I Learned from the Lesson
351507
Although not autobiographical, many of the characteristics of the narrator, Grant Wiggins, are in this deeply moving novel about 1940's southern life on a plantation in which lifestyles of the freed man of color are little different from their slave ancestors.  A simple reading on Wikipedia shows the parallels.

A mentally challenged boy, Jefferson,  is the victim in this novel. Bullied to accompany other hooligans into a store, the endeavor becomes a ruckus and a shooting ensues.  The bad boys who requested the innocent's company, and the store owner, die.  Because the boy was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not altogether thinking about what to do when the bodies lay prostrate on the cold floor, a trial before a white judge, before a white jury, led tot he unsurprising result - the death penalty.

It is at this point that the boy's grandmother does the great deed - she tells her best friend to tell her nephew to teach the boy.  So Grant Wiggins, who owes everything to his aunt, begrudgingly abides by the women's request, and goes to the jail on routine basis to see if he can make the innocent Jefferson become a man.

What passes over the pages is great literature. At first, Grant and Jefferson have stilted, if any, conversation.  Thereafter, the walls between them subside and each learns from the other.  Cleverly, the witnesses from the outside, the readers, grow as well.

Although you know that the young man will never receive a pardon, although you know Jefferson will inevitably warm up to Grant, and although the many of the reactions by the whites who witness the relationship between Grant and Jefferson are predictable, this is a great novel.  This is writing by someone who knows the art. Do not rely on this objective perspective alone -  A Lesson Before Dying won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.

Etched in the novel's seemingly simple story are great philosophical proclamations.  Sometimes sneaky, often seemingly dicta to the novel's core, they scoot by the skimming reader.  But, don't miss these pearls of wisdom.  Here is one example.

"We black men have failed to protect our women since the time of slavery.  We stay here in the South and are broken, or we run away and leave them alone to look after the children and themselves. So each time a male child is born, they hope he will be the one to change this vicious circle - which he never does. Because even though he wants to change it, and maybe even tries to change it, it is too heavy a burden because of all the others who have run away and left their burdens behind. So he, too, must run away if he is to hold onto his sanity and have a life of his own."

I had never read works by Mr. Gaines before. I intend to find others and hope they are even just partially a moving as this novel.
3899724
The people in this story went through learning lessons. It's a good book.
3816747
I enjoyed reading this book. I could read it more than once. This book was very touching and taught me lessons I will apply to myself.
2579512
I like to learn from others experience. Lots of wisdom here.
4006527
I have a better understanding of the lesson that can be learned from reading about what Christ did hanging from the cross before he died for our sins.  I was blown away with the spiritual knowledge I got from this book.
3160740
I was fortunate to find a used copy of this book that I read in the 1980's, but it was published in the 1940's.  I bought so I could re-read, as it teaches compassion and valuable lessons.  I paid abit more than normal, but completing my library so it can be left after my demise.  I am a happy reader of it once again.
119345
When I started reading this book, I found out that it wasn't that hard to understand. I liked how the author explained each lesson; he explained it with good examples and words that you would say, "That's what I had in mind but I just couldn't say it in words." The author used words that were understandable and explained each lesson very clearly. The stories in the book were really good and very touching. Though most of the stories were very sad, I still had those smile in my face after I read each story, because I knew that the person in the story learned his or her lesson in life and found the true meaning of life. In this book, there are different kinds of lessons: the lesson of love, lesson of guilt, lesson of fear, lesson of patience, and many more. In all of these lessons, there are some lessons that really interest me. For example the lesson of fear, I never thought that fear could help us to succeed in our life. Fear is like the trigger; it warns us if something new is happening, which would make us alert and think ahead in the situation. Another lesson that I liked was the lesson of patience. I learned that with patience, we don't always get what we want at that very moment. But if we just let our patience do the job, the result can be more than what we expect.
I think this book, Life Lessons, is a really good book; a book that has inspiring stories and great lessons in life that is why I highly recommend this book to everyone.
1324888
Robin's book doesn't offer a unique and new perpsective on how to live, but he did a good job distilling learnings from his readings. Every chapter is a few pages long centered around a life lesson that Robin learnt from other leaders.

I enjoyed going through this easy read and took several takeaways from it. I published my highlights on Goodreads as well!
4161329
I really enjoyed learning from the book.  It helped me to understand it down to my level and I felt good about it.
1689958
The author engages the reader with lessons from a tragedy that are easily adapted to our own lives, thereby proving that a little history can be very helpful.
2332955
I read this book out of order
 in the group and I wish I had not, this will teach me a big lesson
2775046
Rich shares a great lesson through a story that many of us are familiar with. Going to a job, being stuck in a rut doing the same thing everyday and being unhappy.  He tells the story of how Terry learns theres more to his job/ life than doing the same thing over & over.  Terry brings life to his job & team by implementing some small (big?) changes.  Easy to read !
1443435
It is in tune with the training I am going through.  It is also helping to mitigate the loss I have recently experienced.
60744
However, I am glad that I overcame that urge.  Maybe it was because I recognized that this man won the Nobel Peace Prize or maybe it was just the right time for me.

Either way, the important lesson that I learned is

a)  Keep and open mind and dive into things that you are afraid of.  Not just reading this book (because it is "uncomfortable"), but what is going on in your own life, in the lives of others and even in the world around us.

b)  The things that happened during WWII were because people didn't want to know what was going on (like walking the other way when someone is being mugged or is injured).  Waiting for someone else to do it.  What if I / you are that someone.

c)  It is our responsibility as humans to not turn a blind eye and just live for ourselves.

These are just a few things that struck me.

Finally, in the big scheme of things it boils down to whether or not you believe in God.  If you do, then we hope to do the right thing and also hope that God pays back (good and bad) in the day of Judgment.  If you do not believe in God, then you can still be involved even if there is no "judgment", at least you can live with yourself and sleep at night with a clear conscious.
4771068
I learned a lot and it made me understand a bit more how people can survive the hardships of war.
1058483
I have learned a few things that I have been doing and things that I had never thought about before reading this book.
3022195
I was given this book as a gift and asked to write a review on it.  I did not follow the lessons in the book and follow through on my commitment for some time, and after reading it, I realized that I needed this book more than ever.  I realized I did not follow through on my responsibility of my commitment.

There are some great lessons the author shares that we have learned since birth, but we can always use a refresher. I was able to take many lessons away from such chapters on various aspects that effect all men.  Lessons on national pride, setting examples for our children, education (ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT) health and even entertainment. The lessons Clark (the Author) teaches in each chapter help form a blueprint that will enable you be more accountable and aware of responsibilities as a man.

Although the book focuses on a male/provider role, many of  the lessons can be applied to anyone, male or female.  As a parent of a small boy, I will definitely give him a copy of this book when i feel he is old enough to comprehend the lessons here. I will also get copies for my nephews and hope that they are able to take away the fantastic lessons that Clark conveys in this book.