- Mildred DeLois Taylor is an African American author born in Jackson, Mississippi on September 13, 1943.
- She is known for her works about the struggle faced by African-America families in the Deep South.
- Many of her works are based upon stories of her family that she heard while growing up. She has stated that these anecdotes became very clear in her mind.
- In the 1950s, Taylor attended newly integrated schools in Toledo; she graduated from Scott High School in 1961 and from the University of Toledo in 1965. After graduation from college, she joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Ethiopia.
- When she returned to the United States, she enrolled in the University of Colorado, eventually earning a master’s degree. After she graduated from the University of Colorado, Taylor settled in Los Angeles to pursue her writing career.
- Her first book, Song of the Trees, won the Council on Interracial Books for Children Award in 1974 and was published by Dial Books in 1975.
- Her second novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, won the 1977 Newbery Award from the American Library Association. The Land is the ninth book in her award-winning saga about the Logan family.
- All of Mildred D. Taylor’s novels to date are based on stories from her own family, stories she learned at family gatherings throughout her life.
