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Slave Day
From the creator of Veronica Mars comes a timely novel that looks at a high school fundraising tradition of auctioning off students as “slaves.”
At Robert E. Lee High School, the traditional fundraising event is Slave Day, in which the student leaders and faculty are auctioned off as slaves for the winning bidders. Keene Davenport is outraged and plans to stay home to protest this racist practice. But his mom won’t let him skip school, and he finds that none of his classmates took his protest seriously. So instead he decides on an alternative path of civil disobedience—he will “buy” Shawn Greeley, the school’s first black student body president.
Told in eight alternating perspectives, Slave Day is a powerful novel featuring beauty queens, geeks, class clowns, and football players—and none of them will come out of it the same.
At Robert E. Lee High School, the traditional fundraising event is Slave Day, in which the student leaders and faculty are auctioned off as slaves for the winning bidders. Keene Davenport is outraged and plans to stay home to protest this racist practice. But his mom won’t let him skip school, and he finds that none of his classmates took his protest seriously. So instead he decides on an alternative path of civil disobedience—he will “buy” Shawn Greeley, the school’s first black student body president.
Told in eight alternating perspectives, Slave Day is a powerful novel featuring beauty queens, geeks, class clowns, and football players—and none of them will come out of it the same.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
14 people are currently reading
559 people want to read
About the author
Rob Thomas
60 books1,127 followersRobert James "Rob" Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God, creator of the critically acclaimed television series Veronica Mars and co-creator of 90210 and Party Down.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 25, 2018
A short list of books and authors I'd recommend on this topic instead of this book:
The Hate U Give
Dear Martin
American Street
Tyler Johnson Was Here
The Belles
Piecing Me Together
The Sun Is Also a Star
All American Boys
Long Way Down
Pretty much anything by Walter Dean Myers, Octavia Butler, NK Jemisin, Jason Reynolds.
The Hate U Give
Dear Martin
American Street
Tyler Johnson Was Here
The Belles
Piecing Me Together
The Sun Is Also a Star
All American Boys
Long Way Down
Pretty much anything by Walter Dean Myers, Octavia Butler, NK Jemisin, Jason Reynolds.
January 15, 2012
Slave Day wins at novel, people. In contrast to Rats Saw God, I was hooked within about ten fucking pages. I mean, really, I was hooked before I even opened the damn book, because multiple perspectives rock my world. Slave Day follows seven students and one teacher at Robert E. Lee High School on Slave Day, a fundraiser auction in which students buy the Student Council members and volunteering teachers for one day. For one day, they are their slaves, as the name suggests.
The brilliant thing is all the characters have different agendas. Why are they participating? What plans do they have? How will their lives change on this fateful day? Seriously, I don't want to say anything more because it's best you know nothing at all going in. You get in all the characters' heads, and they all have distinct voices, and their storylines intersect like less than whoa, actually; Rob doesn't go overboard trying to twist all the different stories together. They coexist naturally and realistically, and they play off each other every now and then. And because the the entire book comprises a single day, the narrative has a sense of urgency that Rats Saw God lacked. I do have one minor quibble, though, similar to my complaint about Weevil's spy pen. Rob brings up a question about a certain character and then he never actually answers it. So maybe that is his M.O. after all, use an ending question to create suspense and intrigue but drop it like my logic class. Slaverat bastard.
Like Neptune High, Robert E. Lee feels like a real high school, living, breathing, populated with strong minor characters. You get the impression that there are other people with important lives besides the ones we read about. The high school in Rats Saw God never feels like that because of Steve's narrow focus. Slave Day is pretty awesome, folks. Check it out.
The brilliant thing is all the characters have different agendas. Why are they participating? What plans do they have? How will their lives change on this fateful day? Seriously, I don't want to say anything more because it's best you know nothing at all going in. You get in all the characters' heads, and they all have distinct voices, and their storylines intersect like less than whoa, actually; Rob doesn't go overboard trying to twist all the different stories together. They coexist naturally and realistically, and they play off each other every now and then. And because the the entire book comprises a single day, the narrative has a sense of urgency that Rats Saw God lacked. I do have one minor quibble, though, similar to my complaint about Weevil's spy pen. Rob brings up a question about a certain character and then he never actually answers it. So maybe that is his M.O. after all, use an ending question to create suspense and intrigue but drop it like my logic class. Slaverat bastard.
