Book and Blog

Before: As soon as I found out that I was supposed to read a book by one of the three authors listed, I went to the library and asked the librarian to help me find at least one book written by one of those authors. The first book the librarian found me was by Amy Tan and was called the Kitchen God's Wife. I read the first couple of chapters and the book didn't exactly interest me, so I asked the librarian to help me find a book from a different author. The librarian then handed me the book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. This book caught my attention and that is how I ended up picking my summer book. My hopes were that this book would hook me on and take me on the adventure and story that the author was trying to portray. I also hoped that this book would help me learn more about the author and the writing styles and techniques that were being used. My fears were that the book would get boring in the middle and I would become unmotivated to pick it up and keep reading till the end. A Lesson Before Dying was 272 pages long.


During: The main character is named Grant Wiggins. He used to labor on a plantation but escaped and was the first to go to College in his village. He came back thinking that since he had been to college, more people would respect him. But that was not the case. White people still looked down to him and so did many old black people for being smarter and wiser than they were. Grant seemed angry at the world for being so immature and barbaric that he closed himself off from his loved ones and only associated with the people he absolutely had to talk to or that he couldn't live without. My predictions for the end of the book were that Jefferson wouldn't die and would be saved by Grant and the Villagers. When Gaines says, "I was there- but wasn't really there." (1). I understood what Grant was talking about and how he was trying to help Jefferson and that he couldn't be at the trial but was a big part in making Jefferson walk up to the chair like a man instead of a Hog like the judge told Jefferson that he was. "Tell Nannan I walked." (254).


After: I was satisfied with this book and I think that this book was a good read. The ending was nothing of the sort that I expected and it sort of surprised me. The characters by the end of the book were well rounded characters and didn't change a whole lot but enough to make me realize what the theme the author was trying to portray and how he wanted to the chracters to act. Grant's attitude did not exactly change a whole lot. But Grant realized by the end of the book that he had made a difference in a number of peoples' lives by helping Jefferson walk to his death like the man that he was. "I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be." (Ch. 24). This is a quote from the speech that Grant makes to Jefferson in telling him how Jefferson's death is greatly important, and how Grant wants Jefferson to die like a man instead of a hog. The main theme that I found was that if you open up your mind and allow knowledge to enter, you can accomplish many goals. For example, when Grant bought Jefferson the diary to write in. If Jefferson had flat our refused to write in it and kept to his word, all the emotions and feelings that he was feeling would have never been known. But instead, Jefferson listened to Grant and followed Grant's directions about writing in the diary. While Grant is helping Jefferson with his quest to become a man, Grant realizes at the end that Grant was also helping himself. Grant learns how to be affectionate, lovable, and how to be considerate towards everyone around him from Vivian and his family and by Jefferson and the community around him.