What Daddy Did

by Neal Shusterman

Just one big happy family...

That's the way Preston Scott would have described his all-American family. His parents seemed to have everything, including the ideal marriage. But then their perfect life started to unravel. Mr. and Mrs. Scott began to fight - vicious, hurtful, drawn-out battles that went on day after day. Finally one day Mrs. Scott moved out. And that's when Preston's nightmare began...

Now, three years later, Preston's dad is getting out of prison, and Preston is no closer to coming to terms with his feelings about him. Because how can you forgive your father for killing someone...when that someone was your mother?

Here is Preston's searing true story about upheaval, growth, faith ... and the power of love.

This unforgettable novel is a fictionalized account based on the words of the boy who experienced these events firsthand.

"Impossible to put down . . . a stunning novel."

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Religion, School

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.

In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.

As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.

Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.

Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”

Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.

Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.

Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."

And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.

Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!

Reviews

[Neil Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The truth is that bad things happen to good people sometimes, and good people can do evil things."

Well, yes, I've read another book from my favorite-est author, Neal Shusterman. This book was previously named What Daddy Did but has been re-released this October 2015 and now entitled Chasing Forgiveness, which is a very fitting title, in my honest opinion.

Personally, I don't exactly know what to feel about this book. I don't exactly know what to think. It's a mixed emotions and jumbled thoughts inside me when I'm reading it until now.

Chasing Forgiveness, inspired by a tragic true story, is a book about a teenage boy who is trying to forgive the unforgivable. When Preston Scott is 12 years old, his father killed her mother. And the rest is chasing forgiveness.

To be honest, I still can't react properly about this book. I am so conflicted, I have no idea what to write. So what I am just going to say are: (a) I like Preston's character a lot and how he managed to handle all the storm of clashing emotions and thoughts that ravaged on his way through life, and (b) read this book.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Legendary for his YA novels—including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker and Arc of a Scythe trilogies, Challenger Deep, and Bruiser—Neal Shusterman was an author for years before rising to international prominence. What Daddy Did (later retitled Chasing Forgiveness) is one of his early offerings, and it's unlike almost anything else he ever wrote. The book takes a nearly documentary approach to a family destroyed by a crime most people could not imagine occurring in their own family. The story is somewhat fictionalized, but the major events happened to the real Preston Scott.

Life hasn't been easy lately at Preston's house. His parents, who fell in love in their mid-teens, have ferocious arguments that scare Preston and his little brother, Tyler. Will they divorce like Preston's friend Russ Talbert's parents plan to? The situation deteriorates from 1982 to 1984, at which point the married couple is about ready to call it quits. They put their house on the market and start discussing where the boys will live. Preston doesn't want to see it end like this, and secretly, neither does his father: Danny Scott has a few tricks to persuade his wife that their union can be saved. If only he can convince her to listen.

When Danny's wife stands firm that she wants a divorce, his demeanor changes. Preston senses the desperation around his father, the crazy impulsiveness. His wife's hints that she's in a relationship with another man infuriate Danny. Is she sneaking behind his back with Weavin' Warren Sharp, professional football wide receiver? How could she trash their marriage before giving it one last try? Danny grows more erratic in the weeks leading up to March of '84, and Preston is afraid of him. But he doesn't fathom the depths of his father's psychosis until the police show up one evening at Preston's maternal grandparents' house, where the boys often stay, with news that shatters any semblance of a normal life: Preston's mother is dead. His father shot her.

The shock of the first few days is a fevered nightmare. Preston is barely aware what's happening around him. His mother antagonized his father for years, goading him to terminate the marriage, but she didn't deserve to die, and Preston and Tyler don't deserve to lose their mother. Preston's grandparents absorb the blow better than anyone; they've known Danny most of his life, and natural as it would be to loathe him for killing their daughter, they don't turn on him. No one knows if his legal defense is true, that he lost his mind and has no recollection of shooting his wife, yet the victim's parents extend him the benefit of the doubt, testifying on his behalf at trial. Preston's mind is a quagmire of emotion impossible to navigate right now, but he, too, offers to speak under oath in support of his father. Months of legal proceedings result in a plea deal for Danny to spend five years in prison. Preston is tormented, unsure if he did the right thing standing up for the accused or if he betrayed his own mother, but at least he can decompress for a bit now. He and Tyler have their grandparents, and as stable a life as possible without a mother or father.

"People who spread rumors...like lies better than they like the truth. Don't trust anyone who spreads rumors."

