Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry vs They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Depressions, Classics, Fiction

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred D. Taylor · 1976 ★★★★☆ 3.9 210 pages · ≈ 3 h 53 m · Challenging

Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, it is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence. It is a story of physical survival, but more important, it is a story of…

Southern states Blacks Prejudices Race Relations

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They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Horace McCoy · 1935 ★★★★☆ 3.8 319 pages · ≈ 5 h 54 m · Challenging

"The depression of the 1930s led people to desperate measures to survive. The Marathon Dance Craze, which flourished at that time, seemed a simple way for people to earn extra money--dancing the hours away for cash.…

2 film adaptations

United States Social life and customs

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has the widest readership — 132673 ratings behind its score.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? has the bigger screen life — 2 adaptations on record.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? runs the darker storyline; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry ≈ 3h vs 5h for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Want the crowd-tested pick? Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 132673 ratings vs 12622 for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? In the mood for something dark? They Shoot Horses, Don't They? a darker storyline than Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Want something lighter? Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry an easier tone than They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Scores by source

	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Goodreads	3.9 (132673)	3.9 (12622)
Hardcover	3.9 (111)	3.5 (30)
Apple Books	4.0 (857)	4.0 (23)

Reception

	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Ratings	132673	12622
Editions	70	15
Film adaptations	1	2
Want to read	33846	14026
Reading it now	3306	252
Written reviews	6849	1430
Wikipedia attention	4733	3625
Pages	210	319

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or They Shoot Horses, Don't They??

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 3.9/5, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or They Shoot Horses, Don't They??

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (210 pages, ≈ 3 h 53 m); They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (319 pages, ≈ 5 h 54 m).

Which is harder to read: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or They Shoot Horses, Don't They??

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Challenging; They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: no film adaptation on record; They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: 1 film adaptation.