Find a lesson in your reading
By Brittany Muller
IV Leader Staff, May 3, 2007
Even though I am not sure if this is allowed, I have
decided to write a book review on a book I have not yet finished.
As a supporter of Oprah’s Book Club, I have chosen yet
another one of her highly rated books to read. “A Lesson Before Dying,” by
Ernest J. Gaines, has been praised for years for its eloquent reflection of a
Cajun community in the 1940s.
As of now, Jefferson, a prisoner to be executed, has been
accused of killing three people and committing robbery. “Wrong time, wrong
place” seems to sum up this man’s misfortune.
His lawyer, in an attempt to save him from execution, claims
Jefferson to be an animal, a hog, not worthy of being treated like a human, not
even worthy of an execution. In the end, Jefferson is sent to await his
execution in jail without any knowledge of when the day is to come.
After being pressured by his aunt, the main character, a
teacher at a small local school, visits Jefferson in an attempt to make him feel
as though he is a man, not an animal. Even though the main character feels his
efforts are useless, he continues to visit a depressed and apathetic Jefferson.
Their communication, as I have recently found, is nonexistent
in this point of the story, about half way. Even though I have not yet finished
the novel, I am already quite intrigued.
I hope to finish this article as soon as possible so I can
continue reading. I find this book to be comforting right before bed or in
between classes.
Well crafted and easy to follow, this book would make a
wonderful summer read.
With a short chapters and a continuous flow, “A Lesson Before
Dying” is a book filled with problems concerning love, family, and what it means
to truly live.
I patiently await an inspiring lesson, found in the cleverly
crafted title.