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Mildred D. Taylor

ミルドレッド・ディー・テイラー

Mildred DeLois Taylor

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1943-09-13 （Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Toledo, Ohio (childhood and schooling) → Colorado (current residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Children's/Young adult novelist
Active Years
1973-

Education

University of Toledo
Degree: BA
Period: 1961-1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: United States
Graduated after attending Toledo public schools
University of Colorado, Boulder
Journalism
Degree: MA
Period: 1960年代後半
Country: United States
Earned a master's in journalism after Peace Corps service; helped establish a Black Studies program as a student activist

Awards

Newbery Medal
1977
Work: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞
NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature
2003
Work: Body of work (Logan family series, etc.)
Category: 功労賞
Organization: The Neustadt Prize
Result: 受賞
Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
2020
Work: Body of work
Category: 生涯功労
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞
Children's Literature Legacy Award
2021
Work: Body of work
Category: 功績
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞
Coretta Scott King Honor Award
1976
Work: Song of the Trees
Organization: Coretta Scott King Book Awards
Result: 受賞（Honor）
Buxtehude Bull
1985
Work: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Organization: Buxtehude Bull
Result: 受賞
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
2002
Work: The Land
Organization: Scott O'Dell Award
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Song of the Trees

1975 Children's literature

A short work in the Logan family saga focusing on family unity and love of the land.

FamilyLandRacism

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

1976 Young adult / historical fiction (children's literature)

Set in the Jim Crow South, it follows the Logan children as they confront racism and demonstrate family resilience; Taylor's best-known novel.

RacismFamily solidarityJustice and resistanceLand and ownership

Let the Circle Be Unbroken

1981 Children's literature / historical fiction

A sequel in the Logan family saga, depicting the family's growth amid racism and economic hardship.

Coming of ageFamilyStruggle against injustice

The Road to Memphis

1992 Children's literature / historical fiction

Expands the Logan saga to explore racial conflict and personal trials in the South.

DiscriminationRevenge and forgivenessFamily legacy

The Land

2001 Historical fiction (young adult)

Part of the Logan series; deals with land, freedom, and multi-generational storytelling.

Land ownershipFreedomIntergenerational narrative

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

2020 Children's literature / historical

Published in 2020 as a concluding volume of the Logan family series, wrapping up the multi-generational saga.

ConclusionFamily legacyMemory of history

The Friendship

1987 Children's literature

A work about friendship and conflict, focused on relationships and reconciliation.

FriendshipReconciliation

Bibliography

  • Song of the Trees
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
  • Let the Circle Be Unbroken
  • The Gold Cadillac
  • The Friendship
  • Mississippi Bridge
  • The Road to Memphis
  • The Well: David's Story
  • The Land
  • All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, direct prose accessible to children and young readersNarrative style that brings oral family histories to vivid life
Recurring Motifs
Land (ownership and stewardship)Family unityRacism and resistanceIntergenerational memory

Legacy

Mildred D. Taylor has made a major contribution to children's and young adult literature by conveying multi-generational African American family history and the realities of racism through the Logan family series. She has been widely honored, including with the Newbery Medal and the NSK Neustadt Prize.

Archives

  • Library of Congress (catalog and author records)

Quotes

  • Without my family, and especially without my father, my books would not have been.
    Source: World Literature Today (interview/article) and statements about her work (2014)

Trivia

  • Her maternal family history includes experiences rooted in slavery and mixed heritage, which form the basis of much of her fiction.
  • She served two years in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia after college.
  • As a student at the University of Colorado she was involved in creating a Black Studies program.
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has been integrated into language arts curricula in many U.S. schools.