<Tr> <Th> ISBN </Th> <Td> 978 - 0 - 375 - 70270 - 9 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 438410499 </Td> </Tr> <P> A Lesson Before Dying Is Ernest J. Gaines' eighth novel, published in 1993 . While it is a fictional work, it is loosely based on the true story of Willie Francis, a young Black man sentenced to death by the electric chair twice in Louisiana, in 1945 and 1947 . </P> <P> The story begins with the murder of Mr. Grope by two black men . An innocent bystander named Jefferson is charged with and convicted of the murder . He is sentenced to death . In his trial, Jefferson's attorney explains to the jury "What justice would there be to take his life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this ." This statement causes Jefferson to believe that he is indeed a hog and not a man . Jefferson's godmother, Miss Emma Glenn, and Aunt Lou, ask Grant Wiggins, the local schoolteacher and Lou's nephew, to turn Jefferson from a "hog" to a "man". However, they must first get permission from Sheriff Sam Guidry . To accomplish this, they ask Sheriff Guidry's brother - in - law Henri Pichot for assistance . The Sheriff gives Grant permission . When Grant is not there, Miss Emma, Aunt Lou, and Reverend Ambrose also visit Jefferson . At the same time, Grant is dating a schoolteacher from nearby Bayonne named Vivian . Over the course of the novel, Grant and Jefferson form a close friendship . Unusual for the time, Grant also forms a friendship with Deputy Paul Bonin . In early February, it is announced that Jefferson will be executed on April 8 . Around this time, Reverend Ambrose becomes concerned that Grant, an agnostic, is not teaching Jefferson about God and thus begins visiting him regularly . This conflict reaches a head when Grant buys Jefferson a radio, which the seniors in the black community, or "quarter", see as sinful . The novel ends with Jefferson's execution, and, much to Grant's surprise, a visit from Paul in which he tells Grant that "Jefferson was the strongest man in that crowded room" when he was executed . </P>

When does a lesson before dying take place