Jefferson, a simple black laborer, found himself in a liquor store during an armed robbery. The innocent man was in the wrong place when the owner was murdered, and he was convicted of the crime in the late 1940s. The public defender had tried to convince the jury that Jefferson was not intelligent enough to plan the crime. The teacher Grant Wiggins described the trial: "He said it would be like tying a hog down into that chair and executing him--an animal that didn't know what any of it was all about. The jury, twelve white men good and true, still sentenced him to death. Now his godmother wants me to visit him and make him know--prove to these white men--that he's not a hog, that he's a man."

The book shows the prejudice of the Jim Crow Era in the way the black people are treated, especially in the deep South. Even Grant, an educated man, is treated in an inferior manner, having to come in the back door and wait for hours to speak to a white man. But if he moves from his rural Louisiana town to another region of the country, he will have to leave his roots and people he loves.

Jefferson and Grant form a bond during their visits, and Jefferson dies with dignity. He dies as a martyr, a Christ-like figure executed exactly two weeks after Good Friday. A witness said Jefferson was the strongest man in the room. Another injustice served.

I'm wondering why this author is not read in high schools. I've read two of his books and both have very important messages and lots of themes to make you think about and discuss. His books are the kind of books that make you take a look at yourself and your own views on human relations, but most of all on race relations.

I know it's going to sound strange that I gave this book four stars because I disliked just about every character in this books. None of the characters were likeable at all. Grant, who is a teacher because that is the only profession a black, educated man can have in those times, is so proud that it's hard to take a liking to him, as much as you want to have an understanding of where he's coming from. He is mean to his students, at times with no justification. His Aunt Lou, who basically forces Grant, with a "You will do it or you will do it" stance, to take on the assignment of visiting Jefferson, the man on death row, got on my nerves. I honestly couldn't see how Grant, who was so proud, let her run him like she did. Miss Emma, who is Jefferson's godmother and raised him since he was a boy, is so defeatist that everytime she keeps saying "He don't have to if he don't want to" you wish Grant would seriously take her up on it and just give up the whole thing of trying to go and talk to Jefferson during his last days. The Reverend also is unlikable, especially when Grant has a breakthrough with Jefferson. You can feel the hate he has towards Grant. As for Jefferson, the man who is waiting to die by the electric chair, I just could not like him. He put up a wall that not only alienated the characters involved, but the reader too. I wanted to not be so harsh towards this character, who is facing a wrong death senetence, but I couldn't tolerate his childish behavior. Now, who am I to judge someone who is faced with imminent death, right? Maybe I'd feel the same way if I was wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to the electric chair. But it was really hard for me to feel sorry for him.

All that being said, I must say that this book was really good. I was able to get the sense of raical tension in this town, the sense of oppression these characters felt. I was invested in their story and how it would turn out for all of them, despite the fact that they were not likable. And dammit, if I didn't feel like shedding a tear at the end of this book.

An excellent book. I really wish this would be a book or an author that was introduced in high schools.

“But let us say he was (guilty). Let us for a moment say he was (guilty). What justice would there be to take his life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this.” - Ernest J. Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying.

Jefferson, an African-American man living in Louisiana in the late 1940s, is accused of a murder he didn’t commit. His lawyer uses the “hog” defence to get him off; however, this is unsuccessful and Jefferson is sentenced to death. Jefferson’s godmother feels the importance of Jefferson dying as a “man” not as a “hog”, so she enlists the narrator, Grant, to teach Jefferson how to be a man so he can die with dignity.

Grant was an interesting character in that he was the only educated black man in that community; the community expected a lot from him and the immense pressure he was under was evident. Add to that his questioning of the Christian faith and a complicated romantic relationship. A very moody character, I’m not sure how I felt about him.

I found the following quote immensely powerful as a person who abhors the death penalty regardless of how “bad” the person is: “How do people come up with a date and a time to take life from another man? Who made them God?”

This was definitely a moving book. It stirred up feelings of indignation in me for sure.

n  "He was the strongest man in that crowded room, Grant Wiggins."n

Probably one of the best books I've ever had to read for school.

Although this a story that is set in the 1940s, it is extremely relevant today because of the prominent themes of race and humanity. I think everyone needs to take the time to read this novel.

What a touching novel, written with much compassion. It does feel surreal to see the day of the death sentence coming closer and closer. It makes you feel very uncomfortable. The book also catches very good the fact of the segregation between white and black in the forties. This novel will not leave my mind for a couple of days, I think.

Jefferson is a young man who finds himself in a situation which wrongly leads to his criminal conviction and ultimately his execution. Grant is a school teacher who is having an internal struggle with whether to stay or leave the state to pursue more opportunities and a better life. The plot unfolds around Jefferson’s godmother’s request which will require Grant to visit Jefferson regularly in prison.

Grant grapples with the enormity of the request that’s been made of him. His insecurities and the numerous disadvantages to being black in the Deep South are revealed. We also learn about the decisions he made that allowed his life to turn out differently from Jefferson’s.

