A Prayer for Orion, Katherine James
A Prayer for Orion, Katherine James
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A Prayer for Orion
A Son’s Addiction and a Mother’s Love

Author: Katherine James

Narrator: Pam Ward

Unabridged: 7 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/28/2020

Synopsis

It’s always somebody else’s kid―until it’s yours. When Katherine James and her husband found out their son was using heroin, their responses ran the gamut: disbelief, anger, helplessness, guilt.As they struggled to come to grips with their son’s addiction and decide how best to help him, their home became a refuge for an unlikely assortment of their son’s friends, each with their own story, drawn by the simple love and acceptance they found there―“the Lost Boys,” James calls them.In this sensitive, vulnerable memoir, award-winning novelist James turns her lush prose to a new purpose: to tell her family’s story through the twists and turns of her son’s addiction, overdose, and slow recovery. The result is not just a look at the phenomenon of drug abuse in suburban America, but also a meditation on the particular anguish of loving a wayward child and clinging to a desperate trust in God’s providence through it all.

About Katherine James

Katherine James has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University where she received the Felipe P. De Alba Fellowship and taught undergraduate fiction. She also writes narrative nonfiction as well as poetry, and has work published in various journals and anthologies. One of her short stories was recently a finalist for a Narrative Spring Prize.

About Pam Ward

Pam Ward, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress’ Talking Books program. The fact that she can work with Blackstone Audio from the beauty of the mountains of Southern Oregon is an unexpected bonus.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Melanie

I got an ARC from the publisher on Friday, and will be writing a formal review for a publication, and finished the book in two days; it's been a long time since I was this drawn into a book. The writing is beautiful and honest, not in the faux authenticity that seems to drive so many books written b......more

Goodreads review by Judy

Wow! Powerful, heart-wrenching story of addiction. Addiction: Most of us don’t know what we don’t know. Katherine lets us learn with her on a journey of drugs and overdose with Sweetboy. A story filled with joy, fear, pain, deception, despair, hope, hope dashed, hope restored. So many tears. And a Go......more

Goodreads review by Bronwyn

Powerful memoir, beautifully written. James is a rare author who can combine dry humor, aching vulnerability, and literary punch all in the same sentence.......more

Goodreads review by Lori

Beautifully written book on the opioid crisis. Honest, vulnerable and a needed voice on this topic.......more

Goodreads review by Leah

If hard stories can be beautifully written, Katherine James has done the very thing. A mother's tender and honest reflection of a hard reality. The story that James shares is not told in any kind of shock value tone; rather it's as if the reader were inside her head as she lived through, thought out......more

Quotes

“A Prayer for Orion is one of the most important books of our time. With heartbreaking honesty and wide-eyed clarity, James offers us an intimate view of the opioid crisis. Her vulnerability, compassion, and sagacious insight confront our tendency to judge or distance ourselves from addicts—and instead invite us to lean in and love.” Dorothy Littell Greco, author of Making Marriage Beautiful

“Addiction. Most of us don’t know what we don’t know. Katherine lets us learn with her on a journey of drugs and overdose with Sweetboy. A story filled with joy, fear, pain, deception, despair, hope, hope dashed, and hope restored. So many tears. And a God who comforts and sustains, who seems to disappear, then reappear. I wept, I held my breath, I turned the page—how can a mother endure? If you love a druggie or know someone who does, you will want to read this book.” Judy Douglass, author of When You Love a Prodigal

“With absolutely piercing prose, Katherine James shows us not only how to write but she also gently, vulnerably shows us how to pray, to trust, and to love even when walking through pain and suffering. I ate it up in two days! A Prayer for Orion is about more than a son’s addiction or a mother’s love—it is about the relentless love of God, who is present right through whatever we imagine as the very worst. Read it, let it move around your heart and propel you to love your people, your place, and your own lost boys.” Ashley Hales, author of Finding Holy in the Suburbs

“Kate James has done something most unusual. In her riveting memoir about her son’s life-and-death battle with heroin, she captivates your heart and educates you at the same time. Every chapter left me eager for more. Spiritual, yet far from preachy, James created a powerful combination of raw authenticity with hope-filled truth. A Prayer for Orion promises to enlighten the reader while giving hope to weary parents who are walking a similar path.” Dena Yohe, author of You Are Not Alone

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