—Jason, What Daddy Did, P. 124

We exhale along with Preston as the pressure ebbs. He, Tyler, and their grandparents move to a new neighborhood and school where they won't be known as the family struck by bloody tragedy. Preston makes friends and becomes interested in girls as he reaches his teen years. People find out his sordid family history, but it never derails him too badly. Danny's prison sentence, already short for a crime that had been tried as first- and second-degree murder, is commuted to two years, and a convicted killer is about to rejoin the family. Preston and Tyler visited frequently when Danny was in jail awaiting trial, and went to see him as often as possible in prison, but this will be the first time in years they've spent time around him with no strings attached. When Danny drives up to the house to find his sons outside waiting for him, there are tears and lots of volatile emotion that everyone tries to temper in the interest of making it through the moment. The consequences for Danny's crime are in the past as long as he doesn't violate parole, and he'll soon have a new job to support himself and his estranged kids, but feeling like a family again is more complicated. Preston was never able to fully ascertain what Tyler feels about the murder, but Preston is conflicted inside, even as he tries to mask it for fear of upsetting his father. Which person affected by the shooting truly has the longest road to recovery?

"Life would be so much easier without people telling us what we're supposed to feel—what we're supposed to do. Life would be so much easier if everyone left us alone."

—What Daddy Did, P. 179

There are intense moments over the next few years, but they're minor compared to most novels of this sort. Neal Shusterman respects the quiet nature of Preston's coming to terms with his father's crime. He'll never know how culpable Danny actually was, but Preston has to live with helping dramatically reduce his sentence. If not for Preston and his grandparents, Danny could have gone to prison for life or faced execution. That burden of doubt will never completely ease for Preston. The pathway back to normality is relatively unspectacular, but Preston still isn't sure he's forgiven his father for that terrible Thursday in March of '84. Can he ever be certain he forgives Danny? In a winsome, painfully honest final chapter, Preston and his father confront their lingering doubts and come to terms with a trauma they'll never put behind them entirely. That's life, and partial resolution of our problems is the only reasonable goal. But it still can be a miracle.

Preston hopes his parents won't divorce early on in What Daddy Did, but staying together ends up costing them more than he could have known. Dissolution of a marriage is sad, but necessary if continued proximity endangers a life. Preston at age eleven or twelve shouldn't be blamed for not wanting his mom and dad to split up; every child wants a stable home, and divorce undermines that. Preston's view on divorce at that time is thoughtful: "It's like going to the store and buying clothes, wearing them for years and years, then returning them and asking for your money back...A store won't buy back a pair of used jeans, so how come people can trade each other in, like it was nothing? If your only pair of jeans is torn, you get a needle and some thread, and you sew them up, right? Parents should be the same way." Divorce shouldn't be regarded lightly. If we put in the effort to mend torn garments, shouldn't we do that much more to fix broken relationships? Reconciling with a loved one is immeasurably more rewarding than casting them away and starting anew. But in the case of Preston's family, not divorcing ends up being so much worse. His mother dead, his father a shell of himself after doing time in prison, Preston has to decide if he's willing to accept Danny as his father, not just a man who moves in with his offspring until they grow up and leave home. What should forgiveness look like in Preston's situation? There's no schematic for doing it right, but Preston must figure out his feelings before he's too old for it to matter. You only get one childhood with your father.

What Daddy Did is a subtle work, and it took time to grow on me. Neal Shusterman is usually the king of twists, but this book more resembles the gradual, wistful arc of an early Susan Beth Pfeffer novel than the wild thrills of Unwind. Preston's emotional reaction to his mother's death is not absent, but it isn't as raw as in Julius Lester's When Dad Killed Mom. I shed tears reading that novel, but wasn't so moved by What Daddy Did. What pushes me to round my two-and-a-half-star rating to three, and strongly consider the full three, is the poignancy that cloaks the story. Preston and Tyler's loss is profound, but all that's left to them is to move on. The years and decades will pass without their mother, and there won't ever be another day they don't have to cope with that. It's a burden the kids and Danny carry equally, but forgiveness can make it bearable. What Daddy Did is not a typical Neal Shusterman novel, but there's a lot to love about it, and I suspect I'll love it more over time. Stories that require years to fully settle into one's heart are often the best of all.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.75 Stars]
While I really enjoyed this book, I just wished there was more. I think if some of the issues were expanded and some conversations longer, I would have rated it higher. As it is, it is still wonderful and well worth the read. I have no idea how I would have handled the situation Preston was in, but I doubt it would have been as well as he did. I'd probably be more akin to the uncle. It's based on a true story which is just incredible, and I can't wait to read more of Neal Shusterman's earlier works.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generally speaking, I enjoy Neal Shusterman's novels. He manages to not only entertain, but to force readers to puzzle out serious moral issues in an evenhanded way. The problem here in Chasing Forgiveness is that I find he comes down hard on one side of the issue, and I think it's the wrong side--dead wrong. (Pun intended). Frankly, I think this book is dangerous.

