Scan barcode
jwinchell's review against another edition
5.0
Excruciating, important, outstanding. This is everything I love about historical fiction. The underground railroad came to life for me through this outstanding "novel in dialogue."
It would make a great read aloud and there's lots of space for common core-friendly non-fiction tie-ins--especially all the references Lester lists.
This is a must read.
It would make a great read aloud and there's lots of space for common core-friendly non-fiction tie-ins--especially all the references Lester lists.
This is a must read.
cocainebear's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
This fictional account of the largest slave auction ever held is based on a true event with real characters.
Brief sections are told from the viewpoint of different characters: The master, slave seller, slaves, and slave buyers all have a chance to speak.
The back matter provides links to books and websites detailing the true story, one book in particular was a diary written by the ex-wife of the master. She was a former English actress, Fannie Kemble, and an abolitionist. When she married Pierce Butler she did not know that he would inherit the 2nd largest slave plantation in America. Their marriage began to crumble around the slavery issue.
This story presents clearly all the pain and injustice of slavery and would be perfect for middle grade readers looking to supplement a Civil War unit.
Brief sections are told from the viewpoint of different characters: The master, slave seller, slaves, and slave buyers all have a chance to speak.
The back matter provides links to books and websites detailing the true story, one book in particular was a diary written by the ex-wife of the master. She was a former English actress, Fannie Kemble, and an abolitionist. When she married Pierce Butler she did not know that he would inherit the 2nd largest slave plantation in America. Their marriage began to crumble around the slavery issue.
This story presents clearly all the pain and injustice of slavery and would be perfect for middle grade readers looking to supplement a Civil War unit.
hywar's review against another edition
4.0
This was an absolutely fantastic read! I had trouble putting the book down right from the start. Julius Lester does a great job of switching perspectives and skipping around on the timeline without getting readers lost. Though the subject matter is dark and grim, the book was still an absolute pleasure to read. Highly engaging and a great book to add onto any unit about slavery or racism!
k8s's review against another edition
5.0
OMG! I could not put it down. It is magnificent. It is heartbreaking. Painful. Sickening. Hopeful. Masterful.
Read it! Soon!!
Read it! Soon!!
abby_koenig8's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
victorialynch's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful and painful rendition of the largest slave auction in history. We thought about using with our sixth graders, but it’s a bit much for a couple of reasons. Language would be a problem (frequent use of the n word), and Lester rarely tells the story in the same way. His “novel in dialogue” is quite varied which might be tough for some students to follow.
typesetjez's review against another edition
5.0
This book is fantastic and well suited to juvenile, young adult, or even adult audiences, for pleasure reading or for education. All too often, history focuses on the events of slavery or the Civil War and not enough on the lives of the people involved. This book gives insight into the lives of slaves, slave owners, slave sellers, and underground railroad affiliates and gives a wide variety of stories within each of these categories. There are slaves who want nothing more than to escape, slaves who have internalized slavery and view it as a positive, slave owners who think of slaves as property, and slave owners who treat slaves like family. The author has been careful to choose a family that is historically split between support for and against slavery and backs up all of the events with historical notes at the end of the book. Since this is a novel in dialogue, the characters are immediately apparent and understood, giving a more emotional and personal look at this period of history than any textbook could, which is why I feel this book could work well in the classroom, possibly even read aloud. This book would also lend itself very easily to dramatic readings or a play adaptation.
Note: fans of 12 Years a Slave should try this book!
Note: fans of 12 Years a Slave should try this book!
calliecachat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this as part of my student’s historical fiction unit then wrote about it after reading Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark for a Critical Theory course. I love the way this book is structured. The dialogue and vignettes feel devastating and real.