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Day of Tears : A Novel in Dialogue
- By Julius Lester
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Interesting story of historic slave auction.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the way slaves are treated is disturbing -- they are beaten into unconsciousness, treated like animals with no feelings, and separated from their families. Readers will encounter the whipping of slaves, a forced fight in which a slave loses an eye, the death of a baby in a rainstorm, and a suicide.
What's the story?
In 1857, Pierce Butler, a plantation owner deeply in debt due to a gambling habit, held what became the largest slave auction in American history to raise the money to pay off his debts. Author Julius Lester takes this real historical event and tells the story through the eyes of those involved, black and white, both at the time and reflecting back on it years later.
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.
Is it any good?
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.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the historical background of the American slave system.
How could people who considered themselves to be good, decent peoplehave treated others in this way?
How could the slaves endure it?
Howcould Sampson, a slave, come to identify so strongly with being a slavethat he resisted freedom?
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AGE
this book is a must read
this is a book u can really get a feel with. it cathes your eye and has your attention. i believe many young and old would really connect with this book. if there was a book i had to choose to do a report on it would this book. thank you julius lester for writting such a great book.
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AGE
e.g. Perfect for who ever wanna read it
this book is very good and awesome so i think if u wanna read this book you should read it
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AGE
A must-read book for every 8 year old
The book was realy good and my teacher Ms. Petrin pick it out for our Language arts class,we read the book together and everyone thought it was a realy good book. we did vocabulary on the book and we also did true or false quizes on the book it took us about 15 days to complete the book.Julis Lester did a great job on the book.
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AGE
Love it. It teaches kids about slavery. And even though it's violent, I think that that's part of the point- the evils of slavery.
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AGE
new perspective
I really really enjoyed this book. There were some times where the racism made me mad, but it really gives you a new perspective on how people think. This book helps you to understand how hard it really was, and sometimes still is for people of different races to live with eachother. It really opends your eyes up
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AGE
A discussion starter
I began reading this book in what began as sun filled morning with just a few clouds. As read the novel, it began to rain and my heart grow as somber as the tale Lester begins to tell. As a native of South Carolina and an African American I truly appreciate how this story weaves the history of blacks and their relationships with each other and whites of the times. This novel will begin a conversation of healing and understanding for a terrible time in American history.
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AGE
I was glad to read this book.
I had to read this book for an english class im taking, but I'm glad I chose this book because it was very well written and kept me interested.
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AGE
perfect for younger kids
I liked this bookIyhought that it somewhat helped my daughter get a better look on slavery
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AGE
i cried....alot
THIS BOOK IS MARVELOUS ITS GREAT IT ALMOST MADE ME CRY.... (SNIFF) (SNIFF) U'V GOT TO READ IT....
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| Author: | Julius Lester |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Hyperion Books for Children |
| Publication date: | February 5, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 177 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
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