In the small Iowa town of Gilead, the elderly Reverend John Ames is dying. Unable to provide financial security for his young son, he decides to record his family's history as his legacy. Over the years he has written thousands of sermons and equates writing to praying. In his journal for his son, he recounts the stories of his abolitionist grandfather; a fiery preacher; and his embittered, pacifist father. When his namesake—the wayward son of his best friend—returns to town, the Rever­end Ames must confront his conscience and beliefs. The history of the country is reflected in the con­flicts and crises that shape his family's history.

Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction, 2005.