A Lesson Before Dying : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A moving account of the discovering of heroism through death
Review: A Creole community in the 1940's is rocked by the conviction and death sentence of Jefferson, a young hardworking black man, in a liquor store shooting. Grant Wiggins, the black teacher on the plantation, wants to leave plantation life, but is convinced to visit Jefferson in his cell before his execution. In the end, the two form a lasting friendship as Grant shows Jefferson the finer points of life including love, heroism, within the most improbable character.

Rating:
Summary: A great book which reminds us about the value of each person
Review: Set against the backdrop of the deeply ideologically segerated South, Earnest Gains intimately draws us into the lives and minds of one plantation community and reveals the inherent contradiction in the 'Seperate but Equal'rule of law. As the story opens, one white man has been killed and while there are varying accounts of what had happened, a black man is sentenced to death. The focal point of the story is not to overturn the verdict, but an effort by a family friend to reveal to this man awaiting death the fact of his humanism and inherent worth before he dies. What follows is a touching revelation into the mind of a man who has never been told of his value, who had never been embraced with love, and who didn't know of his own potential to 'stand', and reminds us of the importance of respecting, loving, and encouraging those around us we usually might over look- black, yellow, brown, or white.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Theme and Feeling Involved Plot
Review: My name is Khristie Dyson and I attend Southern University. I was required to read this book in order to submit a term paper for the semester. I found this book so moving and thought provoking. Gaines trully caught the thoughts of the characters in such a way that seemed so real. The plot was an outstanding display of the mental struggle that a black man had to go through to determine his worth.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: I read A lesson before dying a few years ago and I just want to say that the book was very interesting. I think everyone should read this book. Most people have no idea what it is to be a young black man in a white society. Being in prison is tough and knowing that your going to be executed eventually makes a young black man and everyone else (i hope) think what their life is all about. I am against Capital Punishment so reading this book was hard for me swallow but I was brave and I put myself in his shoes and Yes, he learned how to be a man before he died. Way to go Gaines! Keep up the good work.

Rating:
Summary: a lesson in a book
Review: I am in an American lit. class in my college and this book was one that was requiered.Despited the morbid undertone of someone getting the death penalty who is innocent this was a very good novel. The racism is so suttle that you almost have to read it twice to catch everything.

Rating:
Summary: It took way to long to get into
Review: the book in its entirity was a great book but for people like me i like to get into in with in the first 5 chapters of so, but it took way way to long to get in to it, but it was very good once you get to the 25-26 chapters I think it took to long

Rating:
Summary: full of lesson
Review: I like this book very much because it teachs a very good lesson about race and how to deal with it. it also taught me to be ready for death. Anyway i recomand this book for everybody who is looking for a nice book to read.

Rating:
Summary: While ernest gaines made good points, it took him too long.
Review: In retrospect, i feel that "a lesson before dying" had some very good points to make. It was written well, and ernest gaines conveyed an image of life that does not fade from the mind easily. However, there was one characteristic of it that lessesned its enjoyment for me. In many novels you have to give a book maybe four to five chapters to warm up and introduce character's lives and personalities. While in "a lesson before dying", it seemed to take a good 24-25 chapters. The only real substance began around the 26th chapter. Still, I found this ending-substance to be worth having waded through the long, slow start.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: A Lesson Before Dying was one of my favourite books I have ever read! I litteraly could not put it down. I found it to be extremely interesting as I found myself placing myself in Jefferson's and Grant's shoes. I have and will recommend A Lesson Before Dying to all

Rating:
Summary: gave me a warm feeling in my innards
Review: This was a pretty powerfull book that seemed to take a new approach at some pretty old, yet still controversial sublect matter. Its not a book filled with explosive action (besides the first two pages), and its not fast moving. Yet the pages still move smoothly and hold the attention. The book takes a realistic approach at what its like to be on death row, and what its like to be wrongfully accused. How do you change a person who thinks they are nothing but a pig, fattening up for the slaughterhouse, into a man, and a representative of a race. This is the main problem discussed in the book. But the book has more to it than that. It shows the struggle that blacks had to go through not much more than fiftey years ago. It shows how they began to break free of the mold that they had been stuck in prviously, emerging as the great individuals that they always had been.