Customer Reviews

A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club)

5 star:		(236)
4 star:		(166)
3 star:		(82)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

So, we were all assigned our summer reading and completely hated the fact we had to actually read during summer, but to my surprise I actually enjoyed one of the books I read. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines is a heartwarming novel of how man can overcome enormous obstacles which are set against him. The story is set in the late 1940's in the small Cajun community of Bayonne, Louisiana. Racism continues to haunt this small town and all of its members.
This story is told through the eyes of a young teacher named Grant who finds himself struggling to find happiness in the small community he lives in. Early in the novel you learn that the story is going to surround a young black man named Jefferson who is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. When two men attempt to rob a local liquor store, the owner of the store and the robbers begin shooting. Jefferson is an innocent bystander to the crime, and when the smoke clears Jefferson is the only one left standing. Even though Grant was unable to go to the trial he already knew the outcome. He states, "I was not there, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be." Jefferson was unable to prove his innocence, mostly due to the community's racist feelings, and is sentenced to execution.
Jefferson's godmother soon realizes that there is no escape for Jefferson from this terrible fate, and that Jefferson must find a way to walk to his unfair death with his head held high. So his godmother asks Grant, the local school teacher, the favor of helping her turn her godson into a mature adult. At first Grant is doubtful of being able to help in this situation, but eventually he takes on the role of Jefferson's mentor. Grant tries to persuade Jefferson to do the unthinkable: "I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be." With all odds against them, the two are able to perform a miracle which everyone else feels is impossible.
Gaines creates a world in which you become lost and find yourself cheering and crying with the characters as they face and triumph over the obstacles set against them. He creates characters that are realistic and act like you and I would. They aren't perfect and they make mistakes, but that's what makes them so loveable. You are able to connect with them and feel as if they are family or close friends.
This novel is high-quality from the beginning to end, but the ending is amazing. The ending is one where after you have finished you want to read it again and again. You want there to be a sequel so you can once again revisit the characters you know and love.
A Lesson Before Dying is well written and holds many life lessons from which we can all learn. I recommend that all high school students and adults read this book. I think that anyone who is looking for a novel with valuable principles and a good plot would definitely enjoy this book. This novel scores an A+ with me and I think that anyone would appreciate it. Whether it's a summer reading choice or not, you'll love this novel.

I have several opinions about this book, and the first is that it should be placed on the mandatory reading list of every high school student in the USA; it is destined to become a literary classic in the same vein as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The themes introduced throughout this book are designed to elicit discussion and shatter stereotypes. The transformation of the book's main character, Jefferson- a poor, uneducated, young, black man who has been convicted of a murder he didn't commit and whose life is compared to that of a hog by his own defense attorney in the worst closing argument to a jury ever atempted, is remarkable to watch unfold. Jefferson is reborn on death row with the help of his teacher, Grant Wiggins, the university educated, local black school teacher who reluctantly agrees to visit Jefferson in his cell at the request of Jefferson's aunt, Miss Emma, who wants Wiggins to make Jefferson know he "ain't no hog." This book will evoke emotions in most of us; you will feel yourself react as you read. It is so very well written. Of course, the question remains is whether the book's themes will make a difference to its readers. Ernest J. Gaines, the author, must think that they will; I think that the book could have been titled, a lesson for us all.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I did not enjoy reading this book. I expected this book to be a profound study of a relationship between a mentor and a young man ready to die. I was disappointed to find that the relationship took up relatively few pages in the novel. The first meeting between the two in which progress is shown doesn't occur until page 169, which doesn't allow for much time to fully develop the transformation. Instead of fresh insight, illuminating dialogue, and a complex relationship, Gaines tends to lean toward a simpler profoundness, but doesn't really succeed. A perfect example of this is found in the last line of the book. It doesn't end in philosophy or poetry, but only with a simple statement: "I was crying." It's simple statements like this that never satisfy, and are barely adequate.
Much of the novel is wasted focusing on the narrators mundane life, and not on the relationship. Unnecessary conflicts abound between the narrator and his aunt and his girlfriend--conflicts that almost trivialize the death of young Jefferson.

The premise is very promising, though ambitious, and it is sad to see the author spend more time creating background noise than developing what could have been a profound and beautiful relationship and transition.

My bottom line is don't waste your time. There is nothing profound or fresh to be found here.

