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    Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
    Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
    Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
    Audiobook2 hours

    Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue

    Written by Julius Lester

    Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson, Lizan Mitchell, Marc Johnson and

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    As did his father before him, Pierce Butler treats his plantation slaves like family. But massive gambling debts force him to sell 429 "family" members. When the auction begins, torrential rain falls-not stopping until the final slave is sold the next day. The ominous rainfall prompts these words: "This ain't rain. This is God's tears." Based on the largest slave auction in U.S. history, this poignant montage is the fictionalized account of that 1859 Georgia tragedy. All the shrieks and groans, the betrayal and fury, the sorrow and regret are here in the stark, vivid monologues that pour from the souls of master and slave, auctioneer and observer during this "Weeping Time." Author of To Be a Slave -a New York Times and School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and Newbery Honor Book-Julius Lester garnered starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher's Weekly for his riveting Day of Tears. "The horror of the auction and its aftermath is unforgettable; individuals whom the reader has come to know are handled like animals, wrenched from family, friends, and love." -Booklist, starred review
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 18, 2013
    ISBN9781470355937
    Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
    Author

    Julius Lester

    Julius Lester is the author of the Newbery Honor Book To Be a Slave, the Caldecott Honor Book John Henry, the National Book Award finalist The Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History, and the Coretta Scott King Award winner Day of Tears. He is also a National Book Critics Circle nominee and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. His most recent picture book, Let's Talk About Race, was named to the New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing." In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For thirty-two years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts.

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    Reviews for Day of Tears

