A Lesson Before Dying Teacher's Guide
http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/lesson.html
This site is a teacher's guide to A Lesson Before Dying from Random House Academic Marketing. The guide contains a "hefty number of quotes" and "provocative and challenging" discussion questions, information about awards won by the book, and a further list of authors and titles. "The sections containing questions are especially strong. Issues posed to students include religious symbolism, the status of black men and women in the rural South of 1948, and the themes of obligation and commitment." The text makes a "plug for the use of student journals." Questions and quotes are "excellent sources of paper and project topics but there are no graphics except for the book cover."
Overall Rating: 4

Meeting Ernest Gaines
http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1998-07/gaines.html
This text only site generated by the NEH chairman, Bill Ferris, includes an introduction to the author through Gaines' reflection on his life and work, particularly The Biography of Miss Jane Pittman. Gaines reveals insights into his creation of the novel and clearly articulates his creative process. The text is "an inspiration to read," making connections to works by Twain, Melville, and Faulkner. If students can get past the "plain exterior" of the site, they will find colorful insights into the author's mind.
Overall Rating: 3