Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester - Coretta Scott Author

Emma is the property of Master Butler and has taken care of his daughters, Sarah and Frances, since their parents divorced. Emma wants to raise the girls to have good hearts, like their mother's. Sarah and her mother oppose slavery, while Frances and her father believe in the "Southern way of life" and treatment of blacks. Master Butler decides to sell his slaves to pay for his debts because of gambling and hosts the biggest slave auction in American history. Master Butler had promised Emma's parents he would not sell her, but money, desperation, and greed allow him to do so anyways. Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, readers will travel with Emma and others through time and place, and come to understand that every decision has a consequence. Julius Lester incorporates historical events and his imagination. This is an emotional book to read; this novel shows how the slaves were feeling and possible dialogue that was going on.