Like Neptune High, Robert E. Lee feels like a real high school, living, breathing, populated with strong minor characters. You get the impression that there are other people with important lives besides the ones we read about. The high school in Rats Saw God never feels like that because of Steve's narrow focus. Slave Day is pretty awesome, folks. Check it out.
August 2, 2012
Sooooo good! First, Thomas is just awesome at differentiating between all of the characters in this multiple pov story. There are seven students and a teacher trading narration and every single one is distinct and 3D, right down to speech patterns and sentence construction. I have to say that I loved Mr. Twilley and Tommy the best, but that's probably because I related most to that pairing. You can't help loving and rooting for Tommy and Mr. Twilley was a fantastic representation of a real teacher grappling with real teacher problems (sometimes a rarity when the focus is on the young 'uns).
At first I thought I would read a book that would share one message, that slave day is wrong, but it ended up being a really complex glimpse into human relationships where the "right" answers weren't clear cut. I could see this book (in the right hands and given the right context) as a great teaching tool for talking about our social issues, particularly race and gender.
The only way the story wears thin is in cultural references, particularly computers, but even that was a nice kickback for me (because I was in school in the '90s and remember when computers were like that). Seriously, a must read!
At first I thought I would read a book that would share one message, that slave day is wrong, but it ended up being a really complex glimpse into human relationships where the "right" answers weren't clear cut. I could see this book (in the right hands and given the right context) as a great teaching tool for talking about our social issues, particularly race and gender.
The only way the story wears thin is in cultural references, particularly computers, but even that was a nice kickback for me (because I was in school in the '90s and remember when computers were like that). Seriously, a must read!
February 6, 2010
Rob Thomas, the creator of the fantastic television show Veronica Mars, used to write young adult novels before he moved into TV full-time, and all the trademarks are here - the brilliant capturing of individual teenagers voices (this book is written in the first person from multiple perspectives), the humour, the feeling that nothing is contrived, and everything genuine. Slave Day takes place over a single day - one that changes several people's lives forever. With that in mind I expected the book to be a little more sensationalist than it was, but I was pleasantly surprised at how the revelations weren't of the kind that turned people's entire lives around - it was more a case that people found a new direction for themselves. The prose is electric, the story clever, and the characters memorable (if not always likeable). Some might find it a bit hard to follow the multiple characters (there are a huge amount of people to keep track of), but that aside this is an excellent book, and well worth the read.
November 10, 2010
Fast-paced trip through the perspective of eight narrators--seven students and a teacher--through the supposedly benign tradition of "Slave Day," a fundraiser at a public school in the South. A protester of the entire concept winds up "buying" the student council president to make his point; a girlfriend "purchased" by her boyfriend gets insights into their everyday dynamics; tired and bitter "Mr. History" is chosen by an aspiring actor (and flunking student)...
The book shows its 1990s publishing date through the technology shown, yet ultimately feels (sadly) like it could take place today without much adjustment in social attitudes around matters of race and gender.
The book shows its 1990s publishing date through the technology shown, yet ultimately feels (sadly) like it could take place today without much adjustment in social attitudes around matters of race and gender.
August 9, 2017
I just really love a Rob Thomas book. Solid, stream-lined storytelling. This was a quick, interesting, and intriguing read. Definitely recommend.
June 19, 2017
This is the fella who writes the series Veronica Mars, which I love very much. He was recommended to me via an old English teacher who said my writing reminded me of Thomas'. I read Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad, and enjoyed quite a bit of it. So, now, being a bona fide crazy fan of Veronica Mars, I decided to read anything that Rob Thomas has written. Waiting in a stack, now, are Rats Saw God, Green Thumb, and Satellite Down.
October 30, 2015
Slave Day, written by Robe Thomas, a dramatic book, pushing forth the day of students and faculty taking part in a auctioning fundraiser.I feel the book was very interesting and i enjoyed reading it but i feel Slave Day is an irrelevant and unacceptable for students. Bringing back the racism and Prejudice of the southern states that still reside.
