Rating: 
Summary: A Heartbreaking Novel
Review: This is one of the top five books I have ever read. The story, set in 1940's racist Louisiana, tells of the redemption of a death row prisoner and the teacher sent to help him die with dignity. The teacher, Grant Wiggins, a college educated man who has returned to his hometown to teach, reluctantly agrees to his aunt's request that he visit Jefferson, a young man who has been wrongly convicted of murder. Jefferson's lawyer's sole defense was that Jefferson was a "hog", dumb, without plans, and unable to plan and execute a robbery. Through Grant's visits and his reading of Jefferson's diary, the reader is drawn into the pain and injustice of Jefferson's situation. Top notch writing and character development.
Rating: 
Summary: S. Kitley
Review: I thought the book A Lesson Before Dying was good because it kept me interested and wanting to know what that lesson was going to be.I think girls and boys would equally like this book because it has good emotion. I liked the book but in some spots it was slow paced but it was worth reading on.
Rating:
Summary: Gaines' Lesson: It Works Both Ways
Review: Those who read A LESSON BEFORE DYING hail it as a classic of how one condemned black inmate stands up to racial prejudice before he is executed for a crime of which he is innocent. Indeed it is surely that but it is also the intertwined tale of how this inmate, named Jefferson, reaches out for the help of a black teacher, Grant Wiggins, who learns that for him to help Jefferson accept his fate, he himself must first learn that those who preach the value of courage must possess that same courage. Grant Wiggins is a young black teacher who seems to have it all. He has a responsible teaching post in a grammar school, a loving girlfriend, and the external trappings that mark him as one who has successfully lifted himself from a deep South ghetto. It is too easy for him to overlook that his tenure as an educated black teacher in a white-dominant school system is a flimsy thing, one that is totally dependent on the whims of his white school superintendent. It comes as a shock both for him and the reader to realize that when he left the slums of his childhood for the cleaned orderliness of the classroom he is merely exchanging one ghetto for another. He might have spent his entire teaching career oblivious to this had it not been for the great bad luck of a foolish young Jefferson to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was a store robbery gone sour, with the result that both the robbers and the store owner were killed, and there was Jefferson right there with the store's cheap liquor in his hand. During Jefferson's trial, his defense lawyer called him a 'hog,' one who was so incompetent and lowborn that he could not possibly have had the mental competence to participate in a robbery. The jury, of course, does not buy this appalling rationale and sentences Jefferson to death. Enter Grant Wiggins, who is sent by his elderly aunt to speak to Jefferson and make his last days on earth dignified. What Wiggins learns during his several visits to Jefferson's jail is that the sullenness that Jefferson reveals is not the mark of the grunting, squealing 'hog' that his lawyer had crudely drawn, but is really the only sane approach that one could have if that man had been treated as a metaphorical hog all his life. As Wiggins probes into Jefferson's past, he learns that his present refusal to communicate hides a desperate need to communicate. Slowly, Jefferson's rationale for living, then for dying, becomes evident. The climax of the book is not the death day, but Wiggins' reading of Jefferson's diary that reveals that the abuse that Jefferson heaped on both Wiggins and those who loved him was not abuse at all, but the only way that a man in Jefferson's state could leave his mark on the world. It is Earnest Gaines' writing talent that lets him express one of the supreme ironies of the human condition: that the man who was supposed to heal the agony of another found that the healer was not the one wearing the business suit but the one in the bright orange prison suit. A LESSON BEFORE DYING is an unforgetable reminder that some lessons need to be learned even as they are being taught.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow-Paced Yet Engaging
