Reviews

Day of Tears by Julius Lester

typesetjez's review against another edition

5.0

This book is fantastic and well suited to juvenile, young adult, or even adult audiences, for pleasure reading or for education. All too often, history focuses on the events of slavery or the Civil War and not enough on the lives of the people involved. This book gives insight into the lives of slaves, slave owners, slave sellers, and underground railroad affiliates and gives a wide variety of stories within each of these categories. There are slaves who want nothing more than to escape, slaves who have internalized slavery and view it as a positive, slave owners who think of slaves as property, and slave owners who treat slaves like family. The author has been careful to choose a family that is historically split between support for and against slavery and backs up all of the events with historical notes at the end of the book. Since this is a novel in dialogue, the characters are immediately apparent and understood, giving a more emotional and personal look at this period of history than any textbook could, which is why I feel this book could work well in the classroom, possibly even read aloud. This book would also lend itself very easily to dramatic readings or a play adaptation.

Note: fans of 12 Years a Slave should try this book!

calliecachat's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I read this as part of my student’s historical fiction unit then wrote about it after reading Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark for a Critical Theory course. I love the way this book is structured. The dialogue and vignettes feel devastating and real. 

lexi4906's review against another edition

4.0

"I had not given a thought to what a difference it can make when you treat another person with simple respect and dignity, the same respect and dignity you want for yourself. That is so simple, yet so few seem able to do it."

letinydancer21's review against another edition

5.0

I believe I read this one and actually I'm thinking of borrowing it from my best friend and reading it again

kellymc03's review against another edition

4.0

Jackson had to read this during a lesson in slavery - I really enjoy reading what he is reading in school.

mcrenshaw96's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

pagesofpins's review against another edition

2.0

Though this novel-in-dialogue provides some disparity of perspective on the motivations and actions of different slaves and slave holders, the dialogue often had a stilted quality, like the characters are speaking more for the benefit of the audience than to each other (why is Will saying "my sister" rather than "your aunt"? Why do they recite the details of past events the other characters lived through along with them?) While the historical event (largest slave auction in US record) is unique, the book could have done with a bit more complexity in places, and a bit less moralizing in others. I especially dislike that many teens will walk away from this book thinking that slavery ended instantly at the Emancipation Proclamation, and that everything was different immediately afterwards. A unique effort, but not my favorite.

"Sometimes family ain't blood but them what are by your side when you need somebody." Emma (92)

anywho2's review against another edition

5.0

I don't typically write reviews (and honestly I probably don't need to - the Coretta Scott King Award, Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, and School Library Journal starred reviews speak for themselves). But don't let the size of this book fool you. In under two hundred pages Julius Lester has created a masterpiece. It is of course, "a novel in dialogue" but it is also woven with monologues and flashbacks to create an emotional journey because of the nuanced experiences and recollections of characters. Not to mention the repetition and purposeful usage of similes made the novel poetic at times.

sc104906's review against another edition

3.0

Told through dialog, this novel presents a snapshot of the lives of all involved during the nation's largest slavery auction. Several slaves, masters, auctioneers, and family members provide their insight. To cover his debts Pierce Butler plans to sell most of his slaves and move up north. His daughter Francis is fascinated by running the plantation and the auction. While Sarah, like the mother who abandoned her family because of slavery, is opposed to the sale and ownership of slaves. Emma and several other slaves are all severely impacted by their lack of freedom.

I found the format intriguing. I liked that the story followed all characters throughout their entire life. The true lasting and wide spread impact of this auction was cemented from the character development.

loffy81's review against another edition

5.0

I imagine it is a Heartbreakingly accurate portrayal of life as a slave in the United States before the Civil War. A play format, with "characters" introduced before the first page. A fictionalized story based on the largest slave auction in history. Pierce Butler had inherited the plantation and enjoyed gambling. However, he was horrible at cards and had to either go to jail for his gambling debts or sell roughly 430 slaves. This story is the powerful account from a variety of persons impacted by that day.