i had this book on my "to read" shelf for a while. the problem with my shelf is that there are books there that could be there for years, because i am kind of implementing a last-in-first-out algorithm to picking the book i will read next. i chose gilead because i wanted a non-fiction for my next read, and i didn't have much space in the bag i was carrying to hong-kong..

gilead is a great book. one that deserves all the critical acclaim it got. it is written in a form of an extended letter from an old father that is about to die to his young son.

the old-father is a preacher in a small shabby town in iowa, and the text is full of references to his sermons and describes a life in which religion plays a major role (not a setting i will usually relate to), but it is full of wisdom and knowledge of the human heart.

it struck a cord with me from the beginning, not just because it written so well and inspiring, but also because it immediately got me thinking of myself being put in the same situation. i could not get that thought out of my head through out the book.

highly, highly recommended.