September 6, 2018
i remember we had our own back in high school
June 27, 2014
The first thing that I want to say about this book is that it is definitely thought provoking.
The characters are a bit confusing at first - there are a lot point of view characters for a 246 page book, and they each have something that they're trying to get done. It's a little confusing at first, but after about fifty or so pages, it was fine. The characters were all distinctive enough, but I didn't really connect to any of them.
That was the main problem with this book - speaking objectively, it's a good book, but I couldn't really connect with it. I felt for the main characters, but I didn't really care about any of them. If some freak accident claimed their lives, it'd be like "Oh. That's sad." and I'd move on with my life.
But it was a good book. I did enjoy it, I just didn't personally connect with it.
The characters are a bit confusing at first - there are a lot point of view characters for a 246 page book, and they each have something that they're trying to get done. It's a little confusing at first, but after about fifty or so pages, it was fine. The characters were all distinctive enough, but I didn't really connect to any of them.
That was the main problem with this book - speaking objectively, it's a good book, but I couldn't really connect with it. I felt for the main characters, but I didn't really care about any of them. If some freak accident claimed their lives, it'd be like "Oh. That's sad." and I'd move on with my life.
But it was a good book. I did enjoy it, I just didn't personally connect with it.
August 26, 2017
It's difficult to draw a line and judge some work, specifically in this case is it intentionally written with a juvenile voice or is it just juvenile? Published 20 years ago but fresh and topical due to current events, 'Slave Day' takes place at a Texas high school named for Robert E Lee on the day of a traditional fundraiser. It's written from eight different viewpoints - seven students and a teacher - and looks frankly at their different attitudes and opinions concerning the racial subtext to the event in a culturally world. Thankfully, the author claims to have no grand answers or solutions and while one or two of the subplots is a bit far fetched the story as a whole is entertaining and provocative.
Read
March 25, 2016A southern high school raises money for school activities with an annual SLAVE DAY without considering the ramifications for the school's diverse population. This is an honest account of social undercurrents in a typical high school: the in crowd, the geeks, the jocks and cheerleaders, and how differences are addressed (or ignored) by all. There is strong language, drinking, drugs and sexual activity depicted.
September 9, 2013
Really liked the multiple points of view - it worked really well for a book that takes place in about a day as I felt like I got a lot of stories that took place on Slave Day.
Recommended for high school students who want interesting realistic fiction that centers around actual teenage problems (dating a dud, being overlooked, wanting to change things).
Recommended for high school students who want interesting realistic fiction that centers around actual teenage problems (dating a dud, being overlooked, wanting to change things).
February 15, 2017
Not as enjoyable as I thought. I liked the snark in the good characters. I really didn't like being in the head's of the other characters. I know a story doesn't exist if you only have one kind but ... Ew. I would rather see them from their surface than be in their thoughts. It helps keep them separate.
July 8, 2007
A bitingly funny and cynical look at sex and race turned topsy-turvy when a high school holds a "slave day" as a fundraiser. There are some lovely, surprising moments of grace, althougb no easy answers, and many hard lessons.
July 6, 2015
A Texas high school hosting an annual "slave day"? What could go wrong? Rob Thomas has a knack for creating a filmable story with realistic dialogue. It was slow starting, but ultimately pretty good.
Read
January 14, 201905/28/2007
Read
June 28, 2008Good one.
August 26, 2008
Think "Breakfast Club" with ascerbic social commentary and tangible artistic value.
May 14, 2009
Ha! He used my name in this one.
July 30, 2009
The genius behind VMars was a genius well before VMars, it turns out...
May 13, 2010
Read this when I was fangirling over 'Veronica Mars' and wanted to read more by show creator Rob Thomas. 3.5 stars - it would be a great for a teen book discussion.
November 10, 2010
This is not my favorite book of all time, but I very much enjoyed it. It takes a while to get into, but the end is pretty satisfying.
January 20, 2011
Not as good as Rats Saw God. Same author.
October 15, 2012
I fell in love with this book when I read it back in middle school! I had no idea that this author was behind Veronica Mars...
April 12, 2013
This was a really intriguing premise, but it didn't quite work in execution.
February 9, 2016
Enjoyed this story more than I imagined I would. I'm glad that I finally gave it a shot and am left with zero disappointment!
