The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Written by Ernest J. Gaines

Narrated by Lynne Thigpen

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman has sold over a million copies nationwide since its publication in 1971, making the fictional character of Miss Jane so real many people don't know she exists only in the imagination of Louisiana-born author Ernest J. Gaines. Miss Jane is 100 years old when she is interviewed by an area high school teacher looking to teach his students more about plantation society in the deep South. Her story is not only a vivid picture of the South before the dawn of the civil rights era, but also a story of one woman's survival against overwhelming odds. A stunning autobiography of a courageous woman who won her battles with grace and dignity. Born a slave and freed when she was ten, Jane leaves the plantation of her childhood and heads in the direction of Ohio in search of a white abolitionist who once befriended her. Accompanied by Ned, a young orphan, Jane struggles to get out of Louisiana. What happens in the years that follow is a tale of loss and heartache and renewed hope, imprinted on its aged teller's face like furrows in a russet field. Now, in the racial upheavals of the '60s, Miss Jane brings closure to one generation, and inspiration to the next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781470354923

Ernest J. Gaines

Ernest J. Gaines was born on a plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, which is the Bayonne of all his fictional works. His novels include The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Of Love and Dust, Catherine Carmier, Bloodline, A Gathering of Old Men and In My Father's House.

Reviews for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

[sean4r · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliantly crafted work of fiction which interweaves historical references and recollections into a compelling life story. The book is about the life of a woman (Miss Jane) who was born into slavery, and survived to the dawn of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The book is a modern masterpiece on the topics of race and social justice in America, an overarching story of black experience from the Civil War to Civil Rights, seen primarily through the experience of one woman, but incorporating and representing the experiences of all others. (The book was also adapted into an outstanding film starring Cicely Tyson in the title role.)

[ladybug74 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book, though parts of it seemed to run on and on a bit. I guess that was because it was written the way that this person would have talked if she was telling the story. I can remember my own 2 grandmothers going on and on while talking about their past, so it's easy to imagine Jane as a real person telling her story. Though this book is fiction, it was very believable and seemed historically accurate, based on non-fiction books of this type that I have read.

[jbmartin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book, for short TAOMJP, was very interesting. Knowing that it was, hence the title, an autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, I knew that i would be following her life. The only thing however is that I did not know when they would start talking about her life. As I learn from the very beginning, they start talking about her life when she was a young slave girl. From there, it went on up until she was an elderly woman, around the time of Martin Luther King. The things that happened to Jane throughout her lifetime were very interesting and kept me wanting to find out more about her life, but I felt as though the story plot dragged on sometimes. It is blatantly obvious that Jane is a hero because of how strong she was, and how she was about to stay so composed during the hard times. She really was a mother to everyone, even when she was a young girl. One of the reasons why I chose to read this book was because I had read another book by Ernest Gaines, and I really enjoyed his writing style- but I was somewhat disappointed with this one because the writing style was very different. I overall enjoyed it!