num_pages: 272
description: Two African-American men in rural Louisiana are pulled together by circumstance in this gripping novel. A young teacher who has come back to his hometown to help raise the poor quality of education is reluctantly persuaded by his aunt to counsel a man on death row. Emotionally charged and written in a straightforward, powerful style, Gaines sketches the dramatic moments between teacher and inmate with warmth and insight.
language: English
title: A Lesson Before Dying
titlecomplete: A Lesson Before Dying
genres: Fiction, Historical, School, Literature, Classics, Adult Fiction, Novels, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, African American
ratings_count: 58704
places: Louisiana
awards: awardedAt: 725875200000
name: National Book Critics Circle Award
category: Fiction
publisher: Knopf