    4.5/5

    342 ratings89 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book tells the story of the single most amount of slaves sold in one day in American history. Heartbreaking, beyond comprehension to read the documentation of families torn apart. One man in particular sold a large amount of slaves because he had gambling debts!!!!This is a tragic day in the history of the United States. The book lists the actual amount paid per slave, and the descriptions listed in a pamphlet distributed to those interested in acquiring more slaves.This is almost too upsetting to read. Known as "the weeping time," it is tragic to know that owners looked at people of color as their "assets!"
    • 4/5
      VOYA Ratings: 5Q, 5POn the day of the largest slave auction in American history the sky decided open up and rain. It rained and rained until the auction ended, two days later. In that time, families were broken, relatives were forever separated, and truths were learned in a most terrible fashion.Day of Tears by Julius Lester is a powerful and masterfully executed book, drawing upon historical facts to weave a multi-perspective narrative together, a narrative which supports and challenges everything we know and feel about the history of slavery and racism within the United States. The use of multiple view points and perspectives as expressed throughout both pre and post civil war timelines crafts a tale which can be seen from all sides. Subtle and compelling, no character is without believable dimension and each brings something poignant to the telling. Truly a masterwork of an exceptional writer.
    • 4/5
      4Q 3Q (My VOYA ratings). Day of Tears is a work of historical fiction that portrays the South in the time of slavery, specifically 1859 in Georgia surrounding the few days that the largest auction of slaves in America were sold. Lester crafts this very important view of American slavery through character dialogue, including both enslaved Africans in America and slave-owners. The storyline goes: Pierce, slave owner and man with a great gambling debt, decides to hold an auction so he can pay his debts. Pierce has two daughters, one that opposes slavery and one who does not. Emma is their caretaker and enslaved. She is also going to be sold even though at one point she is told she never will be. The days that the auction is held there are torrential downpours. The skies literally weep at the action that this man, Pierce, has taken, but really for this time in general: One human keeping another in bondage. I really like the way this book was written and that it is in dialogue form, like a play, so I give it a 4 for quality. I give a 3 for popularity, because I think it might take some pushing for teens to pick up this book due to topic and the dialogue format.
    • 4/5
      5Q, 4PFor this assigned book, I decided to listen to the audio version available on Audible. It was narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson, Lizan Mitchell, Marc D. Johnson, Tom Stechschulte, John McDonough, Julia Gibson, and Michael Early.5Q - The audiobook version of this story was EXCELLENT. As this was a story in dialogue, having each character narrated by a different actor really kept the feel of the story alive. I also think that having these words said out loud made them have more of an impact on me than had I just read them on a page. That said, I feel that the words are so strong that it would have affected me no matter what physical format in which I had consumed the book.4P - I felt like this book had a general appeal to it and would rate it between a 3P and a 4P. Primarily this is because it's a pretty emotionally heavy book (this is NOT light, fun, summer reading) and I felt like kids were more likely to encounter this book with some urging from an adult such as a teacher. That said, the format of this book is really approachable from many reading levels and the human interest aspect of it makes it very accessible. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop.
    • 5/5
      5Q, 4PLester 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 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.
    • 4/5
      My VOYA: 4Q 4PThis is a beautiful, sad and lyrical look into an atrocious historical event: the largest slave auction in American history. Day of Tears shows agonizing accounts of couples being separated and children sold from families. Lester switches between multiple points of view, including 12-year-old Emma, slave and caretaker to the young daughters of the plantation; Mattie and Will, Emma's parents; Pierce Butler, owner of the plantation; Frances and Sarah Butler, daughters of Pierce and many more. He also switches time frames, from day of the auction to many years in the future. This can be hard to follow at times, but allows for a breadth of perspectives and characters to be presented.
    • 4/5
      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 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.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.
    • 4/5
      Julius Lester novel weaves a narrative of the largest auction of slaves in American history told from the perspectives of those involved. It's an enlightening perspective of the slavery issue and guaranteed to create engaging class discussions. Readers will find it interesting to realize who is pro-slavery and who is anti-slavery. Though engrossing, the switching of characters' narratives makes it a bit confusing during reading.
    • 5/5
      This book has definitely earned a 5Q rating because the play-like format really does engage the reader and helps to pull them into the story. While reading, I found my heart breaking as if I knew Emma personally. I cheated when they escaped to Canada. I was fully engaged with this book. I can easily see why it has gotten so much praise. I first began the book in print, but then decided to switch to audiobook due to the novel in dialogue format (it was a little hard for me to follow in print). I would definitely recommend this book as an audiobook. It was very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      5Q,4P (my VOYA codes)A fictional re-telling of a factual historical event, this novel in dialogue is intense and captivating, heartbreaking and beautiful. The interest for young adults will be it's novel in dialogue format as well as the personal, first person narratives and the dramatic and intense recounts of what is known in history as the biggest slave auction in America. A fantastic option for introducing slavery and racism in America for young adults.The novel in dialogue format served this story very well. I became very involved with the characters of this story; alternating between seething anger and compassion and sorrow depending upon who the narrator was. I have never heard of this historical event before so, I was saddened by it but honored to be introduced to the courageous and rich characters. Lester's ability to write in such a way that the characters tell us the story made me feel as if I was reading personal diary entries. This novel is a wonderful treasure, beautifully written and an important telling.
