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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
"This is a novel in the guise of the tape-recorded recollections of a black woman who has lived 110 years, who has been both a slave and a witness to the black militancy of the 1960's. In thiswoman Ernest Gaines has created a legendary figure,a woman equipped to stand beside WilliamFaulkner's Dilsey in
The Sound And TheFury
." Miss Jane Pittman, like Dilsey, has'endured,' h
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Paperback
,
272 pages
Published
July 1st 1982
by Bantam
(first published January 1st 1971)
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Community Reviews
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3,000)
Dec 09, 2012
Mike
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Mike by:
Jessie, Member goodreads group On the Southern Literary Trail
Shelves:
20th-century
,
2012
,
southern-literature
,
african-american-literature
,
slavery
,
american-civil-war
,
reconstruction
,
freedom
,
civil-rights-movement
,
cajun-country
,
creole-culture
,
louisiana
,
ernest-gaines
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman:
Ernest J. Gaines' novel of the long journey to freedom
A Note from the incomplete reader
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman was originally published by Ernest J. Gaines through the Dial Press in 1971. A second printing followed in 1972.
The Second Printing
However, it was not until 1974 when Gaine's novel was filmed as a television movie that sales mushroomed with the issue of the mass-market Bantam Paperback tie-in edition. The movie aired on CBS. Cicely ...more
A Note from the incomplete reader
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman was originally published by Ernest J. Gaines through the Dial Press in 1971. A second printing followed in 1972.
The Second Printing
However, it was not until 1974 when Gaine's novel was filmed as a television movie that sales mushroomed with the issue of the mass-market Bantam Paperback tie-in edition. The movie aired on CBS. Cicely ...more
I love Gaines easy writing style. One the best protagonist in southern literature. Excellent!
I am kind of stingy with my ratings -- I would make it a 2 1/2 if I could, because it was better than "okay" but I didn't quite "like" it. I didn't DISlike it, either. After reading "The Help," I wanted to read some more historical fiction taking place during the Civil Rights Movement. This biography was suggested to me by the librarian, and it was a pretty easy read. It followed the life of Jane Pittman from her childhood as a slave through emancipation, trying to get out of Louisiana, then as
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This is a very impressive epic adorned with humor and founded in the lessons of overcoming tragedy either through battle or sheer resilience. As a novel itself it is wonderfully written in a lyrical prose with great, revealing dialogue. It is, however, much more than a novel.
I had to read it over ten years ago in eighth grade history class, yet I can still recall the many different stories comprising the biography, nearly chronicling all the various manifestations of race relations throughout Am ...more
I had to read it over ten years ago in eighth grade history class, yet I can still recall the many different stories comprising the biography, nearly chronicling all the various manifestations of race relations throughout Am ...more
Mar 24, 2008
Ivannah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Ivannah by:
1001 novels to read before you die
Shelves:
favorites
I read this book in two sittings. It wasn't easy at first, but once you got introduced to Miss Jane Pittman the rest was easy. How could you not love a character, a woman, so enduring? How could you not weep at the loss of her only "son". This story is written richly, and with so much emotion that you can't help but to pull for her. Though, the subject matter was dark, the book itself wasn't dark. There were times when you heart ached because of all the suffering, and despair. When they were hop
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Ernest Gaines has been trying for so long to get in interview with the legendary Miss.Jane Pittman. This book practically covers her whole life story going from her childhood when she was still in slavery to when the war was going to her sons life to where she is now.
I have read the book so many times but i always feel that I am learning something new every time I read it again.As of my response to this story I feel like he did a really good job putting it together and making sure that he got al ...more
I have read the book so many times but i always feel that I am learning something new every time I read it again.As of my response to this story I feel like he did a really good job putting it together and making sure that he got al ...more
February is Black History Month. I usually attempt to read a book about black history or read a book written by a black author or both. This year I decided to read a novel I read back in 1971 when the book first came out. Since then the book has become a classic. A movie was made in 1974 starring Cicely Tyson. I sort of remember the movie was good. I think I shall check to see if Amazon has the movie and will watch it after I finish the book.
The book is fiction but is written in the style of ora ...more
The book is fiction but is written in the style of ora ...more
Apr 01, 2008
Caroline
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
half-read-graveyard
I adored this book. Its sensitivity in discussing relations among southerners of all ages and colors during a time when the courts were legalizing Jim Crow segregation was rich and provocative. Frankly, I thought the book did a better job of explaining life in the Jim Crow South than half the history books I read.
I'm sure it had a great ending, too, but unfortunately some a$$hole stole it, along with my car. And now the library wants $94 to replace. Ay yay yay.
I'm sure it had a great ending, too, but unfortunately some a$$hole stole it, along with my car. And now the library wants $94 to replace. Ay yay yay.