Review: A Lesson Before Dying, written by Ernest J. Gaines illustrates the struggle of a highly segregated community and the death of an innocent man. The novel is somewhat slow at the start but is appealing to those who enjoy rich character development. The story takes place during the 1940s on a small sugarcane plantation in Louisianna. Jefferson, a young black man, is falsely accused of killing two white men and is sentenced to execution in the electric chair. Miss Emma, Jefferson's aunt, hopes for Jefferson to accept his responsiblitities and not run away from them. Before she dies she wants to see the black man stand for her. She plans to accomplish this by using Grant Wiggins, an educated school teacher, for the job. Throughout the course of the novel, Grant makes many visits to the jailhouse to talk with Jefferson. This point in the novel is where I began to lose interest because the numerous visits are drawn and the same conversation among the characters is repeated in every visit. Miss Emma wants Grant to teach Jefferson how to break the cycle of the community and to rise above, "this vicious circle." as Grant Wiggins put it. Grant decribes the cycle of the community by stating that each time a male child is born, the people hope this child will be the one to change the vicious circle. Miss Emma believes that both Grant and Jefferson can break this cycle by encouraging Jefferson to walk up to the chair and stand as the tallest and the bravest man in the room. This novel is not only about Jefferson's development into a man before his death, but also about the development of an entire community including Grant Wiggins. I recommend this book only to those who don't mind a slow novel but enjoy reading the transformation in a deprived community.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Summer Reading Ever
Review: I thought that, "A Lesson Before Dying," was one of the best books I have ever read for summer reading. It was about a black man named Jefferson who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets caught up in a murder that he did not commit, but was convicted because of his race. It was a really heartbreaking moment in the book when he was convicted and I was really disappointed. Then after he was convicted the rest of the book was pretty self-explanatory. I think the title gave the book away, but I still thought that it was well written. I really like this book and it is now one of my favorites. It was the best story I have ever had the privilege of reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Predictable Book
Review: "A Lesson Before Dying" begins in a small town in Louisiana the year around 1940. The novel portrays how the African American race was treated unjust. Jefferson a black man is accused for murder, a crime I think he did not commit. But because he was black he was sentenced to the electric chair. Even thought Jefferson was not an immoral man. His aunt Nannan want Jefferson to die with pride and a believer in God. This is where Grant comes into play. Grant despises where he lives but he cannot leave because he needs the community he grew up in. Grant is faced with a task; he has to transform Jefferson into a dignified man before his death. I particularly liked this book very much. The only faulty part of the novel was the predictable ending it had. After reading the first couple of pages you can depict what is going to happen. The novel is a run on of one idea, making the novel dry and not enjoyable to read. Although I have conflicting thoughts and comments about the book I would highly recommend this novel to anyone. The novel touches on a fair amount of feelings as you continue reading. As Jefferson and Grant grow as friends, each one grows more mature and wiser. If I had to rate this book I would give it an eight. This is only because the novel was to predictable and slow. But it shows us all the differences in life not even that long ago. "A Lesson Before Dying" will heighten the perspective or views of any person.
Rating: 
Summary: A Lesson Before Reading,
Review: The book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines lacked excitement and creativity throughout the whole novel. The main part of the story was the struggles of understanding life and the relationship between the two main characters, Grant and Jefferson. A good book consists of change, twists, and dynamic story lines. But their relationship mostly consisted of Jefferson; a black man wrongly accused of murder, acting like an animal and not wanting any help from Grant, a schoolteacher sent out by Jefferson's aunt, Miss Emma, to teach him how to be a man before he is executed. " They called my boy a hog, Mr. Henri," Miss Emma said. "I didn't raise no hog, and I don't want no hog to go set in that chair. I want a man to go set in that chair, Mr. Henri." The visits to Jefferson to make him a man became boring, repetitive, and progress was rarely shown. So here is the whole book leading up to the end, Jefferson's execution, and the ending was predictable and with no excitement. Although the novel had a well thought out lesson and explained the character of certain people, it had nothing to draw me into the book in order to make me appreciate these lessons. So, if you are looking for a novel that will excite you, before reading A Lesson Before Dying, remember my lesson, don't!
