A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Set in the pre-Civil Rights South, the novel explores the story of a young black man wrongfully accused and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. A local schoolteacher, at the request of the man's godmother, attempts to help the condemned man gain a sense of dignity and self-worth in the final days of his life. The story grapples with issues of racial inequality, justice, humanity, and moral obligation.
The 2074th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1993
- Nationality
- American
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 256
- Words
- 72,000
- Original Language
- English
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This book is on the following lists:
- 24th on The Best Southern Novels of All Time (Oxford American)
- National Book Critics Circle Award - Fiction (National Book Critics Circle)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)