Award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines visited Guilford and gave two presentations on Nov. 14 as part of the “One Book” reading program that is being held throughout the United States. The Greensboro program, “One City, One Book,” is sponsored by the Friends of the Greensboro Public Library.The Washington Center for the Book initiated the “One Book” program in 1998, and it has since been introduced in all 50 states and throughout Canada.
The program is part of the library’s centennial celebration, during which 10,000 local residents read A Lesson Before Dying, Gaines’ award-winning novel, published in 1993.
The novel depicts a young black man wrongly condemned to die in the electric chair, and the teacher who attempts to help him meet death with dignity.
A Lesson Before Dying was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has been adapted for theatre and television. Other cities that have read it include Buffalo, Rochester, Grand Rapids, Houston, Waco, and Seattle.
At the age of 15, Gaines moved from his birthplace of Louisiana to California since he had no access to high school education in the segregated South. After entering a public library for the first time at age 16, Gaines decided to become a writer and later graduated from San Francisco State College. Since 1983, he has served as a writer-in-residence at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Gaines’ first presentation focused on growing up in Louisiana and stories about how he began writing. His evening presentation focused on A Lesson Before Dying and how it came to be.
“I’m hoping that the One City, One Book Program will get people talking about the different themes in the book, such as race, education, and inequalities within the death penalty,” said Gaines.
“People need to realize that the young man who was condemned was the strongest man in the death chamber when he was executed,” Gaines said.
During his evening presentation, Gaines talked about the impetus and writing process that led to A Lesson Before Dying. Audience members had the opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion of both presentations.
“Hearing him speak about the process that yielded the final product left me breathless. This is a book that gives such depth and breadth to the term ‘humanity’,” said Faculty Clerk Carolyn Beard Whitlow.
Guilford students had similar opinions about Gaines’ presentation. Junior Abdul-Qawiy Abdul-Karim found Gaines’ presentation to be extremely powerful.
“Above all else, what I found most compelling about Mr. Gaines’ lecture was the fact that people from all over the community came to see him.”
Abdul-Karim suggested that Gaines’ experience and personality drew and enticed the audience.
“Mr. Gaines’ modest exterior, when combined with his words and insights, proved to be a very powerful symbol for survival,” he said.
Tony Burks, principal of the Early College Program, moderated the question- and-answer session during the evening session. Burks said, “It was an amazing experience hearing him speak. I liked some of the stories he shared about growing up in segregated Louisiana. He made me think of my own life experiences.”
First-year Celeste Palladino found Gaines’ presentation to be quite informative. “He had a calming demeanor, a great attitude, and no big bravado. I really learned a lot about the death penalty and humanity,” she said.
Gaines’ other works included The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, published in 1971, and The Gathering of Old Men, published in 1984. Both works were adapted for television.
Gaines’ visit was sponsored by The Bryan Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Arts, Humanities and Public Affairs. This program was established by Guilford trustee and alumnus Joseph M. Bryan Jr. and the former Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund.
In the past, this program has brought speakers to campus which include former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, former United States senator and NBA star Bill Bradley(D-NJ), presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader.