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Day of Tears: A novel in dialogue
by Julius Lester
I picked this book up at the library book sale as something for my classroom. I love the hardcovers for a dollar, I generally grab everything that's in my students' age range. I plan to read everything I put in my library at some point. I read this one in a few hours today. It's the story of a slave on a plantation in Georgia. It's written in a series of drabbles and some conversations with stage directions. It jumps in time from before the War to after and back, which gives you a complete vision of the story without being choppy at all. It's extremely well written and very emotional. The rain metaphor is slightly overused, but the point is well made. While there's something of a happy ending it doesn't gloss over anything, it doesn't make it seem any less horrible than it was. While the other viewpoint is presented, no pains are taken to make it seem like it could make sense or that anyone should believe it. I don't fault the author for that, it's very difficult to make something so blatantly wrong even seem like something someone could believe. It's a quick read, but it will stay with you. Emma, the main character, is a very real person and you feel deeply for her, as well as the rest of the cast. Late elementary school students could access this story easily because it's written in such a way that they can understand what's happening without being overwhelmed by it. I think an adult could read it as well and take even more away from it. It's not a light read, but I would recommend it.