28 pages 56 minutes read

Mildred D. Taylor

The Gold Cadillac

Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | Published in 1987

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

In The Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor, a young Black girl named ’lois narrates her family's journey from Ohio to Mississippi in her father's new gold Cadillac, encountering institutional racism and racial segregation in the Jim Crow South. The family faces conflicts both within their household and with the external racist policing and societal structures they confront. The novella discusses the lynching of Black Americans and portrays a young girl's experiences with racial segregation and racist policing.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Mildred D. Taylor's The Gold Cadillac is praised for its powerful exploration of racial issues and its poignant, compelling narrative. Readers appreciate its historical context and relatable characters. However, some critiques mention its brevity limits deeper character development. Overall, it is a highly regarded work for both younger audiences and adults.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Gold Cadillac?

Fans of moving family narratives and historical fiction focusing on African American experiences, as seen in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, will appreciate The Gold Cadillac's themes of racial injustice and familial strength during the 1950s.

Recommended

Reading Age

8-12years

Lexile Level

650L

Book Details

Genre

Historical Fiction

Realistic Fiction

Children's Literature

Topics

Race / Racism

History: World