Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone, but great for some...
Review: When I first sat down to read this novel I was disappointed. I wanted to read something humorous and something that gave helpful advice on stress relief [therefore explaining all of the suggestions I mad to the college committee]. Instead of reading something I would consider interesting and beneficial [not only for myself, but for others too], I read a book that the college's "Common Reader Committee" selected. I choose "A lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines. I must contend, while the book was emotionally deep and morally ratifying, I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. Perhaps it's my reading style, I can't be sure. What I do know is that this was an exhausting story about one man sentenced to death. The story trails a young black man [Grant Wiggins] sentenced to death for murder. The murder was committed during a robbery gone badly and although he was not armed and had not pulled the trigger, he was blamed. Why? The story is set in the 40's, a time when racial prejudice was foaming more and more. Since he was sentenced to death, it was his grandmother [Miss Emma] begs Grant [the narrator] to teach her grandson to die like a man. The story trails through a lot of emotional turmoil and leads the reader through periods of disgust, sadness and anger. I didn't, however, find it mentally stimulating -- and I can't think of what I have learned [with a practical application] from it. I would recommend this book to the "Common Reader Committee" [at Elon College] if they were looking for a book capable of sending you on an "emotional roller coaster".
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, full of emotions
Review: I had to read this book as part summer reading for 9th grade this year and not only did I find it fanstinating and haunting but it also taught me about just how rascist and unfair human beings can be towards one another.
Rating: 
Summary: Emotionally Exhausting!
Review: The story begins in rural Louisiana, with a young retardedblack man named Jefferson being wrongfully found guilty and condemnedto death by the electric chair for a robbery and murder he did not commit. During a speech to a jury who had already condemned him, the defense attorney refers to him as a "Hog" and a thing not even human. This statement brings his godmother to acquire the services of an educated black school teacher, who is torn between staying where he grew up or leaving for a better life, to teach Jefferson to be a man not a "hog", strong at heart before his execution. But in the end, it is Jefferson who has become the teacher and the community the student.
Rating:
Summary: Somehow dissatisfying
Review: There is nothing to really dislike about this book. It was moving in all the right places and it was certainly well-written & I must in fairness say that I don't believe that it was written to me or for me. However, and I find this in many of the Oprah club selections, there was something just a little bit saccharine and easy-- a little bit instant classic in a way that I felt was unearned. There was nothing in the book that I didn't expect to happen, and the writer seems good enough that this disappointed me.
Rating:
Summary: A VERY GOOD BOOK
Review: I found this book to be very heart touching, and for certain one that mde a person think about life, and how each one of us only have one chance to live our own. . . If you liked this book, or want to read one that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, in a profoundly disturbing way....
Review: I thought this was an excellent book. I finished a week ago and still the characters remain alive in my mind. I was haunted by the fact that it was so realistic. Yes, it's fiction, but barely so. A must-read for humanity.
Rating:
Summary: Very moving, somber, opressing
Review: This is a somber book. It makes me rethink the meaning of a teacher. And what will a teacher do if he is still in struggle? A convincing story indeed. But what I am dissatisfied with is that it ends suddently, leaving a lot of materials to be developed.
Rating:
Summary: Don't pass up this book!
Review: This was my first time reading any of Mr. Gaines' works, but I am now anxious to read more. My emotions ran the gamut while reading this book - to shame because I am white; to anger at the prejudiced sheriff and his cohorts; to despair over Jefferson's fate; to compassion over Grant's fate; to pride in the respect the people of the quarter showed to Miss Emma and Jefferson. This book is powerful and heart-wrenching. I couldn't put it down, and you won't be able to, either!
Rating:
Summary: A truly life-like story!
Review: I must admit, at some points throughout the book I struggled with what the ultimate point of the story was - often like life is. Often we find ourselves in the midst of a situation not understanding what a true turning point it actually is until much later. Grant represents many of us at different points of our life. This book is far richer after reflecting on it than during the course of reading it - just like life!
Rating:
Summary: This is a complex and powerful story!
Review: I approached this book with the idea that I would not like it and was only reading it because my book club had chosen to read it. There are so many stories written about the human condition, but I have to admit I had read few others that had the effect that this one had on me. The author presented the story by simply giving the facts of what life was like for that group of individuals and the few choices that were presented to them as a race. I felt genuine sorrow for all those who suffered the same type of hopelessness and despair. This book truly gave me an insight that I had never experienced before.
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