Letters to My Son in Prison is a powerful, deeply personal exploration of fatherhood, faith, and redemption. Ken Guidroz’s raw and candid account of his journey through his son Lucas’s struggles with addiction and imprisonment is both heart-breaking and inspiring. The story centre's on their relationship, which deteriorates after Lucas accidentally kills a man while high on heroin, and how writing letters becomes their path to reconnecting.

Guidroz’s writing is honest and vulnerable, offering a window into the immense guilt, doubt, and sorrow that come with a parent's worst fears realized. His struggle to reconcile his faith while grappling with the reality of his son’s actions adds an emotional layer that makes the book not just about a family crisis but about personal spiritual transformation. The shift from his role as a pastor to a father whose faith is being tested feels both intimate and relatable.

The letters exchanged between Ken and Lucas are poignant and moving, capturing the slow rebuilding of their relationship. Lucas’s eventual apology to the victim’s widow is a moment of profound healing, and the book’s focus on the importance of communication in the most difficult times is both uplifting and humbling.

Though at times the story delves heavily into Ken’s internal struggle with faith, which may not resonate with all readers, the universal themes of love, forgiveness, and perseverance make this book a touching and important read for anyone facing personal or familial hardships.

.tragic and sad but honest and beautiful. thanks for the chance to review. I found this to be A really tightly written narrative..

It's a gut-wrenching experience for a parent when our kids suffer. It doesn't matter if they've been a victim of someone's bad decision or accidental harm. It doesn't matter if they've done something stupid and are reaping the consequences. It hurts, any way you look at it.

This book grabs you and thrashes you about with the honesty and transparency of a father's heartbreak and restoration. It shares the account of life we never imagine and never sign up for when we hold our babies in our arms and promise to raise them well. It explores the feelings of betrayal and grief and anger that accompany our journeys with kids who screw up.

And it offers hope. Guidroz and his wife talk about the pressures and relief of God taking us through the valleys of shadows where we never expected to walk. If your kids are healthy, if they're a mess, if they're with or against you, you'll want to read this book -

And if you have friends who are making bad choices, you'll be better informed and better equipped to love and care for them in the middle of the consequences that are coming.

This was a very emotive read- following a Father's take on the lead up and imprisonment of his son. Ken Guidroz reflects on his faith and his experience as a father as he candidly tells us of the experience his family went through. Ultimately it could happen to anyone and is an absolutely heartbreaking experience to all who were involved.

This is a father's story of his family's tough journey of having a son go to prison. He tells about how this all came to be, & how he (& his wife) dealt with it. The title pretty much explains the premise of the book. He exposes/discusses his raw feelings, questions & tough decisions that he faced/wrestled with.....throughout this whole time. It's an easy to read account, & might be relatable to many with children...? I think it's a good read for everyone, even those without kids......it might offer a little bit of an empathetic light to be shared....
I received an e-ARC from publisher BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for review purposes. This is my own fair/honest review.

Ken Guidroz is father to three sons, a pastor in a local church, and a man with problems. His children don’t quite live the life he envisioned for them. They have difficulty being the kids of the pastor ~ can’t misbehave, can’t go dancing but his middle son Lucas grows up as a drug addict. Mr Guidroz and his wife try everything to get him sorted and he tries rehab several times. Eventually they withdraw slightly as it is affecting them too much. Then Lucas kills a man when he’s driving.

The book is incredibly honest and the author absolutely examines every nuance of his own life and his choices and how they impact his son. But under everything there is hope as Lucas and his father bond through long letters and reading classic books. A young man who was disruptive and selfish becomes one reading Solzhenitsyn, Vonnegut, and Faulkner and discussing philosophy and theology.

I enjoyed the book and all the various characters introduced. It was interesting to see into lives so horribly impacted by a single act - including the family of the dead man. The way people react to the family is at times heartbreaking and sometimes uplifting but always written with frank generosity.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.

While I didn't hate this book, I didn't particularly love it either. I think I expected it to be about letters to his son while in prison and it really to me anyway, was more about parenting and the ups and downs that go right along with it. His son caused them to make extremely difficult decisions that ultimately caused so much tension and argument between husband and wife and their other children. I can't imagine having to make some of the decisions they were forced to make and tried to put myself in their shoes. I appreciate NetGalley giving me the opportunity to read this book in an exchange for an honest review.

"Letters to My Son in Prison" by Ken Guidroz is a poignant and heart-rending collection of correspondence between a father and his incarcerated son. Through letters, Guidroz paints an intimate portrait of their relationship, revealing the depths of love and the challenges of separation.

The author's words are raw and genuine, as he offers advice, support, and unwavering encouragement. Guidroz's storytelling explores the impact of the criminal justice system on families and the resilience required to navigate it.

This book is a powerful and deeply moving testimony to the strength of paternal bonds and the enduring hope for redemption.

Gritty. Sad. Raw. Real. Uncomfortable. Inspiring. Tragic. Redemptive. Hopeful. Heartbreaking. These are just a few descriptors of this book, the true events it describes, and how I felt reading it. Author Guidroz lays bare his soul about the tragedy that engulfed his entire family and ruined another’s.

Five stars, period. If you have an incarcerated loved one, this book is for you. If you know someone who has an incarcerated loved one, give this book to them. Really, unless you are only a fan of fiction, you should read this book. I’m giving a copy of it to my Mom.

My thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author via Netgalley. All opinions are mine and offered freely. But seriously, get this book; if not for you then for someone you know.

