Praying to A.L.

by Judith Caseley

Sierra and her family are lost in grief over the death of her father, and she begins to confide in a picture of her hero, Abraham Lincoln, to give herself the peace of mind that her family can't quite provide yet.

Genres: Young Adult

181 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could go 3.5 stars, since I really can't decide how much I like this book. There are lots of different ways to relate to it, and many possible avenues for discussion. It seems to be primarily a book about grieving, and the various ways people face loss, but it is also about loving families and dysfunctional families, friendships - strong and strained, sibling relationships, and the ordinary trials of middle school years. It also covers a lot of the ground that a historical fiction book would, but it isn't historical; it's set in the present. Sierra is the daughter of a Cuban, Catholic mother and a Jewish father, whose two best friends are Eli and Amantha. Eli's father is an alcoholic. Sierra has a younger brother, Cooper. When Sierra's father, William Goodman (Billy) dies of a heart attack after a long illness and a series of operations, his family and friends miss him deeply. Sierra, who has always admired Abraham Lincoln and keeps a portrait of him in her room, shares her feelings with the picture and reads the book about him that her uncle gives her as a favor for her father. This isn't a plot-driven book, and the constant interruptions for expositions about Abraham Lincoln and comparisons between his life and Sierra's are somewhat annoying in the first half of the book. However, the pace picks up in the second half as the Write and Speak class prepares to write and perform a play based on the life of Abraham Lincoln. A journal entry that Sierra reads on Eli's computer sheds some light on his odd behavior and his feelings, but it seems a little too contrived. Overall, though, this book is effective, gives you plenty to think about, and you can't avoid relating to the characters.

[Ai Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I first read this book fifteen years ago, and in coming back to it now, I was so afraid it wasn't going to be as good as I remembered, as moving--but holy hell was I wrong. (At the very least, I was wrong for me--I'm not saying this is the best book in the world per se, but any sense of nostalgia that informs this review has stuck with me, rather than fading away.) Caseley's imagery has stuck with me this entire time, from Uncle Max sticking his cigar behind his ear like a roll of Life Savers to Sierra's father being too tall for the gurney, and revisiting it is like a punch in the gut. This book is an incredible look at grief and grieving, and it was a joy and a pleasure to revisit it again after all these years.

[Sarah A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review.
As a book for ya, it covers some difficult topics in a thoughtful way. I appreciate the ways it deals with the different stages of grief and how the star moves through these stages and uses a portrait and historical references to Lincoln to make it all come together. I appreciated the historical well thought out research.
However it is just a miserable book. It deals with hard issues in a mostly good way although it has to confuse issues by having mixed races : mixed religions going on too. It is sad and traumatizing but tries to be helpful.

[Koqua · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked it.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad story but good! Enjoyed it