It’s always an exciting day . . . when Bonny and Carole and I announce the newest Read With Us selection!

This winter, we invite you to join us in reading another “contemporary classic” (an older book you may have read years ago . . . but, then again, maybe not) . . .

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

As I said, you may have already read Gilead. It was quite a popular book when it was first published in the mid-2000s (it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005). It launched 3 more novels – Lila, Home, and Jack – which are now known as the “Gilead series.” (In fact, Oprah chose all four of the books for one of her Oprah Book Club selections in 2021.) And Gilead got a lot of attention again a few years ago when Barack Obama named it one of his very favorite books of all time. In case you missed reading it before, though, I hope you’ll give it a try this winter. It also makes a great re-read!

Gilead . . . is an epistolary novel, written as a very long letter from a dying father to his young son. It tells the story of four generations of men in Iowa: a firebrand anti-slavery pastor in league with John Brown, his more cautious son who resented his recklessness and intensity, a third generation pastor who navigated the tension between his father and grandfather (this is the “author” of the letter and our protagonist – an aging man, soon to die in the “present” time of the 1950s), and his young son, for whom he’s trying to record his history before he dies.

The real strength of the novel, though, is not in the what-it’s-about. Instead, it’s all about how-it-says-it. Because Gilead is a masterwork of language, making the small, beautiful details of a life . . . come alive.

Gilead is a quiet, contemplative book. Perfect, actually, for reading in the winter. It’s relatively short (just under 250 pages) and surprisingly soothing to read. (Or, at least, I found that to be the case.) I hope you’ll pick up a copy and Read With Us this winter.

Bonny and Carole and I will be talking more about the book and providing additional background information for you in blog posts over the next several weeks. Then . . . mark your calendars for our blog book discussions/Zoom discussion on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 (7:00 pm Eastern time).

C’mon along!
Settle into the winter with a good book . . . and Read With Us!

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PS – Eventually, you’ll be able to find more information about Gilead and author Marilynne Robinson on the Read With Us resource page – but it’s not quite “ready for prime time” yet,  so . . . not today. (But soon.)