Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, Ashley Bryan offers a moving and powerful picture book that contrasts the monetary value of a person with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.
Imagine being looked up and down and being valued as less than chair. Less than an ox. Less than a dress. Maybe about the same as…a lantern.
This gentle yet deeply powerful way goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that can’t be bought or sold: dreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his “workers,” the author has created collages around that document, and others like it.
Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry, he imagines and interprets each person’s life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about—their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an overseer or madam ever would guess. Visually epic, and never before done, this stunning picture book is unlike anything you’ve seen.
一八二八年的夏天，在美國的菲爾柴德莊園，十一個奴隸與豬和棉花一起出售。他們的年齡小至六歲，大至六十歲，有男有女。每個人都因不同的能力和年齡，被訂定了不同的價格。他們被買下的價格可能不如一頭牛，不如一張椅子，只要一個燈籠的錢！但他們知道自己的價值，遠遠超過監工或任何人的猜測……
本書創作靈感來自一份真實的財產估價文件，作者阿西立．布萊恩以平易近人的詩歌、顏色鮮明而充滿生命力的插圖，對比每個人的現況和內心的夢想，並直擊奴隸制度的核心。全書以拍賣通知、銷售單和廣告拼貼的形式，營造身歷其境的感受，帶領讀者深深回望那道湮沒在時間洪流中，難以抹滅的歷史傷痕和人性光輝。
By Ashley Bryan, Hardcover, Traditional Chinese characters and Pinyin, 48 pages, 11.3"x11.3"
