Day of Tears : A Novel in Dialogue (by Julius Lester)

Some of these characters are: Emma, a child slave who takes care of the Butler children and is sold despite a promise to her mother not to sell her; Sampson, a slave who believes in slavery and the inferiority of his race; Sarah, oldest Butler daughter, who takes after her mother in despising slavery; and Jeremiah, a white abolitionist conductor on the Underground Railway, who sets in motion more than he had planned.

Julius Lester tells the story in the form of snippets of scripted dialogue, thoughts, flashbacks, and quotes from an historical pamphlet that gives the names and prices of those sold at this auction. Though it sometimes can be a bit confusing when read silently, the format makes the story very accessible to elementary-age children, as does the author's careful avoidance of the more sensational and lurid aspects of the story.

This format, though, creates an emotional distance that robs the novel of some of the raw power one might expect from the subject matter. The author skips from character to character, and time to time, never letting the reader identify too strongly with any one person. Perhaps the author felt this was necessary to avoid overwhelming young readers. In any case, this is a fascinating and engrossing look at a little-known historical event that encapsulates the institution of slavery.