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This book was so real and I really enjoyed Ken Guidroz sharing his story and his heart. He did a great job of explaining the legal system and his feelings as a parent. He was very truthful about the problems that he and his wife faced as well as their other children.

This was a book about a man dealing with the addiction that filled his family. He has three sons—two of which struggle with addiction. One of his sons makes this terrible decision and it results in a horrible loss of life and prison sentence.
But the tragic parts of all that turn out to be just what sad and son needed. They start writing letters to each other that discuss everything. Things that likely wouldn’t have been discussed had it not been for their situation. It’s a lovely bond between father and son in the middle of bad times. I enjoyed the story line itself of the sons going through addiction and struggles. I could have gone without some of the other stuff.

Lucas Guidroz was high on heroin “and a week into a raging drug-and-alcohol binge” when his car hit a 53-year-old bicycler, killing him instantly. While he “saw the crumpled body on the road and immediately knew what he’d done…he floored it.”

"Letters to My Son in Prison" is a book that left a significant impact, offering a poignant and raw glimpse into the struggles of addiction and the human experience behind prison bars. While it occasionally veered into preachiness, it excelled in portraying parents as flawed, loving individuals. The book's depiction of prison life and the often stigmatized population within is both eye-opening and thought-provoking. It leaves readers pondering the emotions of the widow, adding a layer of complexity to this touching narrative. Overall, a powerful read that resonates on multiple levels.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little hesitant to pick this memoir up, just because I am not religious, however, I needn't have worried. Although a solid section of the narrative was about the loss of faith and revitalization of it, I found it a refreshing take of how beliefs are challenged in moments of crisis.

I think it’s also super important that a former church leader wrote this book. Many times church leaders and those in high standing are exemplified to an extreme and become a sort of untouchable, golden model for how to be in this world. I believe Ken writing this book will be very important for other Christian families struggling, as it pulls the curtain back on perfection, showing that each and every family (regardless of who you are) has struggles and must fight through darkness to get back to the light. That anyone can be in a situation that causes their faith to waiver, regardless of who you are.

Most novels and memoirs concerning addiction often focus on the addiction itself, rather than the aftermath. Whereas Ken focuses almost completely on the aftermath post-addiction and the fraying of relationships, faith, marriages etc. that come with having a loved one that at rock bottom. Not only does Ken show his son (the former addict) at his rock bottom, but he also opens up about his own. He doesn’t hide the extreme emotions he felt throughout the memoir, nor does he shield the reader from the truth about how those emotions affected the others in his family.

The memoir becomes centered around the letters that Ken and his son write to one another while Lucas (the son) is in prison and how writing is the instrument that allows healing between him and his son. As I think many of us can relate, talking about some of the tough stuff in person or even verbally can be difficult to communicate, where writing allows a slight level of anonymity that can make communication easier. One thing that I liked is that Ken puts some of these letters into the memoir itself, but at the same time, not so many that it is overwhelming.

It was beautiful to read along as time and writing healed so many wounds. Would recommend this, especially to anyone wavering in their faith, dealing with substance abuse or dealing with strained relationships with children.

A beautiful, heartwritten and heart warming story of a Father's love, doubt and devotion. I laughed, cried, feared and cheered along with Ken as he poured his heart out across these pages.

From seeing Ken's vulnerability as a son at his father's bedside, to reading his incredibly thought-provoking and vulnerable letters to his son, I could not put this book down.

I turned the final page desperately hoping to read that Ken had a library of books he'd written waiting for me to read - but I know that this won't be his last either and I look forward to hopefully reading Ken's versions of bible stories many of us may gloss over or overlook because his gift of storytelling is so powerful!

The idea of this book was more promising than the actual read.

It’s an ok book but not one that I’ll remember.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy. This memoir was heartbreaking. The author dug deep and was extremely candid about a tragic personal situation. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to understand addiction, particularly parents of adult children who have had these challenges. The way the author and his wife finally set boundaries when the son was arrested was inspiring. It definitely set the path for them all to get on the road to recovery. Of course, my heart breaks also for the victim and his wife and family.

I was so impressed with the honesty in this book and with the way he kept it focused on his own story and journey even as it intersected with so many others.

This book hooked me in rom the cover. The subject matter is actually so much more than letters to my son in prision. Its about everyday parenting dilemma. Alongside loosing yourself in so nany ways alongside your belief in something higher.. it was written from a raw no holds bared point if view with more of a narative than a collection of letters whi h gives the book much more feeling.
Well written and edited. A pleasure to share such a story.
Thank you to netgallery and publisher and author for a highly re omnended 5 star read.

“You also know in your heart, that life will not always be good. And when it turns, when the goodness is swallowed up by that which is not good, whatever that may be, in whatever form that may take, you recall this verse:

When times are good be happy. When times are bad remember that God made one as well as the other.”

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me read Letters to My Son in Prison by Ken Guidroz.

This story is about a family losing a son to drug addiction and going to prison. It’s about a father questioning his parenting skills and asking what he could have done different raising his boys. Its a story of a family’s faith being shaken and tested to the core and finding God and rediscovery Him all over again. We see how God brings someone who experienced addiction and made it through to provide their son HOPE.

Through the exchange of beautifully written letters, a father and son experience gradual renewal and rebirth during their a time of darkness.

I really enjoyed this book, a very honest account of some very difficult feelings and emotions, and how he went about dealing with a nightmare situation.
This book follows a fathers journey as he questions his parenting and faith when his son faces the consequences of doing the unthinkable. It is well written, and taps into an array of emotions. I appreciated the honesty of his feelings and judgements of others, whilst doing the tough work of self reflection. Definitely a story that will stay with me.