Jesus Jackson

October 20, 2014
Daley's first novel revolves around the psychological and philosophical conflicts facing 14-year-old Jonathan Stiles. His older brother, Ryan, has just been found dead in a ravine; Jonathan believes he was killed, but everyone else thinks Ryan's death was accidental. Jonathan attends the ultra-religious St. Soren's Academy, where he is a loner, due in part to his atheism. In a state of shock and confusion following Ryan's death, Jonathan meets Jesus Jackson, a self-proclaimed "Spiritual Contractor" who wants to help Jonathan rediscover his faith. Though Jonathan frequently reflects upon matters of belief in the aftermath of Ryan's death, he is more concerned with avoiding his classmates and their disingenuous sympathies and finding Ryan's killer. The last time Jonathan and his friend Henry saw Ryan was during a "drug-enraged fistfight," and a football player is their chief suspect. Daley believably depicts Jonathan's conflicting emotions as he passes through the stages of grief. Yet Jesus Jackson comes across more as a gimmick than a real catalyst for Jonathan's developing understanding of loss, faith, and the unknown. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
When high school football hero Ryan Stiles is found dead at the bottom of a ravine, the only person not consumed by grief is his younger brother.Jonathan has reason to believe his brother's death was no accident. While everyone around him goes through the many stages of grief, Jonathan can only investigate. The book works as parallel mysteries: On one track are the shady details of Ryan's death, and on the other are the religious and spiritual questions brought up by his demise. Jonathan's friend Henry and Ryan's girlfriend, Tristan, help him solve the murder, while the mysterious "Jesus Jackson" helps Jonathan with his theological needs. Daley's use of Jesus as a sounding board for Jonathan's crisis of faith makes for the book's most surreal and intimate moments. The author argues the necessity of faith regardless of where it is placed, a simple concept that is refreshed when delivered in such an unusual fashion. The book excels, sidestepping holier-than-thou rhetoric and addressing the pain of loss head-on as well as painting a wonderful depiction of a young man coming to terms with how he was raised and how he wants to lead his own life. The mystery element and minor romance are icing on the cake: well-executed and finely tuned, complementing the book's major themes in all the right ways.Smart and sweet, comforting and moving. (Fiction. 12-16)

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August 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Jonathan Stiles, 14, just learned that his older, football star brother has died in a freak accident. He already struggles to understand his parents' divorce, how to survive his first year of high school, and his ever-increasing questions about religion. The first-person narrative will easily draw readers in and through a series of flashbacks, teens will come to understand older brother Ryan's previous role as mediator between Jonathan and their squabbling parents. Caught between their strict Catholic mom and Buddhist Dad, religion has become a bone of contention within the family. During ninth-grade orientation, Jonathan and his new best friend, Henry, take a shortcut through the woods where they find Ryan and his football buddies, and the brothers have a falling out. That's the last time Jonathan sees Ryan alive. It is while Jonathan is questioning what occurred with his brother that he stumbles onto the football field and meets Jesus Jackson. This is where the story cleverly travels in two different directions: there is the mystery about what actually happened to Ryan, and there is Jonathan's struggle to come to terms with his faith. Jesus is almost always out on the football field when Jonathan seeks him out. It's here that he questions and wrestles with his faith in God, in himself, and in the people he loves and respects. Jonathan is a multidimensional character who learns to make a leap of faith and must be willing to accept the consequences for his leap. An engaging, suspenseful read that teens will not be able to put down.-Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

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