Praying for Strangers: An Adventure of the Human Spirit - Softcover

Jordan, River

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425245608 ISBN 13: 9780425245606

Publisher: Berkley Trade, 2012

Synopsis

What if there was something you could do-something simple, yet so powerful-that could positively influence others and change your life in the process? Critically acclaimed author River Jordan discovered that very thing...

As 2009 approached, both of River Jordan's sons were about to go off to war-one to Iraq and the other to Afghanistan-and she was planning a family reunion to see them off. All River could do was pray for her sons' safety and hope to maintain her strength, until she unexpectedly came upon the perfect New Year's resolution-one that focused on others instead of herself. She would pray for a complete stranger every single day of the year.

In Praying for Strangers, Jordan tells that the discovery that she made along the journey was not simply that her prayers touched the lives of these strangers (in often astounding ways), but that the unexpected connections she made with other people would be a profound experience that would change her life forever.

About this title

About the Author

River Jordan is a critically acclaimed novelist and playwright. She speaks around the country on the "Passion of Story," and produces and hosts the radio program ClearStory from Nashville, Tennessee, where she makes her home.

From Publishers Weekly

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. (Apr.)

About this edition

• Publisher: Berkley Trade
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0425245608
• ISBN 13: 9780425245606
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352