I'm glad to hear many of the students who reviewed this book say that they found it more piercing than some of the "older" novels they read in class. Although as a teacher I wouldn't throw aside Hawthorne for Gaines, I think this book is a terrific addition to the American classics read in middle and high school. It makes a good pairing with To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee's classic (and still as moving as ever) focuses on the trial of a black man, unfairly convicted, whereas Lesson accepts the inevitable death sentence and explores the journey towards salvation. Our narrator is the only "educated" person in the novel, but for all his education, he has no soul and no religious faith. After being asked to meet with Jefferson, the condemned man, to convince him that he is in fact a man, not a hog, the narrator discovers as much about himself as the prisoner. The minor cast of characters are well drawn -- the pain evident in their lives is present on ever page. We witness the indignities they suffer in the hands of the white justice system, including being forced to wait hours just to speak to the sheriff. I'm glad Gaines includes one "good" white man (Paul) as a gesture of good will that there are always smaller heroes among villains. The friendship between the narrator and Paul makes for an inspiring finale.

This book is very moving and well-written. Highly recommended.

Capital punishment, segregation, and acceptance have been a part of past and present times. Those issues along with tragedy, injustice, and accomplishment are part of the fascinating story, A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest Gaines. The setting for this novel is a small town in the south during the 1940s where the two main characters are Jeferson and Grant. Jefferson is condemned to death by electrocution for a crime he did not commit. When his godmother realizes that nothing can be done for his freedom, she asks Grant to help him die like a man. After being called a hog by his defense attorney, Jefferson looses the little dignity he had and it's up to Grant to restore it. Grant doesn't like the idea, but he's forced to comply to it by his aunt. In return, Grant learns about the soul and spirit. Gaines writes this tragic story and reveals his feelings of capital punishment, segregation, and the difficulty of acceptance in a unique way, which thus makes this novel a 1993 winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Ernest J. Gaines was born into the world he describes in A Lesson Before Dying. "Though the places in my stories and novels are imaginary ones, they are based pretty much on the place where I grew up and the surrounding areas where I worked, went to school, and traveled as a child..."(Vintage Books) depicts Gaines. Although what he says, Gaines has a special way of letting the reader know what his opinion is on capital punishment. He describes his feelings about this form of punishment through Grant. When the date for Jefferson's death is set, Grant thinks about the way someone can plan a man's death. "How do people come up with a date and time to take a life from another man? Who made them God?" Those were the thoughts going through Grant's mind, and they showed the billiance of an author who expresses his feelings in a unique manner. Grant and Jefferson convey to the reader the true meaning of soul and spirit by teaching each other those values. Grant shows Jefferson to die with dignity. Then, conversely, he is learns a few things about the soul. The way they respond to each other is described so clearly, it's as if the reader is in that lonely and desolate cell. Gaines also wrote about the mulattos to tell the reader about the struggle with acceptance. He teaches the reader about segregation and acceptance through his other characters. Bars in the back of town for "blacks only", "blacks only" restrooms, and the school where Grant teaches for "blacks only" are only some of the examples of segregation Gaines so explicitly places in the novel. A Lesson Before Dying is a touching and powerful novel that reaches out to the reader and portrays a time of injustice, inequality, and struggle. Gaines does an exquisite job of describing thoroughly the pain of enduring those issues. That description makes the story powerful enough to change some readers' thoughts. By comprehending the struggle these main characters go through, the reader gets a broader view of society which makes him/her a better person.

A Lesson Before Dying is one of the best books that I have ever read. This book focuses on the racial differences in the 1940s and how blacks were treated unfairly. Jefferson, a young black man,accused for murder is sentenced to the death chair. Without proper evidence, the all white jury assumes that he killed a white man. However, Jefferson is actually a good boy who was raised by his Aunt Nannan. After realizing that her nephew will die soon, she wants him to die a man and a believer in God. Unfortunately, Jefferson endures name calling and racial abuse, thus he feels that he is only a worthless hog. It will take the help of his former teacher, Grant Wiggins, to make his Aunt's dream come true. The road to making Jefferson a man and a believer is not an easy one. Even Mr. Wiggins must learn a lesson and become a believer. I recommend reading this book because it seems as if the reader " learns a lesson before dying" with Jefferson and Grant. It is also significant because many black men and women in our past died as Jefferson- innocent. However, there was nothing he or she could do but keep the faith: that can never be taken away

