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

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

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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 497 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Impossible not to be "moved"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible not to be "moved" , February 24, 2008

Story set in 1940's in a small town in Louisiana. Young black man (Jefferson) happens to be an innocent bystander at a liquor store when two men attempt a robbery and gun shots break out. Jefferson is charged with the crime - he is unable to prove his innocence in a town where a black man is guilty before proven innocent - and he is sentenced to death. Jefferson's godmother realizes that Jefferson has no way out of his fate and wants him to hold his head high before his death. She enlists the help of Grant, a young local school teacher to mentor Jefferson during the time he has left. At different times in this book, you are nauseous over the racism - you feel the pain and suffocation of the main characters - you are inspired at their determination despite the hopelessness. The author places you right at the scene and you live this story. This was one of the most moving books that I have ever read.

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fantastic lessons

This book was a fast read that told a deep emotional journey of one man and the psychological transformation of another. All of us could stand to learn a few lessons from this book, even if it is only about the profound significance our words and actions can have on other people.

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.

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it was good

A Lesson Before Dying is one of those books that takes some getting into. The story is good but the writing style is much better. I read it as a freshman in college and found it an easy read for the average eighth grader. I liked it because it was an easy read that was not complex in syntax yet rich in context. Not one of my favorites but the story is welcome for debate in the classroom.

A Surprisingly Good Book!

Okay, I never heard of Ernest J. Gaines until last year. This book is quite a surprisingly effective book about Grant Wiggins, a teacher, in a Louisiana Plantation who is asked to help Jefferson, a death row inmate, be a man before he is executed for a crime that he didn't commit. Gaines writes with great ease to the audience. It is one of those books that has come along in the classrooms. The book itself is a morality lesson about two very different African American men, Jefferson and Grant, who learn to bond despite Jefferson's resistance and reluctance. He keeps hearing him being described as a hog by the judge and those white men who sentenced him to death. The book is a tear-jerker when Jefferson acts like a hog because that is how he is described and his beloved Aunt Emma who would do anything to make him a man. She is dying and expects to be reunited with him after he is executed. There is no last minute appeals or years of waiting. This book might be a great argument against the death penalty.

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