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BOOKS I READ: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004). The novel is a long letter by Reverend John Ames to his young son. Written in diary form, he memorializes stories about his father and grandfather, both also preachers, dwells on banalities of life, and imparts biblical knowledge any chance he gets. His heart condition and his age—he’s in his seventies—worries him that the young boy will grow up without really knowing his father.
Gilead is a challenging book, with many insightful moments of introspection, a good deal of philosophizing, and one chapter breaks—breaks I usually find helpful as a reader. A decent knowledge of the Bible is helpful, too.
Marilynne Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for Gilead, which was followed by several sequels. The portraits of Reverend Ames and his family, the reverend’s fellow preacher, Robert Boughton, and his family, specifically his prodigal son, John Ames Boughton, and the town of Gilead, are remembered long after closing the book.
Pick up a copy of Gilead at my Bookshop.org affiliate stand. Check out The Books I’m Reading in 2024. The previous log entry was:
