The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s College of Liberal Arts has selected “A Lesson Before Dying,” the internationally acclaimed novel by Ernest J. Gaines, for its 2025–2026 Common Book series.
Each academic year, the Common Book series will include events such as readings, discussions and a book club. Two events are planned for the fall semester, and another two events are planned for the spring.
The series will begin with a community conversation on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The free event, which is open to the public, will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Griffin Hall, Rm. 315. Dr. David Khey, head of the college’s Department of Criminal Justice, will lead a conversation about the criminal justice system.
Published in 1993, “A Lesson Before Dying,” tells the story of Jefferson, a young illiterate man wrongfully condemned to death. It is among Gaines’ most popular and critically acclaimed works. The novel was selected for Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club and won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Gaines joined UL Lafayette in 1983. Gaines, who died in November 2019 at age 86, taught writing until his retirement in 2010. Following his retirement, the UL Lafayette writer-in-residence emeritus worked to establish the Ernest J. Gaines Center, an international center for scholarship on the writer and his work that is housed in Edith Garland Dupré Library.
Dr. Ani Kokobobo, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said “A Lesson Before Dying” was a fitting choice to launch the new series because it offers a “rich cultural, ethical, and historical perspective and has a strong regional significance.”
Cultural foodways will be the subject of the Common Book series’ second community conversation on Wednesday, Nov. 5. It will be led by Dr. Shelley Ingram, the Dr. Doris Meriwether/BORSF Professor of Folklore in the college’s Department of English. That event will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Griffin Hall, Rm. 315.
Foodways describe all aspects food as it relates to cultures or communities that largely share similar customs and beliefs, including its role in social gatherings.
Dr. David Squires, an associate professor in the Department of English and its graduate coordinator, is organizing and moderating the series’ community conversations. Foodways, he explained, describe all aspects food as it relates to cultures or communities that largely share similar customs and beliefs, from meal preparations to social gatherings to economic considerations.
“Local and regional cuisine are central throughout the narrative of “A Lesson Before Dying,” and that community conversation will focus on how foodways structure many of the novel’s relationships,” Squires said.
As part of the 2025-2026 Common Book series, the college has also launched the “A Lesson Before Dying” book club. Neither membership in the club nor familiarity with the novel are required to attend the Common Book series’ community conversations.
For University students interested in familiarizing themselves with “A Lesson Before Dying,” a limited number of free copies of the novel are being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis in Griffin Hall, Rm. 101.
Sign up for the “A Lesson Before Dying” book club here. To learn more about the Common Book series, contact Squires at david.squires@louisiana.edu or the College of Liberal Arts at cola@louisiana.edu.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette’s College of Liberal Arts has selected Ernest J. Gaines’ novel “A Lesson Before Dying” for its 2025–2026 Common Book series. The series will include readings, discussions and a book club. Image credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette