Publishers Weekly
Unfolding like a play, Lester's novel in dialogue-based on actual events-cannot help but be informed by his research and writing for his 1969 Newbery Honor book, To Be a Slave. In many ways, the scenes here beg to be dramatized upon a stage; many sections read like monologues, but each contributes to a powerful whole. Some readers may initially have trouble connecting Emma, the children's nursemaid, to her parents, Mattie and Will, the master's manservant. As the book progresses, however, the relationships become crystal clear. The book opens as, in Mattie's words, "The rain is coming down as hard as regret." Master Butler is about to hold an auction to sell off 429 slaves in order to repay a gambling debt. Other details unfold, as Will mentions how he and Master Butler grew up together ("He used to look up to me like I was his big brother"); Emma mentions that Mistress Fannie left her husband a year before, and an author's note explains that Fannie Kemble, who opposed slavery, married Pierce Butler not knowing that he owned slaves. The ultimate betrayal occurs when Master Butler agrees to sell Emma, the only person whom Sara, his oldest child, trusts. Lester poignantly conveys how the auction polarizes the two sisters: Sara who detests slavery, and Frances who sides with her father. Some of the flashback sections (particularly that of the "slave-seller") interrupt the flow of events, but the novel provides a compelling opportunity for children to step into the shoes of those whose lives were torn apart by slavery. Ages 9-13. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-Julius Lester's moving historical novel (Jump at the Sun, 2005) becomes a magnificent tapestry when performed in this full-cast recording. Based upon actual historical characters Pierce Butler and his ex-wife Fanny Kemble, the story begins during "The Weeping Time," the largest slave auction that was held in Georgia in 1859. In a rain "as hard as regret," that infamous event saw hundreds of families, marriages, and lovers torn apart as slave owner and plantation master Pierce Butler sold hundreds of slaves to pay off his gambling debts. "This ain't rain. This is God's tears" one slave intones as the auction begins. Lester's lyrical dialogue performed by different voices creates a powerful statement on the blinding injustice and cruelty of slavery. Narrator Dion Graham exudes a quiet intensity as slaves, owners, abolitionists, and children of slave and slave-master families tell their stories. Listeners will absorb the aching reality of slave life and get a sense of the monumental injustice of many lives sacrificed to support a way of life for a privileged few. Lester's literary device of using interludes in which characters reflect on their lives since the auction adds dimension and substance to this outstanding production. Children may be jarred by the frequent use of the word "nigger." Used in this historical context, the language helps to illustrate how people perceived African Americans. For older listeners, sections of the novel could be used for reader's theater.-Celeste Steward, Alameda County Library, Fremont, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
On a day when rain came down "hard as sorrow," George Weems sets out to sell more slaves at one time than anyone ever had. Pierce Butler must sell off hundreds of slaves to cover gambling debts and 12-year-old Emma is one of his victims. Named after Lester's grandmother, whose mother was a slave, Emma is part of a large cast of characters-slaves, owners, businessmen and abolitionists-who tell their own stories, in their own voices. Interludes occasionally have characters return in old age to reflect on their lives since the auction, a brilliant technique that demonstrates, in some characters, the persistence of racist belief. Other, good-hearted, characters, white and black, act towards each other with respect and dignity and affirm the possibilities of conscience and common humanity even in the worst of times. This important novel, based on an actual slave auction in 1859, begs to be performed, though teachers and performers may be hesitant to utter the racist language of the day. Powerful theater and one of Lester's finest works. (cast of characters, author's note) (Fiction. 12+)
