Day of Tears

On a day when rain came down “hard as sorrow,” George Weems sets out to sell more slaves at one time than anyone ever had. Pierce Butler must sell off hundreds of slaves to cover gambling debts and 12-year-old Emma is one of his victims. Named after Lester’s grandmother, whose mother was a slave, Emma is part of a large cast of characters—slaves, owners, businessmen and abolitionists—who tell their own stories, in their own voices. Interludes occasionally have characters return in old age to reflect on their lives since the auction, a brilliant technique that demonstrates, in some characters, the persistence of racist belief. Other, good-hearted, characters, white and black, act towards each other with respect and dignity and show more affirm the possibilities of conscience and common humanity even in the worst of times. This important novel, based on an actual slave auction in 1859, begs to be performed, though teachers and performers may be hesitant to utter the racist language of the day. Powerful theater and one of Lester’s finest works. (cast of characters, author’s note) (Fiction. 12+)

-Kirkus Review show less

The dialogue is historically accurate, and use of multiple points-of-view fleshes out the issues at hand through the perspectives of both slaves and slave owners, and displays some "minority opinions", such as the daughter of a white slave owner who hates slavery, or a slave who cannot fathom the idea of being free. While the novel may not be immediately popular, it would appeal to readers interested in exploring issues from all sides and different points-of-view.

Day of Tears makes for a powerful reading experience because seeing through the eyes of not only the slaves but their irresponsible master, his daughters, the slave seller, and even one slave who approves whole-heartedly of slavery really fleshes out the picture and complicates show more the issue. I think it's easy to stand here in 2014 and think it ridiculous that it was so difficult to abolish slavery, but Lester allows us to see slavery as a social institution so long-standing that even some slaves have difficulty considering dismantling it. The use of point of view is powerful in achieving this. show less

I chose a 4Q for quality because I felt this book was tremendously well written and engaging, however, I agreed with some reviewers that thought the quick shifts in narrator could be choppy and confusing. I chose a 3P for popularity because the subject matter -- slavery -- will not appeal to all young adult readers. Even many adults will not read a book (or see a movie) that shows scenes of slavery.

In the beginning of this novel, I felt like I was eavesdropping on these dialogues, but by the end, I felt like the characters were speaking directly to me. It gave me glimpses of being a cultural insider, because the author was unflinchingly true to her characters and never broke from their perspectives. However, I never felt like I'd show more slipped into "insider" status with either the slaves or the slave owners in this book.

Novels about slavery provide an opportunity to think about how to act morally within the context of immoral cultural currents. Do we swim upstream? Do we risk our lives to outwardly or quietly defy the mainstream? Different characters within the novel attempt to do this in different ways. Sarah, the slave-owner's daughter who is against slavery, is one example of this type of struggle, and Jeremiah, a white man who works to get slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad, is another example. Even the slave owner himself, Pierce Butler, has this struggle in some ways. He believes in slavery, and he has convinced himself that he treats his slaves well. This is, of course, self-delusion, as the novel points out, along the lines of "A good man wouldn't own any slaves at all." Self-delusion is one coping mechanism that is available to all of us in the face of human suffering. show less

This is a moving, sometimes heart-wrenching story about the largest slave auction ever held in the U.S., in Savannah, Georgia, 1859. The event was real, as are some of the central characters; but though the majority of characters and the story itself are fictionalized, their experiences nevertheless have the terrible ring of the ugly truth of the those times.
The format is very unusual: the story is told in dialogue form, somewhat similar to a play format, but with more monologuing and more narrative background detail. This allows the reader to get the very intimate and personal perspectives of each character, thus the story is told literally from all points of view.
This book would be an excellent resource for English/ literature show more teachers who want to teach about points of view, character development and other major story elements (mood, setting, voice, etc.); as well as an extraordinary selection for history teachers who will be teaching about the Civil War and the factors that lead up to it. The personalized accounts would give students a very unique, up-close-and- personal appreciation for what it was like to be a slave in America. Highly recommended! show less

Twelve-year-old Emma, a slave on a Georgia plantation, witnesses what turns out to be the largest slave auction in U.S. history, a tragedy that becomes known as "the weeping time." The auction has devastating consequences for the people who live on the plantation, including Emma's family. Emma tells her story in a strong voice that resonates amidst a stirring chorus of personal accounts. We hear from her parents and her fellow slaves, as well as her masters, her master's daughters who she takes care of, and the auctioneer and abolitionists whose actions impact the course of her life. In between chapters, individual characters reflect on the events from later in life, and the overall effect is a stunning diversity of perspectives on a show more wrenching historical narrative.

My VOYA ratings: 5Q ("Hard to imagine it being better written") and 3P ("Will appeal with pushing"). It is amazing how much depth Lester brings to the characters through brief dialogues and monologues. And even though Emma's story would be compelling on its own, the tangential narratives branching out from hers give the book a remarkable complexity that leaves a lasting impression. So many unforgettable voices make this book accessible to a wide range of readers, including those who do not usually go in for the play format or the historical fiction genre. show less

5Q, 4P

Lester uses dialogue and monologue to share historical events from the largest slave auction in America. The format of the book makes reading these events easier to read and engulfs the reader in this rich story. Another layer of the story is the perspective of the characters when they are older and their perspectives of the day of tears. I love this story and was captivated right from the beginning of the story. I also really enjoyed how the reader gets the perspective from all sides of the story: the slaves, the masters, the slave seller, children of the master and slaves, etc. The various perspectives made the story even more powerful and connect with each of the characters that keep you reading.

I think this book is highly show more accessible for a wide range of readers and would be a great book that leads to in depth discussion about an important yet horrible and unthinkable time in history. show less

What I appreciated most about this book was its empathy for the characters and its affirmation of humanity. It would have been easy to portray the slave owners as evil people who freely chose to oppress their slaves and benefit from slavery. Instead, Lester does a fine job of showing the reader not only the psychological torment of slaves, and also the how whites were affected. For instance, Pierce Butler is not seen as happy man. Before the start of the story, Pierce has gambled his family fortune away and his wife has left him. This forces him to auction off his slaves, including Emma, his daughters' caretaker. His daughter Sarah despises him for what he has done and Pierce carries guilt to his early grave. His life was not worse life show more than the life of a slave, but the point of the novel is not to see who has a worse life. Rather, the point is to show how slavery poisoned society and humanity as a whole, and therefore could not be sustained. This book is an exceptional read. show less