A Lesson Before Dying
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A Lesson Before Dying is the story of a young black man sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit, and a teacher who feels obliged to share his learning and pride on death row. In a small Cajun community in the late 1940s, a young black man named Jefferson is a reluctant party to a liquor store shootout in which three men are killed. At his trial, the argument for the defense is that Jefferson is too stupid to be capable of premeditated murder. However, Jefferson is condemned to death and on death row is visited by Grant Wiggins, the local schoolteacher determined to prove the lawyer wrong. The two men forge a bond as they both come to understand that simply choosing to resist is an act of heroism. Their relationship is a celebration of life and the realizing of human potential in the face of extreme adversity. A Lesson Before Dying is the work of a writer not afraid to write about issues that determine the human condition - it is a magnificent tale of redemption.
A Lesson Before Dying is the story of a young black man sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit, and a teacher who feels obliged to share his learning and pride on death row. In a small Cajun community in the late 1940s, a young black man named Jefferson is a reluctant party to a liquor store shootout in which three men are killed. At his trial, the argument for the defense is that Jefferson is too stupid to be capable of premeditated murder. However, Jefferson is condemned to death and on death row is visited by Grant Wiggins, the local schoolteacher determined to prove the lawyer wrong. The two men forge a bond as they both come to understand that simply choosing to resist is an act of heroism. Their relationship is a celebration of life and the realizing of human potential in the face of extreme adversity. A Lesson Before Dying is the work of a writer not afraid to write about issues that determine the human condition - it is a magnificent tale of redemption.