February 18, 2019
If I had a plan, its over now. I guess that’s the reason I hesitate before I walk the line where we’re supposed to pay for our slaves…
“Who is your slave?”
I look down to find I am at the front of the line.
“What?”
“Who’s your slave?” repeats the councilhead holding a clipboard. “Who did you buy?”
I feel for the wad of bills in my pocket, knowing I haven’t proven a thing except that I’m able to throw away Laurence’s money. (Pg. 54-55)
So this was a selection that practically leaped out at me from a Barnes and Noble because hey—books make me so curious and I see one and like NEED to know about it even if I don’t finish it or whatever if I am drawn to it I try and buy it or find it one day in a library and this was a purchase I thought about for my school library but after reading see its strictly high school…This is a story about a high school after all and all the happenings of a disgusting school spirit day where they auction people off as slaves for money to do their bidding, carry books and be degraded..The sheer insanity of the concept of a Slave Day kind of MADE me read this one, how moronic and cruel…..Anyways the book is told in alternating narratives from popular and unpopular boys and girls and even teachers and though it gave the book a three dimensional element with fresh perspectives and views but just when you really felt the character and their situation their part is over and you are thrust into another person’s mind usually in the same moment and its kind of jarring and you just wish each person’s segment was longer..So with many side stories and feelings the main idea revolves around a school fundraiser where students and faculty are bought and sold and revenge is enacted, preexisting crushes are revealed and racial tensions are revealed but like I said its told in such a choppy fashion that you don’t really get the gravity or seriousness of what is being addressed and how each student feels about this horrible school slave day…People did change, discover what they really feel about each other and the institution of owning other human beings but it wasn’t a favorite or memorable except for the exciting premise..I say its definitely YA and a fast read that you can glean great concepts out of if you are willing to whiplash through characters and situations way too fast..though the entire 246 page book takes place in one day..had such high hopes....
“Who is your slave?”
I look down to find I am at the front of the line.
“What?”
“Who’s your slave?” repeats the councilhead holding a clipboard. “Who did you buy?”
I feel for the wad of bills in my pocket, knowing I haven’t proven a thing except that I’m able to throw away Laurence’s money. (Pg. 54-55)
So this was a selection that practically leaped out at me from a Barnes and Noble because hey—books make me so curious and I see one and like NEED to know about it even if I don’t finish it or whatever if I am drawn to it I try and buy it or find it one day in a library and this was a purchase I thought about for my school library but after reading see its strictly high school…This is a story about a high school after all and all the happenings of a disgusting school spirit day where they auction people off as slaves for money to do their bidding, carry books and be degraded..The sheer insanity of the concept of a Slave Day kind of MADE me read this one, how moronic and cruel…..Anyways the book is told in alternating narratives from popular and unpopular boys and girls and even teachers and though it gave the book a three dimensional element with fresh perspectives and views but just when you really felt the character and their situation their part is over and you are thrust into another person’s mind usually in the same moment and its kind of jarring and you just wish each person’s segment was longer..So with many side stories and feelings the main idea revolves around a school fundraiser where students and faculty are bought and sold and revenge is enacted, preexisting crushes are revealed and racial tensions are revealed but like I said its told in such a choppy fashion that you don’t really get the gravity or seriousness of what is being addressed and how each student feels about this horrible school slave day…People did change, discover what they really feel about each other and the institution of owning other human beings but it wasn’t a favorite or memorable except for the exciting premise..I say its definitely YA and a fast read that you can glean great concepts out of if you are willing to whiplash through characters and situations way too fast..though the entire 246 page book takes place in one day..had such high hopes....
June 23, 2018
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
There’s a lot going on in this book. You have students rallying against this racist school tradition, a teacher who has lost his love for the kids and his profession, teenage love lives second-guessing, crooked parents and uncaring kids, and just overall HS struggles. While I did enjoy the switch in perspectives, it took me a while to sometimes remember who was who, especially once you had “slaves” that were bought by someone else, and I couldn’t keep each one straight. I don’t know if there’s a better way to organize that or not (maybe go from individual to slave and purchaser perspectives together?), but it did take away some of the story for me bc I was getting confused. It was funny to me because sometimes I could not remember which characters where white and which black at times, but I liked that those lines were blurred bc it showed the heart of the “teen” character of any race. On the other hand, it needed to be clear which characters were black and against this tradition (one my school didn’t have, but one I could definitely see as offensive) at certain points in the story.