Rating:
Summary: a piece of art, but no masterpiece
Review: A Lesson Before Dying is about a young black man's struggle to transform a wrongly accused death row inmate, who believes he is nothing more than a hog, into a respectable man. Earnest Gains, the author, produces a piece of art, but no masterpiece. The characters are well established, but often times, their foundation leads the reader down paths that they couldn't care less about. The author focuses too much on the main character and his relationship with his aunt, without giving enough information on the main character and his work. These stray and what I see are random paths are boring and do nothing more for the reader than direct the focus away from the book's plot.
The book's plot has enormous potential but I feel the author has diffused the story by a predictable ending. From the moment Mr. Gains said go, it was obvious who was going to win. Although the feeling of not knowing what's going to happen next wasn't present, the book still keeps its readers attentive. Although I have made negative opinions on the book, I still feel that the book is well written. The vivid descriptions provide insight into the unlawful ways and everyday life of a racist 60's community. The unjust conviction of a black man by twelve white males is one of the issues that must be acknowledged. Despite being somewhat monotonous, the book has some very entertaining scenes. These include a fight scene, a romantic encounter, and a comical scene involving the school superintendent and a class full of uneducated preteen blacks.
In summary, I would say that the book, A Lesson Before Dying, is a well-written book that will keep you in your chair...but not on the edge of your seat.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful but slow book
Review: The book A Lesson Before dying takes place in a small cajun community. The story takes little time to let the reader know from the very get go what the story is to be about. This is one of the parts I found dissapointing. There was little left to surprise the reader. Jefferson a black man in the racist community is accused and convicted of a murder that he didn't commit. The Sentence Jefferson recieves is death. The rest of the book brings the reader along the emotional roller coaster of trying to teach Jefferson about being a man. This task is given to Grant Wiggins the community teacher. Althought doubtful about his given duty Mr. Wiggins not only turns Jefferson into a respectful man, but also learns about himself . In the end the inevitable happen and Jefferson is put to death but when the execution is looked back upon the jail guard who Mr. Wiggins became friends with during his many visits to the jail informed Mr. Wiggins that Jefferson was the bravest man in that room. This is the touching part of the book to see the transformation of Jefferson from someone who thought he was only a hog to being described as the bravest man in the room at his own execution. But this was not the only transformation througout the book, Mr. Wiggins also made a break through with his many visits learned much about himself and being himself and doing what makes him happy is the most important, rather than things or money. This book overall was very good I thought, it had a very good ending message and I enjoyed watching the changes in the characters the Gaines deleloped for the reader. I would reccomend this book to all readers.
Rating:
Summary: A Touching, Must Read Book
Review: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines is an excellent, touching book. The story is set in the late 1940's in a Cajun neighborhood in the South with racism still very much present. The main character, Grant Higgins, faces what seems to be an insurmountable task in teaching Jefferson, a wrongfully accused black man on death row, that he is a man and not a 'hog.' Although Grant is a teacher, he must go beyond letters and arithmetic to help Jefferson gain self-worth and pride before he is put to death. Gaines takes this background and adds struggles and roadblocks that make the story enthralling. The elements of anger and frustration help the reader relate to what Grant is dealing with.
The message of opression for blacks and supremacy for whites is what leads Grant to realize how important Jefferson is, to not only Jefferson's ill godmother, but as a symbol of the whole African American race. Grant says, " To them, you're nothing but another nigger--no dignity, no heart, no love for your people. You can prove them wrong...Because we need you to be and want you to be." This line, one of many emotional and heartfelt speeches by Grant, really exposes his anger and disgust with the way things are and how his future is dependent on Jefferson believing in himself or not. Other reviews commented on the fact that A Lesson Before Dying is long and drawn out. Although there is a lack of action in the middle, these pages are used for developing the plot and adding more tension to the characters and their relationships. Overall, the book is an incredible emotional ride that will elicit feelings out of anyone. This story is an excellent "pick up" and read book recommended for anyone.
|
