Story of a black lady born into slavery on a Louisiana plantation, freed at the end of the Civil War, who lives for one-hundred more years
Ernest J. Gaines Books
January 15, 1933 – November 5, 2019
Ernest J. Gaines was a novelist, short story writer, and teacher whose work is deeply rooted in his experiences growing up in the American South. His writing frequently explores the lives and struggles of those on the margins, rendered with a keen and compassionate eye. Gaines masterfully captures the complexities of human relationships and social dynamics, offering readers powerful and resonant literary experiences. His distinctive style is known for its lyrical precision and ability to unearth universal truths within specific human stories.
Set in Louisiana, the stories explore the lives of sharecroppers and the haunting remnants of plantation life, echoing themes of cruelty, suffering, and resilience. Gaines vividly portrays this landscape, making it as recognizable and impactful as the settings in the works of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner. Through these narratives, he delves into the complexities of human experience within a deeply rooted cultural and historical context.
A powerful depiction of racial tensions arising over the death of a Cajun farmer at the hands of a black man--set on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation in the 1970s. The Village Voice called A Gathering of Old Men “the best-written novel on Southern race relations in over a decade.”
A Lesson Before Dying
- 256 pages
- 9 hours of reading
In a small Cajun community in the late 1940s, a young black man named Jefferson is an unwitting party to a liquor store shootout in which three men are killed. The only survivor, he is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Gaines explores the deep prejudice of the American South in the tradition of Harper Lee?s To Kill A Mockingbird and Toni Morrison?s Beloved. A Lesson Before Dying is a richly compassionate and deeply moving novel, the story of a young black man sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit, and a teacher who seeks to share his wisdom before the execution.
Ernest J. Gaines: Four Novels (Loa #383)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman / In My Father's House / A Gathering of O LD Men / A Lesson Before Dying
- 850 pages
- 30 hours of reading
Exploring the complexities of race and the legacy of slavery, this collection features four landmark novels by Ernest J. Gaines, a celebrated voice in American literature. Notable works include "A Lesson Before Dying," which received the National Book Critics Circle Award and was an early Oprah Book Club selection. Drawing from his experiences as the oldest of twelve in a sharecropping family in Louisiana, Gaines crafts nuanced and compassionate narratives that reflect the struggles of both Black and white characters in a racially charged society.
Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul
Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers
- 400 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Being a writer can be a lonely and frustrating experience. The stories in this book-by a wide range of professional writers, novelists, journalists, freelancers, poets and screenwriters-will give readers insight into the human trials, tribulations and triumphs of writers, and writers a source of inspiration and commiseration. Whether readers are beginning writers, seasoned pros or wannabes, the stories of purpose, passion, endurance and success contained in Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul will inform, entertain, uplift and inspire them. In its pages, they will learn important lessons on: the importance of perseverance, the value of being yourself, the process of discovering your own voice, the need for mentors and allies, and the power of following your heartfelt dreams. Contributors include: Sue Grafton, Steve Allen, Dave Barry, Agatha Christie, Art Linkletter, Terry McMillan, and more.
