Praying for Strangers: An Adventure of the Human Spirit

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.)