All The Days Past, All The Days To Come

All The Days Past, All The Days To Come

YA fiction
I recall when Mildred Taylor's Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry
first came out in 1976. Reading it was a transformative experience
for me. Back then books by Black authors and books focussing on Black
protagonists were few and far between in the juvenile sections of most
public libraries.
Taylor had noticed the absence. In her author's note in All The
Days Past, All The Days To Come she said, "In 1976 when Roll Of
Thunder, Hear My Cry was published, I said that I wanted to show Black
heroes and heroines in my books, men and women who were missing from
books I read as a child. I also said I wanted to write a truthful
history of what life was like for Black people in America."
In that book Taylor's unique and powerful voice created a vivid
world for readers. Narrator Cassie, then a child, was surrounded by
her loving family. She was also growing up in a nation that did not
see her family's worth, or often humanity, and treated them with
indifference and cruelty because of the color of their skin.
In 2001 a prequel, The Land, was published. That was purported
to be the last book in a series that also included several novellas.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered a hot-off-the-press new volume--
a chance to spend more time with Cassie's clan, The Logan's!
In All The Days Past, All The Days To Come Cassie and her
brothers (Stacey, Christopher John, and Clayton Chester, also known as
Man) have grown up. World War II is in full swing. Christopher John
and Man have been drafted to risk their lives for a country that still
considers them dangerous and inferior second class citizens. Stacey
(who had a medical exemption) has moved North to Toledo with his wife
and babies to try to escape Jim Crow and its ever present racial
violence. When Cassie joins them she is only a few classes away from
being certified to teach but unsure if she wants to teach. It's her
mother's passion, not hers.
All The Days Past, All The Days To Come takes readers from World
War II to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Readers get to see
the changes and consistencies in the nation, the Southern town of
Cassie's upbringing, and the family that remains united, even when
scattered across the country.
If you fell in love with the Logans, as I did, make sure to
catch up with them in All The Days Past, All The Days To Come. If you
haven't yet made their acquaintance, start for the earlier books.
Either way you're in for a heart warming but enraging literary
experience.
I look forward to a trip down memory lane to reread and review
Taylor's earlier masterpieces.
On a purrrsonal note, I had one of the most amazing long weekends of
my entire life. Adam was able to join Eugene and me at camp. We had
meals which Eugene prepared, took walks, did some target shooting, and
spent time including an outdoor campfire with Eugene's friends,
Richard and Karen and their older son, Ricky. But most of the time we
sat on the porch of our camp talking. I was able to finish the afghan
I was knitting for my advisor's baby. Adam surprised me by saying he
would like a hand knit scarf for Christmas. Most of my gifts will
have to be homemade this year. It was a magical experience for all of
us--being together. We also made plans for when things get safer,
like going back to Santa's Village as a family and Adam coming to camp
more often. That gives me so much to look forward to. After Adam had
to leave Eugene and I stayed over one more night (He won the card
game again) and came home to find Tobago purrrfectly happy to see us
back. (Jules)
Of course I was happy to see my hoomans. I needs my belly rubs.
(Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out Adam; Eugene; and Richard, Karen, and
Ricky Brown.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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