President Barack Obama

In 'Gilead', Marilynne Robinson crafts a deeply personal and introspective narrative through the eyes of John Ames, a 76-year-old pastor writing to his seven-year-old son in 1956. The novel explores themes of faith, forgiveness, and redemption as Ames recounts his life, his family's history, and the tensions between his abolitionist grandfather and his pacifist father. The book is a meditation on the human condition, highlighting the beauty in everyday moments and the profound bond between fathers and sons. It won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

My Promised Land is a comprehensive and personal narrative history of Israel, written by Ari Shavit. The book combines family history, memoir, archival research, and interviews to provide a rich and nuanced account of Israel’s history from the late 19th century to the present. Shavit examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, asking crucial questions about the origins, survival, and future of Israel. The book is praised for its balanced and empathetic portrayal of both Jewish and Palestinian experiences, although some critics have noted its controversial handling of certain historical events. It is a landmark work that brings to life epic history without being a conventional history book, deepening contemporary political understanding without being a one-sided polemic.

The Song of Solomon is a lyric poem that extols the virtues of love between a husband and his wife. It presents marriage as God's design, emphasizing care, commitment, and delight within the marital relationship. The book is divided into three main sections: courtship, the wedding, and the maturing marriage. It also contains themes of physical and spiritual love, and some interpretations see it as an allegory for Christ's love for the Church.