    • 5/5
      5Q 5PThis book tells the story of the biggest slave auction in American history from the point of view of several slaves, masters, mistresses, and the auctioneer. The story mostly centers on Emma, a house slave who is unexpectedly sold after the master gets greedy. She is torn from her family and the two daughters of the plantation owner who she is raising. I was surprised at how much this book resonated with me. I had my doubts, because it's a novel in dialogue so it reads like a play and also it's about slavery so I thought it would be an awkward or painful read. But really, reading from each character's point of view was so powerful and gave a very nuanced picture of attitudes towards slavery. One of the passages that had the most impact on me was the list of slaves and how much they were sold for. Something about putting a price tag on a human being feels so wrong. In the author's note, Julius Lester says that the slaves' names and prices are included unchanged from a historical document he used for his research.
    • 4/5
      This book is beautifully written in a nontraditional style . Lester gives a great and real voice to the characters who are very well developed and rooted in truth. Overall a great historical fiction read, be careful of the liberal use of historical terms that are not socially acceptable today. While used frequently it's still appropriate for YA readers.
    • 5/5
      5Q, 4P (My VOYA ratings) I enjoyed Day of Tears and believe it’s deserving of a 5Q rating on the VOYA scale. The story is character-driven, and the characters are that “special element” that takes the quality from a 4 to a 5 in my eyes. Each character felt well fleshed-out, and none of the portrayals of nonwhite characters seemed inhumanly good. While the characters might seem so at first, over the course of the book their faults and their humanity is exposed. I thought each character in the book seemed realistic and their moral compasses differed—they did not each adhere to a single set of values that the author was trying to portray as “good.” Furthermore, the dialects of each character were incredibly well-written—while, at times, dialect makes dialogue harder to read and less enjoyable, the dialects in Day of Tears really added to each character’s personality. I felt that I had connected with each individual character and knew them well by the end of the book.I think this book would be popular year-round and not just during African-American History Month, and warrants a 4P rating on the VOYA scale. It’s our responsibility as librarians to make sure diverse materials are accessible, and that our displays include books that are representative of several different cultures—while this book wouldn’t fly off the shelves without assistance, I do think if displayed adequately teens would be eager to check it out. This book, for instance, would be a great book to recommend to any teen that enjoys character-driven novels and historical fiction (as well as historical nonfiction).
    • 5/5
      The style of the the book, "a novel in dialogue" really brings the history close to readers and gives it life and immediacy as well as a context by including many participant's perspectives before, during and many years after the largest US slave auction ever held. The tidbits of sale register add without distracting to the emotions and personal impact of the event and those immersed in it. While there's nothing wrong with this style of writing and it does do many great things for this work, it is a bit more of a challenge to start out with a list of people like a cast and dialogue that seems as though the book is a play-script. After reading a while the characters sort themselves out fairly well and if they haven't yet, the author was kind enough to provide that handy list of people as characters in the beginning. For this interesting style, and thoughtful aid to the readers, I believe the writing quality of this book sits firmly at a 5Q--"hard to imagine it being better written."Due to the content however, I think it is more of a 3P (will appeal with pushing) in most teen communities. The stark sad cover image and title are intense and attractive but selling readers on the most epic slave auction in the US is a tough deal. This would make a great class-read in school and open many opportunities for discussion of the human condition, history, politics, psychology and many other subjects but I don't see it as being a prime go-to book for leisure-reading.
    • 4/5
      5Q, 4P. Although some might have been put off by the playwright format of this book, I found it enthralling and really gave the characters a rich sense of being. I will admit that sometimes I would find myself confused when the story skipped around but I always found my way back. I found it unfortunate that the school system failed me so much that I had never even heard of what this book refers to as the largest slave auction in America. The accounts given in this novel were heart wrenching and pulls deeply at the emotional state of the reader. And I loved how all of the characters were so deeply evolved and established by the author. I didn't feel that any characters were surface level written or pawns in the plot. The struggle for freedom throughout and the injustice that slaves were forced to endure kept my reading all through the night - I just couldn't put it down! This is definitely a book I will recommend to young adults and adults alike. I think this is a story that needs to be told.
    • 5/5
      4Q/3P. The Day of Tears is a perfectly paced, fictional account of slavery in America. Julius Lester gives unique voices to each member of the book’s cast. The narrative style brings life to the words and the characters, as the struggle between slavery and freedom ignites. Characters are not taken from a mold – each is depicted with sincerity and depth. I don't think this book would be the first to be chosen by a young adult reader, but I think it is an important one to share with young readers.
    • 5/5
      I listened to Day of Tears by Julius Lester in audiobook format, but also had the book to see the format of the novel in dialogue. This book left me with a heavy heart. I’ve read about slavery growing up, but I had never heard about “the biggest slave auction in American history” nor do I recall reading a fictionalized real event like this. The novel in dialogue was difficult to grasp at times since there were moments where the slaves would fast-forward to them as an elderly person post war/slavery. Despite the feeling of losing track of the story, each chapter sucked me into the hell that slavery was. The idea of a human life being treated as property and just the overall division of race is sad. These accounts told in dialogue makes it a bit easier to take in, and I found myself appreciating the way it was organized.
    • 3/5
      2Q, 3PI'm not a huge fan of this modified play format for this story. One great thing about plays is that they show rather than tell, and one great thing about books is they allow us into a character's head so we know what they're thinking/feeling. The problem with this book was it wasn't fully fleshed-out to be a play, so all we got was the characters saying everything they were feeling. It just didn't really work for me, didn't help me appreciate the characters like I wish I had.That being said, there were parts I did like. I like Sampson was a fully fleshed-out character, that although he might seem from the outside to just be sort of crazy, that under all that he cared for his son, and his devotion to his mistress is really another insidious symptom of slavery.
    • 4/5
      5Q, 4P. Incredibly beautiful and moving short novel about the largest slave auction in history. This book follows Emma, a 12 year old slave girl who takes care of the two children of a plantation owner, as she witnesses the tragedy of having her family, friends, and relations torn away from their homes and sold. The book's narration shifts constantly, allowing for perspectives, flashbacks, and reflections from the plantation owner, his children, the auctioneer, the slaves, Emma's parents, and Emma herself. Refreshingly honest and straightforward, the author does not gloss over any of the language or attitudes of the slave owners and former slave owners - there is no glossy ending in which everyone realizes that they were wrong. That said, there is hope. And love. And a great deal of feeling portrayed through a very short novel.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      4Q, 2P. I thought it was well written, but I don't think that it would be all that popular. Part of that is the format, which, while I liked it, might put off teen readers. I thought that the book was very good. The characters were realistic and the auction was fascinating. I liked how the characters also get to reflect on the events when they are older. I grew less interested towards the end, because the auction was what I found the most interesting, but overall I thought it was good.
    • 4/5
      Day of Tears looks at slavery in the American South from the perspective of everyone it touched, from slaves to slave owners, slave sellers, abolitionists, and those who lived both reluctantly and willingly with slavery. Julius Lester is particularly effective in exploring a variety of viewpoints and careful to depict characters from both sides of the argument for and against slavery accurately and without bias. In play-like format, the characters of Day of Tears share their stories through dialogue, personal observations, and letters creating an authentic and immersive experience that unfolds visually throughout the story. Day of Tears is for obvious reasons heartbreaking, but the power of the story and the insight it offers into the lives of those who lived with slavery is convincingly real and valuable to anyone with an interest in the historical period it represents.
    • 3/5
      My VOYA rating - 4Q, 3PActual VOYA - 5Q 5P M JI thought Day of Tears was okay. The characters felt either vague and distant or one-dimensional; Pierce Butler is a plantation owner who doesn't care too much about his slaves to keep them or beat them, and values money and gambling above everything else. Sarah is emotional and dislikes slavery. I think Frances was more of a complex character than anyone, as she relies on Emma, a slave, for emotional support, but thinks that slaves are still sub-human and wants to rule over them on her father's plantation. I could see the script being acted out in my mind, and thought the images the script described were quite vivid.
    • 5/5
      5Q, 4P Tragic story about the March 1859 slave auction in Savannah, GA, noted as the largest in American history. The novel in dialog gives voice to the slaves, the slave owners both during the auction, written as if it were real-time and featuring critical characters reflecting on that event years later. Julius Lester's writing is incredibly moving emotionally. His writing of each character with such hear, he compels the reader to read the book in one sitting. While the end of the story is inevitable based upon our knowledge of history, the desire to see the slaves achieve freedom and persevere in life. Readers also gain insight to the various slave owners and their approach to care for the value of the lives who take care of them.
    • 5/5
      5Q 5P, I loved this book! I wasn't sure I would. I prepared myself for sadness, and it was sad, how could it not be? It was a poignant telling of the largest slave auction in American history. This fictional tale is based on true events. The author tells it in many voices. This allows the reader to get a sense of the thoughts and feelings of the slaves, the slave owners, and even the slave seller. The author inserts glimpses of the characters when they are older and we get a sense of how life passed for slaves before, during, and after the Civil War. This would be an excellent companion to nonfiction works in a study of the Civil War or slavery.
    • 4/5
      5Q 4PAn excellently written, heartbreaking story that tells the tale of Emma, a young slave girl and the plantation on which she lives. Her owner, a man generally thought to be one of the better masters, must sell off his 'assets' to pay his gambling debts. The result is the largest slave auction in American history. Told in flash-backs and flash-forwards, this story is poignant and important, transporting young readers back to a time of turmoil, strife and injustice. It provides readers with a glimpse into the lives of American slaves, as well as a look at the power struggle that was ripping through our nation at this point in history.
    • 4/5
      Written in the vernacular and performed by a cast, each character is given their own voice, complete with accents and patterns of speech and recounts what happens on the historical days of America’s largest slave auction, known as the Weeping time, when heavy downpours cast a wet shadow on the days events. A powerful historical account of the feelings and opinions felt on the various sides of slavery, from slaves, to slave owners, to auctioneer, children of slave owner and slave buyers. Strong discriminatory language used, but this adds to the authenticity of the book as each character speaks distinctly from one other, including harsh language. Depictions of the cruelty and racism that was accompanied is strongly portrayed throughout, and could be difficult for some readers or listeners. As an audio book, wonderfully done, as each character, and there are many , are portrayed by individual actors, which adds greatly to the enjoyment of the book, however depressing and upsetting the story may be.
    • 3/5
      The Day of Tears was a sad story, but I am glad it had somewhat of a happy ending for some of the characters. It is a glimpse into our sad history and the injustices caused by our history of slavery. It always pains me to read stories of slavery, and yet I know it is important to read them so we never forget. I am not really keen on the format, although I did appreciate being able to experience events from individual characters' points of view. It read more like a play to me, and in this sense I was able to envision the scenes and how they may be staged in a theatrical production.I gave this book a VOYA rating of 4Q for better than most, marred with occasional lapses and a popularity rating of 3P: Will appeal with pushing. A quote from the book that I thought would generate discussion is, "Sometimes family ain't blood but them what are by your side when you need somebody."
    • 5/5
      Day of Tears is a Wonderful story about a Girl named Emma (who is a slave) and goes through the biggest Slave auction in History. Day of Tears is written by Julius Lester and this book is sad but I highly recommend reading this book. This book is very interesting and it keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next.Day of Tears takes place in Georgia, Emma is mainly telling her point of view throughout the story and what she is seeing and feeling. At the auction all the slaves feel the exactly same way (sad and depressed, scared.)Emma goes through some challenging situations throughout the story, her boyfriend Joe is with her every step of the way to help her fight through the pain. Well Emma has a kind heart she is brave and confident and she was the protagonist in the story for all the brave and confident, kind stuff she did. The master was an awful person, didn’t treat his kids’ right and made his wife leave him for the cruel things he does. He even made a promise that he broke, and it was the worst decision in his life to break that promise.The book is mainly about slavery and freedom and what’s right and wrong. The climax was not the most exciting part it had more of an impact or an effect on you because it was the main sad part of the whole book. There are a lot of details leading up to that point to show you what is going to maybe happen next. In this book you would be surprised on what happens next. The movie has the same mood or tone throughout the book until the ending. The tone or mood is all sad and miserable. At the end the mood changes from sad to happy and the ending really is one of the best parts in the whole book.At the end of the story someone very important to Emma dies. I would have made that very important person who dies stay alive because it just made the ending sad and usually there are happy endings. Not the whole ending was sad part of it was actually happy and the ending was my favorite part of the book. I would recommend ages from 6-adult to read Day of Tears. This book is very interesting in many ways. One of my favorite things about this book is you get to actually read about how slaves were treated, and how much they cost when they get sold. I would give this book 8 gold stars if I could, that’s how good this book is.In conclusion this book would be very good to learn more about slaves. Also if you like sad but happy books then this book is definitely for you. When I read this book I had to read this in private because I didn’t want people to see me cry. This book was historical fiction. There also were a lot of strengths and weaknesses in this book.
    • 5/5
      This story is about a young slave girl’s (named Emma) journey with her family and friends and about how she made her daring escape into free land. The Day of Tears is written by: Julius Lester. The genre of this book is historical fiction. The book Day of Tears was enthralling to read because, the way the author used so many different kinds of emotion, it was just very powerful & the story line was very strong & it was written very well. The story is taken place in Georgia in the time of slavery. You see the point-of-view from different people but, mainly you see it from Emma’s point-of-view. The protagonist of the story is Emma, & the other main characters are; Mattie(mother of Emma), Will(father of Emma), Sampson(slave on Mistress Henfield’s Plantation), Frances Butler(Peirce Butler’s younger daughter), Sarah(Peirce Butler’s older daughter), Peirce Butler( father of Frances & Sarah), Sarah(Emma’s oldest daughter), Jessie Mae( Emma’s granddaughter), & Joe. The mood of the book is most of the time sorrowful because the taking place of the biggest slave auction in history (& the book is called; The Day of Tears.) Emma is a young slave girl on Master Butler’s plantation with her mom & dad. Emma helps with the Master’s children Sarah Butler (oldest) & Frances Butler (youngest). Then the Master decides he wants his children at the slave auction & Emma comes along to watch & take care of them but, instead Emma gets sold to Mistress Henfield & it tears her family apart & she never gets to see her family again, eventually Emma finally escapes from Mistress Henfield’s plantations but, she still has some twists & turns along the way on her journey to freedom.I believe the author did achieve his purpose. The writing was very beautiful & very powerful at the same time. I believe the story was written very well & it was strong like in a certain passage like this; Mattie: All I understand is that my only child is on her way to someplace called Kentucky and I ain’t gon’ see her again. What do you want me to understand beyond that? I hope you burn in hell! (Pierce Butler gives Mattie a look of disgust, shuts the door and returns to his guests.) That’s right, Master. Run away! I ain’t got respect for a man who does wrong and won’t own up to it. Run all you want, Master. God knows and I know: you done wrong this day and Satan is going to put you on the fire like you was pork ribs at a barbecue. (As Mattie spoons mashed potatoes from a pot into a serving bowl, she spits into the potatoes several times, then stirs them again. She spits into the gravy then stirs. Spit, stir. Spit, stir. Then, with a smile on her face, she begins carrying the food into the dining room.) I found the book very interesting & moving, & it wasn’t dull at all. Yes, I would recommend it to other people because, Julius Lester is a wonderful author and he wrote such an amazing book. I would recommend it to grades 7+ and up because there is some harsh language children shouldn’t read & the book may be a little strong for them. I would rate the book 10 stars out of 10 stars(10/10.)The impression the book left on me was the realization of how hard it was when people’s families got separated when they were sold, & I want people to know how much slaves have impacted throughout their lifetime of being a slave & their stories. I recommend the book to people who likes history but, they also like a little fiction with their history novel & aren’t afraid to cry at sad parts during the book.