Some stories don't end. They echo.
A privatized youth facility. A program built on silence. And a handful of children who refuse to disappear.
Names Like Prayers is a tense, emotionally charged novel about twenty-three kids trapped inside a “behavioral reform” experiment designed to erase them. Instead, they form the one thing the system never planned for:
A family.
Inside the facility:
- A medic keeps a secret ledger of the dying.
- A grandmother stitches names into torn paper so they won't be forgotten.
- A witness stays awake eight days to keep a stranger alive.
- A group of kids builds a sanctuary from bookshelves, insulin, and borrowed faith.
The state calls it rehabilitation. The contractors call it research.
The survivors call it what it is: A fight not to be erased.
What Readers Are Saying
Loved it! 😍
Scott’s tale is a beacon of hope, advocating for “love over hate” and full of the resilience of the human spirit to overcome and persevere.
At a time in current history where the 1% are stripping society for parts, Names Like Prayers mirrors governmental corruption in an age of late-stage capitalism and the growing specter of Evangelical Manifest Destiny.
The prose, while tackling the weighty issue of whether the ends justify the means when it comes to human life, is easy to parse and at times almost lyrical.
Why Readers Can't Put It Down
- A countdown structure where every hour matters
- A story about quiet courage, written with literary heart and cinematic urgency
- Characters who choose protection when the system demands silence
- A message that stays with you: Some people survive because someone remembers their name
What You'll Feel
This isn’t dystopian fiction. It isn’t speculative. It’s now. It’s real.
This is a novel about what happens when people refuse to disappear. It’s about choosing each other when violence would be easier. It’s about holding the line.
If you love Just Mercy, The Nickel Boys, or Between the World and Me, you’ll feel at home here.
Download Names Like Prayers
- Your special edition includes:
- A classroom-tested Reader's Guide
- Reflection prompts for groups and solo readers
- A printable "Names" page to carry the story forward