I'm an eighth grader who read A lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines. While I read this, I also read To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The setting for A Lesson Before Dying is a small town in the south during the 1940's where the two main characters are Jefferson and Grant. Jefferson is condemned to death by electrocution for a crime he did not commit. His godmother realizes that nothing can be done for his freedom, so she asks Grant to help Jefferson die with dignity. Gaines writes this tragic story and reveals his feelings of capital punishment, segregation, and the difficulty of acceptance in a unique way. Ernest J. Gaines was born into the world he describes in A Lesson Before Dying. He describes his feelings about capital punishment through Grant, much like Harper lee does in "To Kill a Mockingbird. When the date for Jefferson's death is set, Grant thinks about the way someone can plan a man's death. "How do people come up with a date and time to take a life from another man? Who made them God?" Harper Lee also conveyed the same feeling through Jem, when Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, is sentenced to death. Gaines teaches the reader about segregation and acceptance through his other characters. The back of town is where blacks live, and bars for "blacks only", "blacks only" restrooms, and the school where Grant teaches for "blacks only" are only some of the examples of segregation Gaines so explicitly places in the novel. Lee describes Maycomb County, where To Kill a Mockingbird takes place, as a segregated town, much the same as in Gaines' novel. The south side of town is for the blacks, and there is a church that is for "blacks only." Both A Lesson Before Dying and To Kill a Mockingbird are touching and powerful novels that reach out to the reader and portray a time of injustice, inequality, and struggle. By experiencing the struggle that the main characters in both novels go through fighting for their lives against unfair accusations just because they are black, the reader experiences the horror and injustice of racism on an extremely emotional level, and cannot help but be changed by the reading of these books.

Overall I feel that this book is extremely well written. The book is centered on one main character and gives you the ability to get into his mind. While reading this book I was never bored or disappointed. The chapters were not long and drawn out which kept my attention and forced me to read on. I enjoyed how the author used descriptive detail in order to give me a clear understanding of the setting, characters and moral of this novel. I loved the fact that this book touched me so much even though it wasn't happening to me. I felt as if I was there, yelling at the white people for treating the blacks so poorly and feeling their pain. This novel will forever stay with me; it has opened my mind to a new perspective on how something that occurred so far away can have an effect on me, right here, right now.

In my 8th grade English class, I chose to read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines from a list of books by black authors. After reading a summary of the book, I chose to read it because I felt it would make a big impact on me and leave me thinking. While I was reading the book, I was also reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for English class. To Kill a Mockingbird and A Lesson Before Dying are similar in that they are both about a black man accused of a crime on a white person. However, I liked A Lesson Before Dying because it wasn't about a black boy trying to prove his innocence to escape the death penalty. It was about a boy who had accepted his fate as a Black and the main character who tried to teach him to be a man before he died, for the defense attorney said to the jury, "What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." A Lesson Before Dying seemed to be more true to the way it really was for blacks accused of a crime. They had almost no chance of being declared not guilty. This book really made an impact on me. I learned to appreciate my life more, and I know that what happened to Jefferson could happen to anyone. Just being at the wrong place at the wrong time could lead to consequences as extreme as being convicted of a murder and receiving the death penalty. It taught me about the struggles that Blacks had to go through in the thirties. One reason why Gaines might have written the book was to express the fact that Blacks who have been accused of a crime with a white person as the victim have no chance of being free. When Grant and Jefferson's Aunt Emma went to visit Jefferson, Jefferson had lost all hope of being set free and said, "...it don't matter." But, Grant wanted to teach Jefferson to stand proud when he died, as it would give more Blacks the strength to stand proud in society.

I'm an 8th grader and I read A Lesson Before Dying. I read the book while reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. A Lesson Before Dying is set in the South following World War II. In the novel the author, Ernest J. Gaines, deeply explores the relationship between an innocent black man on death row, Jefferson, and Grant, a black man who was sent to teach Jefferson "how to be a man" and "how to die." Gaines writes from Grant's point of view which allows him to show the fluctuation of Grant's sentiment toward Jefferson and how his experience with Jefferson had changed the kind of person he is. I enjoyed the book, and especially how Gaines' style of writing allows the reader to think about the book, the concepts it presents and the racism in post-World War II South and draw conclusions by himself. Despite this, I appreciated how Gaines made his opinion about how strong the racism was very clear. He wrote that Jefferson's court appointed attorney's sole argument was, "I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." His statement was making the point that it was not justice to kill a black man, fore it was like killing nothing. I found many similarities between this book and To Kill a Mockingbird, including the racist setting and a black community's fight against blatant injustice. The one thing both books made evident was how significant a blemish racism has been on our country's history.