If you went to school in the U.S. and loved to read, there’s a strong chance you’ve read at least one of author Mildred D. Taylor’s children’s books.

Best known for “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” Taylor’s books explore African American history and the painful burden of racism through the lens of one Black family living in Mississippi.

Since the 1970s, her work has been included in children’s classrooms and won multiple awards including four Coretta Scott King Awards.

Mildred D. Taylor is 80 years old on Wednesday. Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Dianne Johnson-Feelings, an English professor at the University of South Carolina, about Taylor’s work.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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