Taylor took only three weeks to write The Cay, having contemplated the story for over a decade after reading about an 11-year-old who was aboard the Dutch ship Hato when it was torpedoed in 1942, and who was last seen by other stranded survivors as he drifted away on a life raft.

[1] The novel was published in 1969 and dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. During the outbreak of World War II, 11-year-old Phillip Enright and his mother decide to leave Curaçao for Virginia, aboard the S.S. Hato.

After their rescue, Phillip undergoes multiple surgeries to restore his sight, which had been lost due to nerve damage caused by a head injury from falling timber during the shipwreck.

Inspired by his experience, Phillip aspires to become a sea explorer and hopes to one day locate the cay where he and Timothy had been stranded, confident he could identify it even with his eyes closed.

She expresses a longing for her home in Virginia and discomfort living in Curaçao due to her prejudices against the predominantly Black bay workers in the area[3] Grace's discomfort and biases lead her to instruct her son, Phillip, and his friend Henrik to avoid the bay area,[4] a directive that Henrik finds puzzling and unusual.

Timothy's extensive knowledge of the Caribbean islands and survival skills, including building shelter, gathering food, and sourcing water, astonishes Phillip.

This evolution marks a complete departure from his earlier, biased views, demonstrating the powerful impact of his experiences on the cay and his relationship with Timothy.

[7] The Cay was both widely acclaimed and criticized for its impact on promoting racial harmony, and it received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award in 1970.

[9] In response, the author, Theodore Taylor, who viewed the work as a subtle plea for better race relations and understanding,[10] returned the award "by choice, not in anger, but with troubling questions.

[9][11] Although The Cay remains listed as an Addams Award winner, Taylor's claim of rescission is widely accepted and has become a part of the discussion surrounding the book, which is required reading in many schools in the United States and internationally.

[12][13] The ban was opposed by organisations such as PEN America and the National Coalition Against Censorship on the basis that the book helped support discussions about contemporary racism.