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madhu5's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure how the book written in dialogue would work for me. It is not a play. I found the style interesting and allowed for many view points. Straightforward approach to a heart wrenching time in American history.
amity321's review
5.0
Short and powerful, this novel told in dialogue weaves fact and fiction together seamlessly as it relates the story of the largest slave auction to ever take place on American soil. Lester tells this story not only from the perspective of the enslaved people who had their families and lives torn apart, but their owners as well. This was a brutal read, but an important one, as this part of history seems to get overlooked quite a bit. 5/5 stars.
emvsmith's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing story of the lives intertwined around the largest slave auction on record.
imperfectcj's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Perhaps not the wisest choice emotionally to listen to on the day of armed insurrection at the US Capitol, but this was a very good "novel in dialogue." It's a selection from the Level 5 Build Your Library booklist and a little intense for my 11-year-old. We had to have a few conversations and will probably have a few more in the future to process a lot of this fictionalized story about the largest slave sale in US history.
audrarussellwrites's review against another edition
5.0
One hundred sixty years ago in 1859, the largest slave auction in American history happened in Atlanta, Georgia. Why? Well, to settle gambling debts, of course *insert a VERY hard eyeroll here*. There was a torrential rainstorm the entire two days of the auction and it became known as the day of weeping. Yes, this event actually took place.
This book is a work of fiction that imagines what the enslaved who were sold off must have felt like. I could not help but fight back the tears knowing that this event took place and that so many families were ripped apart and sold like the chattel white people thought they were.
Such a moving book. This is written for young adults. If you want to give your child an inkling into what it was like to live enslaved, this is a perfect book to begin that conversation. It will stay with me forever.
This book is a work of fiction that imagines what the enslaved who were sold off must have felt like. I could not help but fight back the tears knowing that this event took place and that so many families were ripped apart and sold like the chattel white people thought they were.
Such a moving book. This is written for young adults. If you want to give your child an inkling into what it was like to live enslaved, this is a perfect book to begin that conversation. It will stay with me forever.
parallax's review against another edition
3.0
The author takes a historical event and uses it to extrapolate the heart-wrenching story of Emma, a slave who wasn't supposed to be sold. Though subtitled "A Novel In Dialogue" it really is more like a collection of monologues and soliloquies. Many of the characters have a chance to come forward and tell their tales and it reads a bit like a stage script. Lester skillfully weaves a story that revolves around a single, short event and gives us glimpses into the lives of how such a thing can effect so many. He does a spectacular job of bringing the reader right into the history of the United States and this novel could easily be used to spark students' interest in the Civil War era.
courtneyann's review
4.0
While this book focuses mainly on one or two characters, it tells the point of view of people from before and after the Civil War. The characters vary greatly from those who are white and are for slavery to those who are against slavery. There are also blacks who are for slavery and blacks who are against it. It was a very sad story to read and to know that it is based on a true event of the largest slave auction in history makes it that much more horrific. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who might be looking for a book to cast more perspective on the happenings surrounding the Civil War.
This would be a great book for teachers to incorporate into their lessons. It's a very quick read (I finished it in a matter of several hours) and for English or Social Studies/History teachers to incorporate this into their teaching would be very beneficial for students because of the wide variety of view points (sorry that was me getting onto my teaching pedestal).
Anyway, I thought this book was VERY good and would highly suggest it to anyone!
This would be a great book for teachers to incorporate into their lessons. It's a very quick read (I finished it in a matter of several hours) and for English or Social Studies/History teachers to incorporate this into their teaching would be very beneficial for students because of the wide variety of view points (sorry that was me getting onto my teaching pedestal).
Anyway, I thought this book was VERY good and would highly suggest it to anyone!
rachelkc's review against another edition
4.0
How this book is not required reading is beyond me. I'm mad that I didn't read it until my late 20s, though I'm grateful to have experienced it at all. Day of Tears is part historical fiction, part theatrical biography. Narrated by a cast of (mostly fictional) characters and centered on the largest (real life) slave auction in history, plus the consequential events of those days, it forces readers to grapple with the reality of slave ownership, the duplicitous relationships and the lies people told themselves and others to survive.