Praying for Strangers

April 4, 2011
In this memoir, Jordan (Saints in Limbo) recounts stories of a year in which, when both of her sons were deployed to war zones, she decided to pray for a complete stranger every day. The results were extraordinary, as time after time she was led to pray for the stranger who needed it most: a nurse whose husband just had surgery, a teenager with visible bruises on her neck and arms, a young soldier coming home to a newborn daughter. Jordan writes eloquently about her experiences and the lessons she learned, but ultimately the book grows repetitive; with no context or depth given to these strangers, their stories run together and lose their distinctiveness. Additionally, with little context given to Jordan's own life and activities, the book reads more like a diary than a cohesive narrative, and her habit of ending every chapter with neat, tidy conclusions and moralizing contributes to this choppy, disconnected effect. Regardless, the idea of praying for strangers is admirable, and a reader looking for inspiration may find hope and grace in this account of the blessings of a prayerful life.

April 1, 2011

Southern writer Jordan (The Miracle of Mercy Land, 2010, etc.) commits herself to pray for a stranger every day as an ambitious New Year's resolution.

With two sons serving in two separate wars, a call for selfless prayer seemed the only remedy for what would otherwise become obsessive worry. In each chapter, the author finds a new stranger, a life lesson and the same prayer. Jordan's clumsy prose, formulaic structure and overt repetition dulls the effects of a collection of inspirational anecdotes that run into each other as the book progresses. An array of quotes from immensely diverse sources introduce each chapter, but only serve to showcase the lack of versatility in Jordan's storytelling. Readers are continually reminded that Jordan is a well-established writer, going as far as to state that, "for a Southern novelist, being a tad different can be just part of the badge of being a great writer." Unfortunately, the humility of a great writer and the integrity of true prayer and compassion are absent from what would otherwise be a truly inspirational concept. Jordan's colorful language and good intentions only pummel weary minds with a single point. Heart and intent, unfortunately, are not the saving grace for a book that contradicts itself. 

Commendable intent, inspirational concept, poor execution.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2011
In late 2008, novelist Jordans sons were heading off to war, one to Iraq, the other to Afghanistan. Disturbed that she might never see either again, that this holiday might be their last Christmas together, she received a little inspiration and the most unusual idea for a New Years resolution. She would pray for a stranger every day. Thus the smallest gift, an offer of prayer for a stranger, could be counted as the greatest. At first, she thought the idea not only crazy but also impractical. Who in their right mind would tell total strangers they were going to pray on their behalf? Yet, as story after story in this gently beguiling collection indicates, Jordan did just that, and those total strangers responses often led to very profound experiences. Fans of Jordans fiction (The Gin Girl, 2003; The Miracle of Mercy Land, 2010)will enjoy this very personal journey in self-discovery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)