Imagine being looked up and down and being valued as less than a chair. Less than an ox. Less than a dress. Maybe about the same as a lantern. You’re an object-an object to be sold. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that listed the worth of each and every one of his workers, Ashley Bryan uses original documents from slave auctions and plantation estates to create moving and powerful poetry and illustrations that contrast the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of a person’s life experiences and dreams-things that a slave owner could never take away.