I felt the overall message was decent and handled well, but because where was so much going on, that issue if slave day was not always at the forefront. I mean, you have jerk teens treating girls like crap, and then some other things going on that effected the tradition more than the boycotting and what-not did. I also felt that some things in here were a bit too crooked. Like, if you’re fighting for a cause, is that be the most moral way to go? That’s not all the chacracters’ goals, I know, as they mention the “by any means necessary,” but i just didn’t like the taste that left behind in the end. I think there’s better ways and more moral ways to show change happening.
Overall, interesting read. Just not sure it’s one I would push on my students to read.
There’s a lot going on in this book. You have students rallying against this racist school tradition, a teacher who has lost his love for the kids and his profession, teenage love lives second-guessing, crooked parents and uncaring kids, and just overall HS struggles. While I did enjoy the switch in perspectives, it took me a while to sometimes remember who was who, especially once you had “slaves” that were bought by someone else, and I couldn’t keep each one straight. I don’t know if there’s a better way to organize that or not (maybe go from individual to slave and purchaser perspectives together?), but it did take away some of the story for me bc I was getting confused. It was funny to me because sometimes I could not remember which characters where white and which black at times, but I liked that those lines were blurred bc it showed the heart of the “teen” character of any race. On the other hand, it needed to be clear which characters were black and against this tradition (one my school didn’t have, but one I could definitely see as offensive) at certain points in the story.
I felt the overall message was decent and handled well, but because where was so much going on, that issue if slave day was not always at the forefront. I mean, you have jerk teens treating girls like crap, and then some other things going on that effected the tradition more than the boycotting and what-not did. I also felt that some things in here were a bit too crooked. Like, if you’re fighting for a cause, is that be the most moral way to go? That’s not all the chacracters’ goals, I know, as they mention the “by any means necessary,” but i just didn’t like the taste that left behind in the end. I think there’s better ways and more moral ways to show change happening.
Overall, interesting read. Just not sure it’s one I would push on my students to read.
June 12, 2018
Slave Day was interesting, but it could have been so much better. Each 'chapter' is only a couple of pages long, and they move between eight different characters, so it's hard to connect to any of them. I couldn't pick out a 'plot', as such; it's just a bunch of stuff that happens on this one particular day. Maybe I missed something; I'd be glad to learn I did.
Because this should have been a brilliant book. It tackles real issues, issues that are very important now, and some of the characters are much better than others...Jen and Brendan spring to mind. As it is, though, it's only so so, and that's a real shame.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
"I AM ROBERT E LEE, and you've named your school after me."
A couple of the same brothas who told me to speak up start booing. Boys better be booin' the speech and not the speaker. Some people got no sense of humour.
Stump Milton yells "Somebody shut him up."
Right, Stump. You tell fag jokes all day, last period Dr Pepper was spewin' out your nose when you were watchin' me pick up cotton balls, but this pisses you off. I look down at the next lind of the speech. Ain't no way I'm reading this. The warning bell rings, keeping me from havin' to flat out refuse.
I am Robert E Lee, and if you were a slave, I slept with your mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. You named your school after me.
I wonder if that's true.
Because this should have been a brilliant book. It tackles real issues, issues that are very important now, and some of the characters are much better than others...Jen and Brendan spring to mind. As it is, though, it's only so so, and that's a real shame.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
"I AM ROBERT E LEE, and you've named your school after me."
A couple of the same brothas who told me to speak up start booing. Boys better be booin' the speech and not the speaker. Some people got no sense of humour.
Stump Milton yells "Somebody shut him up."
Right, Stump. You tell fag jokes all day, last period Dr Pepper was spewin' out your nose when you were watchin' me pick up cotton balls, but this pisses you off. I look down at the next lind of the speech. Ain't no way I'm reading this. The warning bell rings, keeping me from havin' to flat out refuse.
I am Robert E Lee, and if you were a slave, I slept with your mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. You named your school after me.
I wonder if that's true.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews