A Lesson Before Dying (Derek Valdez)

Title of Book: A Lesson Before Dying
Author: Ernest J. Gaines
 # of Pages 256
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

 Why This Book has Value:

A Lesson Before Dying really has lessons that should be learned before dying. The book is about a black man named Jefferson who is wrongfully accused of a crime, he is sentenced to death and now has given up on life. With help from many friends and family they try to help him die with dignity and realize that he does matter, while teaching him important life lessons. Grant the main teacher goes through a lot of adversity, in his own life and while trying to teach Jefferson. To find out how he gets through these challenges and if Jefferson does really learn from Grant, you'll just have to read the book for yourself and find out.

The setting of this book captures you and instantly makes you feel like you are there with the characters. It starts you out in a court room, with the feeling of defeat and sadness. As they explain the case and all the evidence, you start to feel bad for Jefferson and you just want to do something to help. The way that he explains the setting, you know what time period this takes place and the way people are treated you know when it takes place. Quotes like "Boy, Boy, Boy." and "They called him a hog." show that it was a time when African Americans were not treated fairly and were disrespected. The setting helps you think back to those times and helps you connect with the book and that's why the setting of the book is important and gives the book value.

A Lesson Before Dying has many universal human experiences that connects you to this book and gives it great value. Many people get stuck in situations that they are not prepared for, in this case Jefferson is sent to death for a crime he didn't do, and Grant is forced to teach someone that doesn't care as said by Jefferson in this quote "It don't matter." and he just wants to die. “When they go’n do it? Tomorrow?” Jefferson at this point has given up like a lot of people do in bad situations. Although with help from friends and family you can get through a lot of tough situations. Like how Jefferson is stuck in jail someone in the real world could be stuck in the hospital thinking the exact same thing as Jefferson, but with help like Grant or someone always being there they can help them keep fighting and keep going. Getting stuck in bad situations is just part of life and this book shows you how bad these situations can be, but shows how you can make the best out of the worst situations.

Although this is a great book it really makes you feel bad for African Americans back then and how they were treated, in other words this book had many racist things about it. Therefore makes this book important to show how it was back then and how we need to fix that. Over the years we have made progress but events that happen in this book still continue to happen today. “The humiliation I had to go through, going into that man’s kitchen. The hours I had to wait while they ate and drank and socialized before they would even see me. Now going up to that jail. To watch them put their dirty hands on that food. To search my body each time as if I’m some kind of common criminal. Maybe today they’ll want to look into my mouth, or my nostrils, or make me strip. Anything to humiliate me. All the things you wanted me to escape by going to school. Years ago, Professor Antoine told me that if I stayed here, they were going to break me down to the nigger I was born to be. But he didn't tell me that my aunt would help them do it.” As Grant explains how he has been treated makes you feel sorry for him, you also realize that this happens today and some people are treated like this and feel like this today. This shows how even a book from many years ago can have an impact and connection on modern day. Some other Quotes that show the racism in this book and how it can affect how you feel are, “Called him a hog.” and “Boy? Boy? Boy?” These show that people had no respect for African Americans back then. Although stuff like those are still said today, which is terrible and we should be learning from this book that this is not acceptable and we need to make a change. The fact that this book has so much racism, should teach us what not to do and therefore gives this book value.

The last way why this book has value is the way he developed his characters throughout the book. The two characters that he really developed were Grant and Jefferson. Jefferson starts out as a person with no life left in him and no desire to want to live. As he explains in a few quotes here, “It don’t matter,” and “When they go’n do it? Tomorrow?” and “I’m go’n die anyhow.” and lastly “I ain't hongry,” he shows that he just doesn't want to learn and at this point seems like there is no hope for him. But throughout the book he starts to want to listen and begins to learn. By the end he is a totally different character you'll have to read the book to really see how he does. The way he developed Grant throughout the book was really great. He at first doesn't want to teach Jefferson and doesn't feel like he can do anything to help. Throughout the book it goes through his life and how tough it can be being an African American in the late 1940's. Grant is a very interesting character in this book, because as he is teaching someone about lessons in life, he really doesn't know what he wants in life. He connects both characters together and forms a great relationship between the two, and he does this by putting them in tough situations and showing how they change over the course of the book. The way Ernest J. Gaines developed his characters throughout the book gives this book great value and makes you want to keep reading and connect with each character.

In the end this book has great value because it has many lessons and messages that can be learned through reading this book. The way you can instantly connect and know the setting of the book, the way you can connect and feel bad for characters, and how it still connects with today even though it was written years ago. That's why this book has great value. It is a great book, that I could not put down and would definitely recommend to read.