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Day of Tears

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Julian Lester's book about the "Day of Tears" should result in his being awarded another Newbery prize. One lesson we learn is that people can turn their backs on misery & injustice just as easily today as in the early 1860s. (consider the example of the Sudan).

Julian Lester has been a teacher. He knows how to draw students toward the discovery of Truths. "Day of Tears" gives many opportunities for acting out the painful emotions of slavery. If Lester's writings are used this way in classrooms, there is the chance for growth, for eyes to be opened, for questioning.

Emma is a fictional character but becomes so very real through her musings, misery and the anger that darkens her skin & makes her clench her teeth. Oh, the rankling of always being treated as an object without feelings! Through decades anger was hidden by the practiced arrangement of facial muscles, the subservient tone of voice.

The book's format is unusual, dramatic - - provocative & effective. The story begins with a true event: Plantation owner Pierce Butler (near Savannah, Georgia), divorced from the well-known British actress/author Fanny Kemble, is driven by his weakness for gambling to sell most of his (approx.430) slaves in what would be known as the largest slave-auction in history. The two-day sale netted $303,850. Stark notes about many slaves are given in Lester's text, including the price paid for each. The Author's Note & excellent references (mainly online) give even more information.

The publisher's 'blurb' describes Pierce Butler as a slave owner who cashes in his "assets" - thereby losing his humanity. This truth is symbolized by the weeping skies. Soon after the last slave was sold on March 3rd of 1859, the rain stopped.

If you are a parent and/or teacher you have a God-given opportunity & responsibility to share this book with young readers. Challenge them and be challenged yourself by their reactions and questions. mcHaiku suggests you also read Julian Lester's "On Writing for Children and Other People" (#0803728670).

I have a big ole head. A big, swelled, I-know-more-children's-books-than-Leonard-S-Marcus type head. I think I'm pretty hot stuff when it comes to kiddie lit and I defy anyone to tell me different. Problem is, I'm not that hot. More lukewarm really. And I remember this fact when I read books like "Day of Tears". For all my boasts and brags, I had never read a Julius Lester novel until now. Oh I'd read plenty of his picture books and his folktales as well. And he's certainly written enough novellas in his time. There was "When Dad Killed Mom" and "To Be a Slave" and something called "The Autobiography of God". After hearing a variety of different people squawking over the brilliance of his "Day of Tears", however, I finally got around to reading him. With the same clear concise voice used to such advantage in tales like "The Old African", Lester turns his sights on a little remarked historical moment in time and the repercussions that have reverberated ever since.

Says the Author's Note of this story, "On March 2 and 3, 1859, the largest auction of slaves in American history took place in Savannah, Georgia". This is their story. The owner of these slaves, one Pierce Butler, has been brought low by his own addiction to gambling. He and his wife divorced many years ago (a rarity but based on the truth) and he has the custody of both of his daughters. Amongst his slaves he counts the family of Will, Mattie, and their daughter Emma. Emma is only twelve but she's always been beloved of Mr. Butler's girls and they look upon her as a kind of replacement guardian. On the first day of the auction families are broken up, lives destroyed, and the rain falls in torrents. "This ain't rain", says Mattie. "This is God's tears". On the second day, Mr. Butler succumbs to his own greed and sells off Emma without allowing her parents even the chance to say a final farewell. The book follows her journey from slave to escapee, and finally as a free citizen of Canada. We meet the slave auctioneer, a member of the Underground Railroad, various slaveholders, and everyone in this book has a chance to spout his or her opinions. The slave narrative has been personal before, but rarely has it ever cut this close to the bone.

What Lester excels at is the feeling of righteousness everyone carries to some degree. No matter what the horrific thing one person is perpetuating on another is, everyone feels that their actions are so very very right. Their justifications are beautifully portrayed here and will obviously confuse those child readers that expect their books to contain two-dimensional villains and perfectly upright heroes. Everyone has their own way of thinking. When Emma escapes from a woman widely regarded as a "good" master, the woman retaliates by selling off all her slaves to a man noted far and wide for his cruelty. She then views this "inevitable" step as Emma's fault. There's also a fair share of Uncle Toms and broken marriages in the book. Lester takes all of this and makes it child friendly, but never dilutes the horror so much that it feels fake or flimsy. Honesty is the name of the game here.

When I saw that the book was written in the form of (as the cover calls it) "a novel in dialogue", I was instantly reminded of another Civil War era title, "Bull Run" by Paul Fleischman. The two books complement one another nicely. "Day of Tears" is the precursor, showing the horrors that necessitated the Civil War and "Bull Run" shows the consequences of that action. Both are written in the first person and would do well as staged productions by children or teens. Even without such fancy theatrics though "Day of Tears" is worthy reading in and of itself. If you've a child who has to read a piece of historical fiction, this would be an ideal choice. It may look like 176 pages but the dialogue format renders it a relatively quick and undoubtedly interesting read. A worthy addition to any library.

Throughout his writing career, Julius Lester has made numerous contributions to African American Children's Literature. His latest book, DAY OF TEARS is no exception. The book, presented in dialogue, is a fictional account of a real historical event, the largest slave auction in American history. The auction took place after Pierce Butler, a wealthy plantation owner with a gambling problem, was forced to sell off over 400 slaves in order to pay his debts. The auction took place on March 2nd and 3rd, 1859 in Georgia.

The principal characters in the novel include slaves from the Butler plantation, as well as from one of the plantations some of the slaves were sold to, members of the Butler family, the auctioneer, and other businessmen. As the story unfolds, the consequences of slavery, not only for the slaves, but also for their owners, become apparent.

DAY OF TEARS looks at the history of slavery in the United States in a way that depicts the human casualties of the institution. Whether it was the broken families and friendships that were destroyed when slaves were callously sold away like material possessions or the moral and spiritual consequences of being responsible for such sales, Lester captures it all. He highlights the mentality of the slave-owner and vividly depicts the reasoning used to justify their acts and assuage their guilt. He also shows the mindset of some of those who were enslaved and presents slaves who were seemingly satisfied in their position, as well as those who aspired for freedom. Finally, through his characters he reminds readers that not all whites supported slavery and that some even helped facilitate their escape to freedom.

The dialogue format of this book made the story come alive. I would love to see this novel acted out in schools and youth groups as a teaching tool. The book is sure to garner in-depth discussion about the history of slavery in this country. DAY OF TEARS is a poignant tale that is full of emotion and a satisfying work of historical fiction that should be required reading.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Ripped away from her family, friends and home, twelve year old Emma is sold in one of the biggest salve auctions in American history.

With dialogue and interludes, Julius Lester paints a startling picture of the truth and pain behind a slave auction.

I found myself crying and smiling along with the vivid characters as the book progressed. A dramatic story with the viewpoints of slaves and masters, this gripping book reveals much about American history and asks you to question the principles that built our nation.

An excellent work of historical fiction based on the largest slave auction in American history. A quick read (176 pages), but moving. Would make an excellent stage production.

This book is called Day of tears by Julius Lester. This book is VERY suspenseful. It is about the largest slave auction in ever held in America. It takes place in Savannah, Georgia. It is a non-fiction book and at some parts it can be really sad. Some of the main characters are Mattie, Will, and Emma. They are a family of slaves that work for a guy named Mr. Butler. Emma, is the daughter of Mattie and Will. She takes care of Mr. Butlers daughters, Sarah and Frances. Their mother, Mrs. Butler, died a few years back, and Mattie's job is to clean the house and greet guests. Will works with other men in the fields and in the stables.


A very unexpected thing happens. Mr. Butler decides to take one of the three people (Mattie, Will, or Emma) with him to the auction. He takes the chosen one not to get sold but to help him with his daughters. I was very scared when this happened because I was afraid because I thought he was taking this person to be sold.


I really liked this book. I could read it a thousand times. If I had to pick my favorite book I would definitely choose this book. I think this book was at a good reading level for me. I am not a great reader but not a bad reader so I think it is a good book for 4th- 7th graders. As long as the 4th graders parents approve. I think that when I am older or an adult I will remember this book and still encourage kids to read it! This book has some parts I know I would easily remember what they were or what they were about. I would encourage every one to read this book and I think every one would enjoy it!

Really interesting structurally. Almost reminds me of some of Anna Deveare Smith's work. I think this would make an excellent choice for teens (and younger) who are studying slavery.

