Skip to Main Content

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

A Lesson Before Dying

by Ernest J. Gaines

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Call Number: Foley General Collection PS3557.A355 L47 1993

ISBN: 9780679414773

Publication Date: 1993

From the author of A Gathering of Old Men and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman comes a deep and compassionate novel. A young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country to teach visits a black youth on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Together they come to understand the heroism of resisting.

Why was this book challenged?

Reasons: Sexual Content, Violence, Profanity

According to the National Coalition Against Censorship, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines tells a story which addresses racism and racial identity, and was challenged for sexual references and profanity by two parents in 2008.
See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about why books written by Black authors, and stories that address racism are frequently targeted for censorship.

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2025 4:22 PM
URL: https://researchguides.gonzaga.edu/BannedBooksWeek
Print Page

Subjects: UASC Exhibits

Tags: Banned, Banned Books, Banned Books Week, Censorship, Challenged Books, Intellectual Freedom

Accessibility | Proxy Logout