During Jefferson’s encounters with Grant, we see Jefferson grow from being unresponsive and dejected to open and spirited. He begins writing his thoughts in a notebook and expresses many of the troubling things that he has carried since he was a child. Unfortunately, as Jefferson is progressing, his impending execution is causing accelerated deterioration of his godmother’s health.

Through much of this novel we learn about the characters through their choices. Will Grant leave Louisiana or will he stay? Will he step up to the challenge of the request or will he walk away. I grew fond of Jefferson quickly and found myself cheering for him. I understood his frustrations and I empathized with his situation. He felt an obligation to make many of the decisions that he made. It would’ve been interesting to see how his life would’ve turned out had he felt he could choose more freely.

Jefferson is incarcerated through the entire novel however, the storyline surrounding him isn’t lacking. Watching his situation unfold was tough – really tough. One of the most powerful chapters in the book reveals the writings in Jefferson’s journal. We begin to understand what he thinks about himself and how that’s influenced by what he thinks other people think of him. It immediately made me think back to something I read elsewhere: No one is born with low self esteem*. And seeing the impact that this had on Jefferson is powerful.

This story had me reaching for the Kleenex. Even after putting the book down, I continued to think about Jefferson’s character. I had to keep telling myself, “Get a grip. This isn’t real!” But the sobering truth is that it could have been, and for many it may have been.

Grant loves Vivian. An innocent young black boy is sentenced to die. Grant loves Vivian. The sheriff don't want no trouble, or he'll shut it down. Grant loves Vivian. Grant is bad at sex. Grant loves Vivian. Jefferson eats food. Grant loves Vivian. Paul feels bad. The end.

Excellent written book. A must read. Lessons on the horrors of this country. Tragedy can lead you to re-think how you live and breath.

This book speaks to racism, poverty, injustice, despair, and hardship. The definition of being a man. The definition of being a human being. I sympathized with Grant Wiggins mostly because he and I knew he was a man, but trapped in a racist society. He is in a constant battle or war with himself. Grant Wiggins defines most black men.

I almost did not read this book because I knew it was going to be depressing. It was slow at times, but the story had such a message that I couldn't put it down. The young man that was accused of committing a murder that he did not commit was sentenced to die, but his attorney had compared him to a pig during the trial, and this in turn caused him to become even more depressed, making him feel less of a man. So the object was to make a man out of him before his execution. The last three chapters of this book were very heavy and by the time I finished the book I was almost in tears due to the tension building up, and this surprised me because books don't make me cry; neither do movies. I am glad that I read it, but I doubt if I will ever read it again, but you never know.

This was a bit of a snore... it just kept on and on and it never really sparked interest in me at all the characters were also a drag.

The shattering trial scene at the beginning was prodigious; the following chapters immersed me in "Bayonne", the plantation quarter, and the characters' lives and attitudes, if not their souls- that would come later. The deeper family and community relationships seemed masked by simple, repetitive dialogues and low-key resistance and stubbornness; I felt as if I were being kept at arm's length throughout a span in the middle. The slowish, time-standing-still quality then just organically rose to an intense pitch and an almost unbearably poignant ending. This one won't be easily forgotten.

This is the second book I've read by Gaines, the first being A Gathering of Old Men, and I'm pleased to say that I found both to be quite good reads.

The story, which is told in simple and understated prose, is centered around a young black school teacher named Grant Wiggins who has been charged with what seems like the impossible task of teaching a wrongly convicted and uneducated black man (Jefferson) how to be a "man" before he is executed in the electric chair.

Set in a small Cajun community during the late 1940's, this tragic tale tackles racial issues from several angles, including Jefferson's unjust conviction and Grant's own personal struggle as an educated black man fighting to liberate himself from his race's painful legacy.

But aside from the racial issues, Jefferson's story also explores the morality of the death penalty and is sure to resonate with those who oppose capital punishment while possibly garnering some sympathy from those who support it.

It's certainly a tear jerker, though not in a contrived way.

Would recommend to those who enjoyed Gaines' other books, or appreciate the merits of simplistic story telling that tackles complex issues.

Favorite excerpt n  

n    "Yes, you know. You know all right. That's why you look down on me, because you know I lie. At wakes, at funerals, at weddings---yes, I lie. I lie at wakes and funerals to relieve pain. "cause reading, writing, and 'rithmetic is not enough. You think that's all they sent you to school for? They sent you to school to relieve pain, to relieve hurt---and if you have to lie to do it, then you lie. You lie and you lie and you lie. When you tell yourself you feeling good when you sick, you lying. When you tell other people you feeling well when you feeling sick, you lying. You tell them that 'cause they have pain too, and you don't want to add yours---and you lie. She been lying every day of her life, your aunt in there. That's how you got through that university ---cheating herself here, cheating herself there, but always telling you she's all right. I've seen her hands bleed from picking cotton. I've seen the blisters from the hoe and the cane knife. At that church, crying on her knees. You ever looked at the scabs on her knees, boy? Course you never. "cause she never wanted you to see it. And that's the difference between you and me boy; that make me the educated one, and you the gump. I know my people. I know they gone through. I know they done cheated themself, lied to themself---hoping that one they all love and trust can come back and hep relieve the pain."n  

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