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Summary: Lessons we all need to learn
Review: Set in the rural south in the 1940's, the two main characters in this tale are in many ways opposites, but paradoxically the same. Grant, a college graduate, and has returned to be a teacher. Jefferson, locked up and sentenced to die, is a hopeless young man with no future. But society has cast the same burden of racism upon the two young African-American men that makes them equals in the eyes of the White beaurocracy. Grant reluctantly agrees to spend time with Jefferson throughout the trial period at the request of Jefferson's grandmother, who wants only that her grandson die with dignity and pride. She is convinced that Grant, as an educated black man, can teach Jefferson the lessons he needs to be "a man" before he is executed. Throughout, Grant struggles with his own unwillingness, with racism, and with his own emotions, and in the end finds that he learned the real lessons. Although at its root a tale about racism, the story transcends racism and distills the idea that the best lessons in life are not always the easiest ones to learn. The story is beautifully written, populated by strongly written characters and evoking for the reader a powerful picture of time and place. The plot is well-paced and keeps the reader interested. This is an excellent story that will keep you thinking long after you close the back cover.
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Summary: I liked it...
Review: I liked this book. I read it several years ago, but I remember that it was an interesting relationship that was the centerpoint of the book. I thought it was very well written, the story flowed easily.
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Summary: Same old, same old - let's move on
Review: A Lesson before Dying is set in a small town in Louisiana in the 1940s and told, for the most part, by the teacher of the town's black students. It's a culture still based on the plantation system socially, if not legally. Disturbing the uneasy peace between the races is the impending execution of a young black man, who has been convicted of the crime of killijg a white man in a store robbery. The book is the stoy of how he learns to face that death, and the teacher's accompanying apiritual journey.That said, I hated the book. There is not a good white person or a bad black person in the book. Perhaps that is true of the book's setting, but why are we still playing the victim game 60 years later? Slavery and its aftermath were abominations, but things have changed. And most white/Asian/Hispanic/Native American people - especially women - have some major gripes about the fairness of life, too. There is plenty of literature about the sins of the past, but I'm more interested in how we learn to heal.
Rating:
Summary: A Lesson Before Dying
Review: A book dealing with the problems of African-Americans in the 1950's, this book mainly concentrates on the life of a black man, Jefferson, sentenced to die and a friend, Grant, trying to make him realize his humanity. Though dealing with the problems of a specific minority, the book can easily be extended for all people in all minority groups. Though not all would have to deal with aspects like racism, they would have also have problems with oppression. Heroism and heroes or lack of them might be one of those problems. The life of the characters is awful and explicitly described by the author. Gaines's mostly simple and concise sentences show everything he wants to show and the rest is left up to the reader. This book is a book that traverses cultural boundaries, and can be applied to anyone and everyone. Overall however, though it tells of other things, the book tells about its own title: A lesson before dying.
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Summary: NOT ANOTHER ONE
Review: I have read tons of books just like this one. This is just another book written by an angry African American author, who still feels the "pain" from being persecuted because of his race. In fact the author wrote it because he found that there weren't many books written by African Americans in the public library. The book has a few good points, but it is constructed around the whole racism issue. I know racism is a big issue, but what's done is done. OK we get it, African Americans were treted very badly. I guess the author didn't have some other original idea.
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Summary: A Story That Evokes Reflection of Humanity
Review: As I read this book I could hardly believe how far this nation has come in changing the views about African Americans. It is no longer acceptable to call our brown-skinned relatives 'hogs'; but it is still easier, unfortunately, to accept the death penalty when a man's skin is dark. This made me realize how much more we have to change. Jefferson was an innocent black man accused of murder in the south during the 1940's. We can all determine his fate from that; not good. A family friend is sent, unwillingly, to counsel Jefferson in his last days in jail. Jefferson is uncommunicative and his 'teacher' frustrated. In time, however, they come to terms with each other and the situation at hand. A simple story that is heart-wrenching, full of American history, and most importantly a 'great lesson'.
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Summary: Very Good Book!
Review: This was a good read. Very nicely paced and thought provoking. I recommended this book to friends who have equally loved it.
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Summary: A Lesson For Living
Review: This book has had a major impact on my life and teaching. It provides insights to students on the subtlties of racism. It also provided students with a tremendous topic for discussions regarding our responsibilities to each other and our roles in society. I highly recommend this book to readers who want to be drawn into the lives of the characters.
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Summary: A Lesson Before Dying -- GOOD BOOK --
Review: ----------------------------------------------------------------- A Lesson Before Dying A Lesson Before Dying is about a black man who is present during a robbery and a murder in a bar. Confused by all the action and the death of three men, he goes over the counter to see if he can help the store owner only to find him dying and gasping for air. He looks to the cash register and sees money under the thin money holsters. Never had having more than a dime in his pocket, Jefferson takes all of the money figuring that no one will expect he took it. He sits down behind the counter and thinks to himself "Boy, I really need a drink!" So he picks up a bottle of liquor and drinks it straight out of the bottle. After sitting down for quite a spell, he walks out of the door only to be confronted by police who arrest him. Jefferson is tried before a "fair" judge and jury. For stealing the money and the liquor he is sentenced to death because they believe that it is a premeditated crime. During his trial, his own lawyer uses calling Jefferson a hog and a idiot, therefore trying to show the judge and jury that this man doesn't contain the mental intelligence to carry out a master plan. Grant, a kindergarten through high school teacher, is made, by his aunt, to go and see Jefferson and try to make him a man before his execution. Though the course of this book, Grant visits Jefferson many times. At the early visits, it seems all help for Jefferson is futile, but then towards the end of the book , Jefferson starts to understand his ignorance , and starts to believe in God and humanity again. Chapter 29 is Jefferson diary. It shows Jefferson's thoughts, and the author is aiming at making the audience feel bad for Jefferson since he was not a likeable character from the beginning. At the end of the book, his death, Jefferson is proclaimed to have been the bravest man in the execution room. -----------------------------------------------------------------
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Summary: A Lesson For Us All
Review: 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.
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