The release date for the English version of 'A Lesson Before Dying' by
Ernest J. Gaines is Jan 1993. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
In the late 1940s, A Lesson Before Dying is set in a tiny Cajun town. As the lone survivor of a liquor shop shootout in which three men are slain, young Black man Jefferson is found guilty of murder and given the death penalty. After attending the university and leaving his homeland, Grant Wiggins has come back to teach at the plantation school. His aunt and Jefferson's godmother convince him to see Jefferson in his cell and give him his knowledge and pride before he passes away, while he torments himself over whether to remain or go to another state. Ultimately, the two guys become friends as they realize how easy it is to be brave and rebel against expectations. Ernest J. Gaines infuses this book with the same rich feeling of location, profound comprehension of the human psyche, and empathy for a people and their plight that have permeated his earlier, much acclaimed writings.