A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines is a historical social commentary about a black community, in the light of one of their own being convicted, tried and sentenced of first degree murder – of which he is innocent. It is the story of one man’s journey into what it is to be a man; and another man’s journey into what it means to die with honor and dignity. Lesson Before Dying was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1993. Sidenote: Sex, violence and profanity have kept this out of some AP English classes. For a list of more banned books click here .
This is one of those books that deserves to be read at least twice. The first reading should be for the historical background and the pure story. The second time should be for seeing the true value of the story.
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