The novel tells the story of Miss Jane Pittman, a 110 year old African American woman who tells the story of her life. Her story spans from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Vietnam War, highlighting different historical events and figures. Jane's accounts help put in perspective what it must have been like to be an African American during those times and highlight why the civil rights movement was so important for our country. While the story is told from Jane's view point, the i
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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines is an inspiring autobiography. The reason why I chose to read this autobiography is because the cover caught my eye. The picture of Cicely Tyson on the front cover which plays Jane Pittman. I haven’t seen the movie but I’m sure that I will better understand times from before and the struggle of surviving. I also picked it because biographies inspire me most of the time because they always have struggles they overcome to become a greater
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I couldn't finish.
The first hundred pages were great, don't get me wrong. Jane fascinated me; her "voice" was clear and strong and her personality came through distinctly. The events she lived through were really interesting. Then...well, she sort of gave up going to Ohio.
After a while, she began to say things like, "I found a job and stayed there ten years." This Robinson Crusoe way of skipping over vast stretches of time drove me crazy. And then Mary Agnes and Tee Bob...it was starting to soun ...more
The first hundred pages were great, don't get me wrong. Jane fascinated me; her "voice" was clear and strong and her personality came through distinctly. The events she lived through were really interesting. Then...well, she sort of gave up going to Ohio.
After a while, she began to say things like, "I found a job and stayed there ten years." This Robinson Crusoe way of skipping over vast stretches of time drove me crazy. And then Mary Agnes and Tee Bob...it was starting to soun ...more
Every since I was a little girl I have had a strange obsession with the past. 19th century black slavery is my favorite era, than 1940's, than 1960's. I love the Harlem Renaissance, I love all things civil rights, but it's something about 19th century slavery. Cabins, white women dresses with the petticoat underneath, dirt roads, the "big house," horse and buggies for cars, the dialect, the stories, and most importantly the messages. My mother's ex-boyfriend forced me to watch the entire miniser
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The voice this author had impressed me and was the first thing that made this book a true classic. His writing was declamatory and very clear. I respected how the author could tell the stories of other characters through the narrative of Miss. Jane Pittman and make each one, from the teachers to her son unforgettable. At first when Jane Pittman didn't achive arriving in Colorado I was concerned with what the author was going to do next and how he could make her into a heroine. She was a strong p
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I remember watching the movie "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" with Cicely Tyson. I remember reading this years ago. I read it on my kindle this time. A very good historical novel. a young man goes to the house of Jane Pittman. she is over 100 years old. the current time is the early 1960s. it is during the civil rights time. Miss Jane Pittman is being interviewed since she was about 11 when the civil war ended and she was a slave at the time. This book takes Miss Jane from that time to
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I'm not sure how I ever go this far without reading this. I'm glad I've fixed that oversight.
I remember seeing the television movie back in the 70's but though I can remember having watched it I don't remember much of anything about it so reading the book was a fresh experience.
Gaines has produced one of those novels that feels more like nonfiction than fiction. His characters feel real, like they are products of the eras and places they inhabit. Though I never lived through the events described ...more
I remember seeing the television movie back in the 70's but though I can remember having watched it I don't remember much of anything about it so reading the book was a fresh experience.
Gaines has produced one of those novels that feels more like nonfiction than fiction. His characters feel real, like they are products of the eras and places they inhabit. Though I never lived through the events described ...more
A work of fiction chronicling a life from the time of slavery to the civil rights era? Wow, I feel smarter already.
Meet Miss Jane Pittman, a 110-year-old black woman who lives on a plantation making meager wages from her white boss. She’s not a slave anymore, but she might as well be. She and her fellow workers break their backs on the farm and receive next to nothing. Undereducated but smart as a whip, Miss Jane is quite a character. An unnamed schoolteacher convinces her to let him document he ...more
Meet Miss Jane Pittman, a 110-year-old black woman who lives on a plantation making meager wages from her white boss. She’s not a slave anymore, but she might as well be. She and her fellow workers break their backs on the farm and receive next to nothing. Undereducated but smart as a whip, Miss Jane is quite a character. An unnamed schoolteacher convinces her to let him document he ...more
This novel, which I find as credible as any memoir, spans a century. At the beginning, there's a framing narrative in which Miss Jane Pittman, at 100-plus-years of age, agrees to tell her story to someone who has long sought it. The rest of the novel is her story.
It commences with the emancipation of the slaves--with Jane taking her name from a Yankee soldier, learning that the President has freed the slaves, and deciding to join a group that's leaving the plantation. The novel lingers over thi ...more
It commences with the emancipation of the slaves--with Jane taking her name from a Yankee soldier, learning that the President has freed the slaves, and deciding to join a group that's leaving the plantation. The novel lingers over thi ...more
Miss Jane Pittman
What I like about the book is that Miss Pittman was a very strong woman even with all the pain she went though. I like Ned the little boy Miss Pittman helped get away from the war. Ned grew up to be a teacher so he could go back and teach the other children. Miss Pittman admired the fact that he cared about the children’s education. The Yankee officer was a good character because he was so nice; he cared about people that were being treated like unkind. Maybe because he thought ...more
What I like about the book is that Miss Pittman was a very strong woman even with all the pain she went though. I like Ned the little boy Miss Pittman helped get away from the war. Ned grew up to be a teacher so he could go back and teach the other children. Miss Pittman admired the fact that he cared about the children’s education. The Yankee officer was a good character because he was so nice; he cared about people that were being treated like unkind. Maybe because he thought ...more
Gaines is a master with voices. I came away from the book feeling sad, because I wanted to spend more time with Miss Jane.
I also learned some surprising things about history-- from slavery and the civil war, to the civil rights period--details I haven't seen elsewhere.
It's hard to say which I like more-- A Lesson Before Dying or this book. I think Lesson is probably richer on more levels, but like I said, Miss Jane it just someone you really want to know. I can't wait to read more of Gaines' bo ...more
I also learned some surprising things about history-- from slavery and the civil war, to the civil rights period--details I haven't seen elsewhere.
It's hard to say which I like more-- A Lesson Before Dying or this book. I think Lesson is probably richer on more levels, but like I said, Miss Jane it just someone you really want to know. I can't wait to read more of Gaines' bo ...more
I makes me feel really sorry for Jane she started as a slave going to freedom and then getting turned back into a slave. It's really hard for me to imagine what life was for a African American, but it sounds like that they hard super hard time. I really hate when when people get killed and for a reason. Miss Lily is kinda harsh on the kids. I still can't get the book. There are way to many facts. So many fact that I can't keep track of.
Wrenched my heart over and over.
Still thinking about this:
Still thinking about this:
Then I found the flint and iron Big Laura had used to light the fire with. Both of them looked like pieces of rock, so anytime anybody asked me what they was I just told them, "Two little rocks." I gived them to Ned and told him it was go'n be his job to see that they got to Ohio same time we did. After I had covered up Big Laura and the child with some clothes, I put the buncle on my head and we started out. Every now and then I asked N...more
I first read this in order to teach it to 9th graders 3 years ago and fell in love with it. I was dreading teaching it again this year, but as I reread it, I fell in love with it over again. Its the book I teach that best sucks my students into the world of its characters.
Feb 25, 2008
Laura
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Black History Month
Recommended to Laura by:
Book Club
The book started off well, but I basically finished it for a bookclub. The writing became disjointed, and I never felt like I connected to the character of Jane Pittman after she reached adulthood.
Mar 27, 2008
Shana Burton
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
low-interest, apathetic high school students
I really like this book. I've taught it to my 9th grade classes, who were so captivated by this book that I didn't have the heart to tell them that it was fiction.
Copied from Jean's Review...
February is Black History Month. I usually attempt to read a book about black history or read a book written by a black author or both. This year I decided to read a novel I read back in 1971 when the book first came out. Since then the book has become a classic. A movie was made in 1974 starring Cicely Tyson. I sort of remember the movie was good. I think I shall check to see if Amazon has the movie and will watch it after I finish the book.
The book is fiction but is ...more
February is Black History Month. I usually attempt to read a book about black history or read a book written by a black author or both. This year I decided to read a novel I read back in 1971 when the book first came out. Since then the book has become a classic. A movie was made in 1974 starring Cicely Tyson. I sort of remember the movie was good. I think I shall check to see if Amazon has the movie and will watch it after I finish the book.
The book is fiction but is ...more
It's hard to believe this is fiction, but it's also hard to comprehend that this was a realistic portrayal of the American South between about 1862-1962.
Jane Pittman's storytelling begins just before the emancipation of slaves, following the Civil War. When she finds out she is free, she immediately sets out for the state of Ohio, thinking she will reunite with Yankee Corporel Brown. Corporel Brown gives her the first taste of freedom she ever enjoys, when he changes her name from her slave name, Ticey to Jane.
After Jane receives her freedom, she walks for days, but still finds herself in "Luzana." It is in the Deep South that Jane continues to ...more
After Jane receives her freedom, she walks for days, but still finds herself in "Luzana." It is in the Deep South that Jane continues to ...more
An engrossing and inspiring life story, that caused me to stop and think often.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What was the funniest part of this book? | 1 | 8 | Oct 01, 2012 02:56PM |
Born to a sharecropping family, Ernest Gaines was picking cotton in the fields by age nine and only attended school five or six months a year. When he was fifteen, he moved to California to join his mother who had relocated during World War II, and began writing. He attended San Francisco State University, served in the army, and won a writing fellowship to Stanford University. Gaines has been a M
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More about Ernest J. Gaines...
“That's man's way. To prove something. Day in, day out he must prove he is a man. Poor Fool.”
—
1 likes
More quotes…
Jan 16, 2015 05:12PM
This one is absolutely marvelous, Laura. May be too intense for your daughter. Pre-screen. I highly r ...more
Jan 16, 2015 07:59PM