The supposed premise of the book is this: Preston's father kills Preston's mother. He comes out of jail four years later. Does Preston forgive his father or not?

A big deal is made of the "forgiveness" angle. But the book, when read closely, isn't really about forgiveness. It's about letting a felon who has committed domestic violence free in society, where he can harm people again. And we're told it's good to look the other way and let the felon move on.

In the novel, Preston's mother argues with his father because he "makes rules for her, like he makes rules for us kids." This is a clear DV red flag. He was controlling.

In the novel, Preston's dad talks over and over about how much he loved his wife. Preston's grandparents and Preston himself greatly romanticize the relationship prior to the final 2 years of the parents marriage. Supposedly, Dad went nuts because he couldn't imagine his wife with another man or even out of his life. THAT IS NOT LOVE -- it is selfishness. True love is letting go when the person feels trapped, doesn't want you, and is even afraid of you. True love is honoring other people's boundaries. True love means respecting that only G-d can take away someone's life. Sending the message that "real, deep love = so obsessed he kills you and tries to kill himself" is basically telling women and girls that either true love is scary or that true love means accepting the attentions of an abusive man.

Much is made about how the mom wasn't 100% good, and -- later -- how messed up Preston's dad's first new girlfriend are. They could be as witchy as possible and still not deserve to die. In fact, Preston, his family, and the community all let this woman (and a later one) date a convicted killer with a history of DV for a while before telling her of this past! No one should *ever* allow something like that to happen. Preston seems more concerned with whether this is a nice woman for his dad than whether his dad could potentially kill her. Those who commit DV are usually repeat offenders, and it's no coincidence that those who abuse their wife, mother, or girlfriend are more likely to kill others in generally (and particularly women in their lives) than the general population. If we're not going to lock people up for shooting their wives, can we at least not put the women around them in harm's way?

Finally, we see no sign that Preston's dad has had any therapy or counselling -- despite the fact Preston reports controlling, abusive behavior even prior to the murder of his mom and reportedly blacked out in the middle of a rage and shot both his wife and himself -- and we are directly told that neither Preston nor his brother get counseling. This is even though Preston and his little brother both show signs of psychological trauma and confusion (lashing out with scissors at a car, going through girlfriends without telling them about his past and without trying to form an emotional bond with them, asking a teacher, "Is it okay to kill someone?"). This family isn't some kind of romantic ideal of forgiveness...it's a whole lot o' denial and future problems brewing.

Having the supposedly so-very-religious grandparents push the forgiveness angle is just another pressure on these children. And it makes it seem like turning away from harm is the G-dly thing to do.

But the real G-dly thing to do is to protect others from harm. You don't put stumbling blocks from the blind, you protect society from murderers, and even if you personally decide to not hold a grudge, you still don't put perps in positions where they can continue to commit similar crimes.

This society doesn't seem to care about DV, nor about the deaths of women in general. We throw our arms up in the air over children dying, but let women die in DV incidents all the damn time with little complaint. This book just continues that trend.

So, go read a Neal Shusterman book. Just not this one.

[BookCupid · Rating 2 out of 5]

She'd be rolling in her grave

Preston and his little brother Tyler lost their mom to a tragic crime accident after their dad, depressed from the recent divorce shot her with the neighbor's gun. What follows is Preston's adaptation as he assimilates the news and suffers from alienation or pity from his classmates.

Sadly, crimes of passion are seen on the news all the time. And in this book, the crime appears to have gone under the radar. Dad gets five years in jail, thanks to her parents testifying in his favor. They even take him into their home, where Preston offers to remove mom's pictures so dad won't be haunted by the events. Dad gets to date, work as a manager, consider another marriage.... Heck, dad gets a life!

Although I'm aware that Shusterman tried to convey the message that it's normal for Preston to love his dad regardless of what happened, I felt that aside from Uncle Steve, no one was angry (a normal emotion related to grief). This man deprived his sons of their mother and it's tragic to see this book was based on real events.

