Reviews

Day of Tears by Julius Lester

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laurahorn's review against another edition

3.0

Told in dialogue, this is the story of Emma and her family. They are slaves on the Butler plantation and, while Pierce Butler is a pretty good master, he has to sell his slaves to pay off gambling debts.

michelenwash's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

stella_books22's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“Day of Tears” by Julius Lester is a read that will affect you in a major way. As it is a book especially relevant to those who live in the United States it recalls one of the greatest slave auctions in history and the impacts it had upon so many lives. It is no easy read but it’s message is needed for everyone.

Content Warnings

ainiali's review against another edition

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5.0

Based on historical details, Day of Tears focused on one particular day where the largest slave auction took place and the rain falls abnormally heavy. Following several characters (multiple POVs), the story is told like a play where it stated what the characters' feeling & say without the normal prose-paragraph structure. The story also follows those characters years later after the slave trade had been abolished showing what happened to them. I did learn something I didn't know, which is why I love reading so much!

amayee's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

elery13's review against another edition

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3.0

At first it was very hard to read because of the topic it was centered around. But it got better toward the end. The forwards in time parts we nice because you got a good Pov of the other characters. But the ending was nice and it was nice to know that Emma was happy after all she went through in the beginning.