The Road to Memphis, like some of Taylor's other works, is narrated by Cassie Logan, whose authentic voice gives credibility to amazingly atrocious acts of bigotry and prejudice. Unlike many of Taylor's earlier Logan books, this one is not centered on the Logan home, but is a journey book in which many of the characters must temporarily escape from Mississippi. Like other journey books, from Homer's Odyssey to Cynthia Voigt's Homecoming, The Road to Memphis is episodic, focusing on a series of adventures resulting from the protagonist's travels. These episodes, however, are closely connected. Each one involves either a moment of racial hatred or an act of fellowship that helps the travelers.

Cassie's odyssey changes her and her companions. She has experienced the first inklings of romantic love, the death of a childhood friend, and the loss of other friends, including Jeremy Simms, who is banished...