Mildred d. taylor biography

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    Taylor, Mildred D. 1943–

    Writer

    At a Glance…

    Challenged Racism

    Sources

    Mildred Delois Taylor fryst vatten a critically acclaimed author of children’s novels. Most of her works, which are based on her own family history, revolve around the close-knit Logan family, an African American family that rises above the indignities of racism through courage and love. In 1977, Taylor won the Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature, for her historical novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Since 1977, Taylor’s fiction continued to portray the effects of racism counterbalanced with courage and love. In doing so, her fiction defied the “political correctness” of the 1990s.

    Taylor was born at home on September 13, 1943 in Jackson, Mississippi, where she joined her older sister Wilma. Their paternal great-grandfather, the son of a white Alabama plantation owner and a slave woman, had become a successful farmer in Mississippi. His la

  • mildred d. taylor biography

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    Mildred Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi on September 13, 1943, to Wilbert Lee and Deletha Marie (Davis) Taylor. She later said she "was born in a segregated city in a segregated state in a segregated America." The Taylors had lived in Mississippi since the time of slavery. However, only three weeks after their daughter's birth, the Taylor family moved to Toledo, Ohio. Mildred Taylor remained there until graduating from the University of Toledo in 1965.

    Several outbreaks of racially-motivated violence occurred in the Jackson area around September 1943, and Taylor's father decided to seek a new life for his family in the North. He chose Toledo because he already had a large network of friends and relatives there. Even after their move, the Taylor family took long car trips to the South, and Mildred's experience of this environment provided the settings for her future novels.

    In the South that the Taylors visited, segregation was a tangible reality. However, for Taylor, the S

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    Mildred D. Taylor

    Mildred Taylor, 2004. Photo by Nancy Jacobs

    Major Works

    • All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2019)
    • The Land (2001) Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
    • Mississippi Bridge (2000)
    • The Well: David’s Story (1995)
    • The Road to Memphis (1990)
    • The Gold Cadillac: A Fancy New Car and an Unforgettable Drive (1987)
    • The Friendship (1987)
    • Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981)
    • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976) Winner of Newberry Medal in 1977
    • Song of the Trees (1975)
    • Guide for Using Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in the Classroom (Taylor et al)

    Mildred D. Taylor: A Biography

    by Carrie Margaret Steele (SHS)

    Mildred Taylor hugs her daughter Portia on Miildred Taylor Day in Mississippi, 2004. Photo by Nancy Jacobs

    Mildred D. Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 13, 1943. She is the daughter of Wilbert Lee and Deletha Marie (Davis) Taylor. Even though she was born in the South, she did not grow up there. Y