Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Oprah Winfrey names the Gilead novels as the next Oprah’s Book Club.
Four award-winning novels by Marilynne Robinson —
“Gilead,” “Home,” “Lila,” and “Jack” — explore themes of faith, family, and love
For the first time ever, customers can ask Siri “What’s Oprah reading?” and hear a special response from Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey today announced her latest selections for Oprah’s Book Club
are the Gilead novels by Marilynne Robinson. The four award-winning books — “Gilead,” “Home,” “Lila, and “Jack” — are set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa, and explore powerful themes of faith, family legacies, love, and human connections. Also starting today, customers can enjoy a new interaction with Siri by asking Siri “What’s Oprah reading?” and hear from Winfrey herself, talking about her latest Oprah’s Book Club selection.
“I’m thrilled to tell you that my new Oprah’s Book Club selection is not one book but four books: ‘Gilead,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Lila,’ and ‘Jack,’” said Winfrey. “As I was recently reading author Marilynn Robinson’s latest novel, ‘Jack,’ I thought it would be wonderful to explore her entire Gilead universe through these four novels. I am looking forward to going on this journey with our Book Club community over the coming months.”
“Oprah Winfrey is a singular voice in this country and in the world. It is wonderful and amazing that my books will have the kind of attention only she could bring to them,” said Marilynne Robinson.
Often described as one of the greatest novelists of our time, Robinson received the National Humanities Medal in 2012.
‘Gilead,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Lila,’ and ‘Jack,’” said Winfrey. “As I was recently reading author Marilynn Robinson’s latest novel, ‘Jack,’ I thought it would be wonderful to explore her entire Gilead universe through these four
novels. I am looking forward to going on this journey with our Book Club community over the coming months.”
— The 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Gilead,” Robinson’s first book in the Gilead journey, tells the life story of Rev. John Ames, who, as his health deteriorates, writes a confessional letter to his only son.
— “Home,” a 2008 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction, takes place concurrently in the same locale as “Gilead,” this time in the household of Rev. Robert Boughton, Ames’ closest friend.
— The third book, “Lila,” was a National Book Award Finalist in 2014 and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel returns to the town of Gilead in an unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on the fringes of society in fear, awe, and wonder.
— “Jack,” named a Best of 2020 book by numerous media outlets and cited by President Obama as one of his favorite books of the year, is the fourth novel in the cycle and tells the story of John Ames Boughton, the prodigal son of Gilead’s Presbyterian minister in “Home,” and his romance with Della Miles, a high school teacher who is also the child of a preacher.