A Gathering of Old Men is by Ernest J Gaines. A classic historical fiction masterpiece which paints an amazing portrait of racism in the South. A local sheriff in Louisiana is called to a sugar cane plantation to discover a young white woman, her boyfriend, about 18 elderly black men, and a dead Cajun farmer. All of the black men claim to have shot Beau Boutan, son of the notoriously racist Fix Boutan. Candy, the white woman, also claims to have shot Beau. Everyone claims it was self-defense. The sheriff has until sundown to arrest someone before Fix and his "crew" show up to settle things their way. It appears all of the old men are determined to die fighting off Fix and his friends. The novel is tense, yet humorous. Who did kill Beau and what is everyone else willing to do to protect him? A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.
Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
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