A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club) | Ernest J. Gaines

A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club) | Ernest J. Gaines | A Touching Tale Of Manhood, And The Evolution From Childhood To Manhood

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A Lesson Before Dy...

	A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club) Ernest J. Gaines Vintage, 1997 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 498 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

wonderful African-American work of literature

"A Lesson Before Dying" is a moving fictional account of a black man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Jefferson is convicted of a convenience store murder, being the only person left alive after a shootout, despite having not pulled any triggers. His lawyer attempts to get him acquitted by telling the jurors that they might as well convict a "hog," which sparks the book's main storyline - Jefferson's aunt convinces local black teacher Grant Wiggins to visit Jefferson in prison and teach him how to be a man, instead of a hog. Gaines's prose is plain but evocative; ultimately, the novel explores the themes of racial identity in the face of oppression, universal human dignity and worth, and what it means to be a (hu)man.

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A Touching Tale Of Manhood, And The Evolution From Childhood To Manhood

Ernest J. Gaines's "A Lesson Before Dying" is one of the best books I've ever read in my life. It is a touching tale of a man, Grant Wiggins, and his life, living with his grandmother, Tante Lou, his love-life with his girlfriend Vivian Baptiste, and the pressure of being a schoolteacher and teaching his grandmother's godson, Jefferson, to become a man before he is executed for a crime he didn't commit, but only for being a black man at the scene of a robbery.

Every time Grant goes to visit Jefferson in prison, he becomes more and more connected to the prisoner. All tied in with the plot, Tante Lou, Miss Emma (Jefferson's godmother) and Reverend Ambrose (Tante Loud and Miss Emma's reverend), and in many cases Vivian believe that he is not up to par with his manhood.

This a touching tale of racism, friendship and importance of life. Every page is extremely well written and very entertaining and will pull you in with every page you read. An instant classic that everybody will enjoy.

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Wonderful lessons & Deep conversations

A lesson Before Dying is a very MOVING book. By reading most of the other reviews I'm sure everyone understands what this novel is about. I'm not positive if I would have appreciated this book in High School had I read it 10 years ago. I would like to thank Mr. Gaines for his lessons!! I've typed out a few powerful passages that moved me...There were more but these are just some I made sure I highlighted!

A hero is someone who something for other people. He does something that other men don't and can't do. He is different from other men. He is above other men. No matter who those other men are, the hero, no matter who he is, is above them.

"Do you know what a myth is, Jefferson?" I asked him. "A myth is an old lie that people believe in. White people believe that they're better then anyone else on earth -and that's a myth. The last thing they ever want is to see a black man stand, and think, and show that common humanity that is in us all. It would destroy their myth. They would no longer gave justification for having made us slaves and keeping us in the condition we are in. As long as none of stand, they're safe.

Please listen to me, because I would not lie to you now. I speak from my heart. You have the chance of being bigger then anyone who has ever lived on that plantation or come from this little town. You can do it if you try. You have seen how Mr. Farrell makes a slingshot handle. He starts with just a little piece of rough wood- any little piece of scrap wood- then he starts cutting. Cutting and cutting and cutting, then shaving. Shaves it down clean and smooth till it's not what it was before, but something new and pretty. You know what I'm talking about, because you have seen him do it. You had one that he made from a piece of scrap wood. Yes, yes - I saw you with it. And it came from a piece of old wood that he found in the yard somewhere. And that's all we are Jefferson, all of us on this earth, a piece of drifting wood. until we - each of us, individually- decide to become something else. I am still that piece of drifting wood, and those out there are no better. But you can be better.

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We can all learn a lesson....

There are so many lessons learned when reading this book. This is the story of Jefferson. Jefferson is at the wrong place at the wrong time and is accused and convicted of robbery and murder. He is referred to, by his own defense lawyer, as a "hog". The reader knows he is innocent. He is convicted by a jury of 12 white men. He is sentenced to death by electrocution. Even though he is innocent and all of the black people know it, it is accepted. This is the hardest thing for me to understand. There is no fight.

The story takes place during the 50's in Louisiana. A time of obvious racial discrimination. Grant Wiggins lives in the same small town as Jefferson. His aunt and Jefferson's godmother ask Grant to help make Jefferson a man before his last day. Grant does not want any part of it, but does it for the two women. Grant is a school teacher and is not a man of faith. He does not think he can do anything to help Jefferson. He struggles with his own demons as well as dealing with the conviction of this innocent man.

This book is a great read, provokes great discussion and is very touching. I highly recommend.

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Excellent for Discussion!

A black teacher in 1940's Louisiana; cynical, self-centered and unsure of who he is, helps a poor black man from his plantation community unjustly destined for the electric chair discover his worth. Told from the point of view of the teacher with no real twist of fate at the end, this book tells a surprisingly positive story of choice, bravery, faith and humanity.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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