Gilead
by Marilynne Robinson · first published 2004
3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2013–2025first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
WINNER OF THE 2005 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames’s life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He “preached men into the Civil War,” then, at age fifty, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father—an ardent pacifist—and his gran
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson for fiction. The Jeffersonion Transformation (the first and last chapters of a much longer history) by Henry Adams, selected and introduced by Gary Wills.
on “Ask HN: Book recommendations?” ↗Lila, by Marilynne Robinson, it's in the same league as Gilead. I highly recommend it.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗"Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense." - from the novel Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson I take this quote to mean that most people's idea of "apologetics" (arguing to convince people that the facts of Christianity or some other religion are true) is kind of pointless.…
on “Should we use AI and LLMs for Christian apologetics? (2024)” ↗