A lesson before dying / Ernest J. Gaines.
In his first novel in ten years, Ernest Gaines, the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, brings us a wrenching story of death and identity in a small Cajun Louisiana community in the late 1940s. A young black named Jefferson is a reluctant party in a shoot-out in a liquor store in which the three other men involved are all killed, including the white store owner. Jefferson, the only survivor, is accused of murder. At the trial, the essence of the defense is that the accused, a lowly form of existence lacking even a modicum of intelligence, is incapable of premeditated murder. His lawyer argues: "Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." But Jefferson is condemned to death.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780375702709
- ISBN: 0375702709
- ISBN: 0679414770
- ISBN: 9780679414773
- ISBN: 0679455612
- ISBN: 9780679455615
- Physical Description: 256 pages ; 23 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
- Copyright: ©1993
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Publisher, dates, and paging may vary.
- Target Audience Note:
- 750L Lexile
- Study Program Information Note:
- Accelerated Reader AR UG 4.4 11.0 10287.Accelerated Reader AR UG 4.4 11 10287.
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- Subject:
- African American men > Fiction.
Death row inmates > Fiction.
Race relations > Fiction.
Friendship > Fiction.
Friendships.
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- Historical fiction.
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Available copies
- 84 of 88 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 1 current hold with 88 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Main Library | FIC GAI (Text) | 30229000061449 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | FIC Gaines (Text) | 31010000608549 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | FIC Gaines (Text) | 31010000628109 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Alleghany Public Library | F GAINES (Text) | 30664000011640 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Andrews Public Library | F GAI (Text) | 80605000815539 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Angier Public Library | PBK F Gai (Text) | 33632002269711 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Annie Hubbard McEachern Public Library | F GAINES (Text) | 34510608830756 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Ashe County Public Library | F GAI (Text) | 50503010328799 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Avery County Morrison Public Library | FIC GAI (Text) | 31111002359980 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| BHM Headquarters Library | FIC (Text) | 38344100049657 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
In his first novel in ten years, Ernest Gaines, the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, brings us a wrenching story of death and identity in a small Cajun Louisiana community in the late 1940s. A young black named Jefferson is a reluctant party in a shoot-out in a liquor store in which the three other men involved are all killed, including the white store owner. Jefferson, the only survivor, is accused of murder. At the trial, the essence of the defense is that the accused, a lowly form of existence lacking even a modicum of intelligence, is incapable of premeditated murder. His lawyer argues: "Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." But Jefferson is condemned to death.
