Let’s Talk About…The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

When it all falls apart, who can you believe in?

Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with al

 

l the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.

Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.

It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized.

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Initial reaction upon finishing:

Wow. I really am not even sure where to start this. Originally I wasn’t going to post anything, but this book hit me so close to home that I really can’t help but share. I closed this books with tears in my eyes, tears that found another book that I could relate to so much. Throughout this story you follow Lucy as she is trying to navigate her life after finding out her mom was diagnosed with cancer for a 2nd time. To have your world rocked a 2nd time…that would be tough. The 1st time is hard enough as is, but to know the possibilities of everything all over again is something I cannot even comprehend.

Now…I will try to put into words a few of the things that I absolutely loved about this book.

1. I could relate to this book so much. My father was diagnosed with cancer when I was 13, and the feelings and emotions that Lucy has in this book are exactly what I have had. I felt betrayed just like Lucy. I questioned God and why in the world He stopped listening to my prayers. My relationships with people changed and my outlook on life changed. If you haven’t been through this experience I would highly suggest this book for that reason alone. The topic of faith and religion wasn’t over the top, and though I am a religious person myself I don’t think that it was at all in your face. On top of that, the depiction of someone fighting with cancer seemed real to me. There were no ribbons, no walks, but sickness. Because people with cancer are sick. They lose their hair and lose weight. They throw up because chemo makes them sick and foods just stop tasting good. Though this book doesn’t go into the nitty gritty, it does give you that image of things not being perfect. This book got real in those areas and I think that was really important.
2. There were some awesome characters. I related to Lucy so much in so many ways, as I have already said. But Lucy is so much more than her grief and her situation. Throughout the book we see Lucy grow, discover, and learn so much about her life and the world around. She becomes a strong individual, ready to tackle any of life problems. This growth is definitely in thanks to her friends that she makes at Daybreak. All of these characters felt real to me. They broke down and took breaks. They were sarcastic but also serious. They were there for each other no matter what happened. Each one has a complex background filled with challenges they had to overcome, but none of that seemed forced. Everything flowed and their relationships really worked so well together. I just adored this group and I want to be a part of it.
3. Emery Lord just has a way with words. Within the first few pages I was sucked in. The words flowed and they hit me. They hit me in so many ways that I found myself diving in for more. A few of my favorite quotes…
   

   “Here’s what I am learning: Sometimes, the bg changes seem to happen in small, fast moments. A diagnosis. A breakup. A crush. But usually, there was something there – underlying, building up – all along.”

   Hasn’t Daybreak shown me, day after day, that people can outlast unbelieveable pain? That human hearts are like noble little ants, able to carry so much more weight that you’d expect.”

   “It is not the type of love that ends.”

In the end, this book was everything I wanted and an excellent reminder of why I love Emery Lord’s books. I felt like this book was written directly for me. It gave me so many things to think about and almost gave me a little bit of closure on old wounds that have been there for a long time.

I think everyone needs to read this book. It will give you an account of grief that you can’t find in a lot of places. It will give you something real, raw, and something that I went through (as well as many others). Definitely pick up this book.

QUESTION: What are some of your favorite contemporaries?