The Day of Tears takes place in Savannah, Georgia during the Weeping Time. It was the biggest slave auction in United States history. Families, friends, love-ones, and many more were separated during this time in history. Pierce Butler was a card gambler and owed so many people so much money that he had to sell most of his slaves, a house in Philadalphia, and much more. The rain at the time was so hard in the book they described as though God and angels were crying. When the last slave was sold the sky open up with bright sunshine and the sky never looked so blue. In the book Julius Lester used only five real people, Pierce Butler, his daughters Sarah and Frances, Fanny Kemble, and the slave seller Mr. Weems.
Emma is a slave on the butler plantation she is in the house most of the time, cooking, cleaning or taking care of Sarah and Frances. Butler had promised her family that he would sell them no what the price was. Then Henfield comes with a price that is too good for Butler to pass up and he sells Emma. Her parents were sooo mad it was hard to believe they didn't kill Butler right there and then.
This book is good for pleasure, or school reading for almost any age. It would be better if the child was in or above Forth grade.

Emma is a twelve year old African American slave on her Master Butler's plantation. She was the caretaker of his two daughters. Over the years, she has created a great bond with the girls and them with her. Master Butler is greatly in gambling debt. To repay his debt, he needed to sell his slaves making it the largest auction of slaves on March 2-3, 1859 in Savannah, Georgia. Master Butler wanted to take his daughters to see what it was like selling slaves, therefore Emma had to come along to watch over them. Master Butler was offered a good price for Emma and she was sold that night. She never saw her mother again since that morning. At the new plantation, Emma made friends and fell in love. Throughout time, as well as looking back, Emma realizes that every decision has its consequence.
This is a phenomenal book for a middle school aged audience. Julius Lester did a great job allowing the reader to feel what the characters are thinking and feeling. She did this with interludes between the chapters. Each interlude is dedicated to one character who is looking back on the previous chapter's events and telling it in their point-of-view and their memories. The story is told through the eyes of a child. Family, friendship, slavery, the Underground Railroad are just a handful of topics brought up during this excellent book. This book has has two awards, 2006 Coretta Scott King Author Award and 2006 ALA Notable Children's Books, and is also on several book lists, Editors Choice, Top Ten Black History, Top Ten Historical Fiction, VOYA Top Shelf Fiction, and New York Public Library 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing. I recommend this touching book _Day_of_Tears_ by Julius Lester to every middle school student.

Julian Lester's thought-provoking book, A Day of Tears, builds a fictional story out of of a real event: the day when the most slaves in American history--over400--were sold at one auction. The place is Savannah, Georgia, the time is 1859 and the slaveowner is Pierce Butler who is "forced" to sell his slaves to pay off his gambling debts. Known afterwards as "The Weeping Time," the four days were marked by torrential rain; thus the tie-in to the title of the book.

Many fine books have been written depicting the harsh and unjust conditions surrounding slavery. Jester's novel distinguishes itself by giving voice to each character who plays a part in the drama. As a result of sparse narrative, the reader is engaged in the immediacy of the setting and conflicts. Instead of the traditional novel format, Lester relies primarily on monologues to tell the story. Readers hear the voices of Pierce, his abolitionist wife Fanny Kemble, their two daughters (with two very different points of view on slavery), the auctioneer, several slaves (also with different perspectives on slavery), and the man who helps some of the slaves escape to Cincinnati. Interludes within the main story fast forward the action as the characters reflect upon the years and events that transpired after that pivotal day. The reader watches as families are torn apart--both slaves and their owners--over an issue that divided our country.

I listened to the book on CD and found the acting compelling. Even without much actual physical description of the characters, I could imagine them talking directly to me.

Since the book candidly shows a variety of perspectives on the same event, it makes an excellent Social Studies resource for classes studying the Antebellum Age in the south. In addition, language arts teachers should point out the different uses of syntax, word choice, and dialect to make the voice of each character distinct and powerful. Given the way it is written, this would be an excellent choice for readers theater in middle school or high school classrooms.

The author's notes at the end include glimpses into some of the resources which Lester used to write the book. Since I am researching my own historical novel, I was particularly interested in his resources. He cites a pamphlet "What Became of the Slaves on a Georgia Plantation?" which is in the Library of Congress and can be viewed online. Written by an observer to the entire event, it provides "up close and personal" details of the auction and makes a terrific companion tool to this book.