and having it been written from her own personal family stories make these that much more enjoyable (for lack of better wording here) to read. Those of us that never had to live during the segregated (that way) way of life this gives us a whole lot better insight to what it was like than our school textbooks ever did
Jeremy Simms watches from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver roughly orders the black passengers off to make room. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and Jeremy witnesses a shocking end to the day's drama. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice. This book snagged my attention as I was looking for Historical Fiction to share with my older classes. I was impressed at the different themes the book touched on, even though it deals specifically with racial inequality in the deep South during the depression of the 1930's. I appreciated the narrator, young Jeremy, and the different ways he interacted with his black neighbors who came to the store in a rainstorm to catch the weekly bus. His innocence was sincere and his insights provoking. It would provide great discussion points in classes. The ending though sad, was authentic. Quick read: ~50 pagesSame author (Mildred D. Taylor) and same characters as Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry.
What do You think about Mississippi Bridge (2000)?
Personal Thoughts:I thought this was an overall good book and an easy read. The plot takes place a little after the Great Depression in the 1930s in rural Mississippi. The book is relatively short with only 62 pages making it a good beginner/transitional chapter book. One downfall of the book is that it is not set up with parts or chapters so it may be difficult finding a stopping point to resume at a later time. The dialect that the characters have is a little difficult to read. I found myself reading a few sentences twice to comprehend what they were saying. If used as a read a loud the teacher should be sure to look up the pronunciation of some words ahead of time. This book does include some words that we do not use today so it should be filtered or reserved for more mature children.Classroom use:Recommended grades: 4-6Explore topics including but not limited to:Discrimination/RacismGreat DepressionSegregationMississippi/Mississippi BridgeCause and Consequences decisons
—Char Hight
This book is about a Boy Named Jeramy, he is white. Back then white people were mean to Black people, that was around when we still had SLAVERY:( Jeramy wants to be friends with the Logan Family, the are black. But that does not STOP him from following them. I can not give away the BIG SUPRISE, so you'll just have to read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!By sofia ********************************************************************************************************cool book isabella coslik's reveiw*************************************************************
—Mrs. Kris's Class
Unlike other Mildred Taylor books I've read about the Logan family, this one was not narrated by a member of the family but by a white boy in the community, Jeremy Simms. Taylor does a great job using him as the narrator and providing a glimpse into the mind of a white child who is at great odds with his father's view on how blacks should be treated.She also does a great job in presenting a glimpse into some of the unintentional consequences of white's-first behavior in the South as well as a glimpse into the fact that many blacks continued to help whites in times of crises even when they would have been prevented from participating in less dire times.Mississippi Bridge is another insightful journey into part of the American past that has thankfully improved but should never be forgotten for there is always some group of individuals in queue to be the bottom rung of society. It seems that in 2013, immigrants - especially from Mexico and Central America - are filling that role. Hopefully American and World Society and Culture will continue to grow and improve so that people will realize that no one group HAS to be on the bottom. We can all share the burden and raise it up together. In the meantime, writers like Mildred Taylor continue to enlighten us with lessons from our past that we should never let be repeated.
—Allison