[Cori Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why does this book have so few ratings? It's Neal Shusterman!

That said, this book is based on the true story of a teenage boy on a journey to forgive his father for the unthinkable. I think it offered a really unique and valid perspective, if one that I couldn't empathize with.

A heartbreaking and quick read that was enjoyable but left me with questions.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was younger. Such a good book. My family actually knew the wife's mom, such a sweet lady but very sad story

[Ralfcapili]

Chasing forgiveness
Title and Author : chasing forgiveness by neal shusterman
Date of Publication : October 13 , 2015
Setting: the book take’s place in a coastal Emerican Town during the late 1980’s
Main Character: The main character of the book is Preston Scott, he was only 12 when his father killed his mother. After, he lived with his grandparents while his father was imprisoned for the next five years.
Brief Plot Summary: Chasing Forgiveness by Neal Shusterman is a book for young adults about a young boy, Preston Scott who had lost not only his mother but his life as he knew it. Preston grew up with his parents and his younger brother, Danny, Megan, and Tyler. Their parents were always having disagreements, and one night it had gone too far. Megan left, and soon enough found a new boyfriend, Warren Sharp. However, Danny wasn’t impressed and approached the situation a few weeks later. As a result, Preston and Tyler Scott had lost their Mother to a gun, and now their Father to prison.
Central Themes: coming of age, mortality, family, forgiveness
Personal Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. It doesn’t just talk about how Megan was killed by Danny, it talks about the struggle that Preston and Tyler have growing up. Tyler, was too young to comprehend the situation at the time, however, Preston was overwhelmed about the two losses he had. I connected with Preston because I also live with my grandparents, and know what it’s like to not have my parents as my role models. In addition, the books strengths include Preston’s feelings, whereas, its flaws include the lack of perspective from the father and mother. In a way, the book just briefly says that Danny killed Megan, it doesn’t really go into as much depth as I wished it did.

[Hannah Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read powerful books before
ones that make me think and my heart wrench at the evil in the world
ones that have made me gush because forgiveness thrives and there's love even though the person doesn't deserve it

wow. this book was all of that... but has made me a emotional mess. yeah I've teared up in other books
but this
this one was. ugh.
it's about love, God, forgiveness, and so many important things. this is a really important book. everyone should read it.
so so important.
it deserves more stars. I don't know what else to say. just read it.

[Roderick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Misogynous murderer pays little consequences for his violent actions: condoning masculine violence against women is confused with Christian forgiveness. It’s typical in a misogynous world & a racist country, for a (white) man to serve only 2 years for murdering his wife. What I found outrageous about these factual events was how a wife-murderer gets a completely happy ending, even a new wife (whom he can kill when his masculine ego is threatened again), while his female victim is still dead, unable to hug her children or even get any loyalty from her deeply delusional self-proclaimed “Christian” parents. The only good person in this is her brother Steve, who still shows Christian restraint (not even cursing at the killer, let alone doing any bodily harm), even though he’s totally justified in hating his sister’s unrepentant murderer. The only lesson the boys got was: ‘It’s okay to kill a woman if anything she does threatens your sense of masculinity’ and even worse (since it’s completely unScriptural) ‘God is okay with that.’ Indeed, to be born male is to live truly free of any lasting negative consequences. I see a future in which the smiling younger son becomes a violent man, possibly even killing his grandparents, in a righteous rage that has been denied him for years: it would have been better for them to get real therapy and apply the Bible’s counsel accurately, instead of create this false, blasphemous version of God’s Word."

[Jacquelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really intriguing and intense read. I've never read a book where the one parent of a child kills the other parent (this is in the summary, not a spoiler). It was definitely something new for me to read but I thought the execution of the story was really well done.

I enjoyed the use of the flashbacks before it all happened so that way we could sort of see the buildup of the event. I also appreciated the importance of family in this book, especially since they all (well most) came together in such a time of need.

However, I just wish that we could have seen more of Preston's mom within the flashbacks before it all happened. I wanted to get to know his mom a little more so that was one of my few complaints. We also got a half a page epilogue but I would have enjoyed a full chapter or so on that. I enjoyed the closure but would have liked just a tiny bit more. I think this book was definitely a great way to close out my year of 2015 reading wise.

[Melissa Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars because it's well-written and has you doing an enormous amount of soul searching. However, I am the "Uncle Steve" of my world. If my dad killed my mom, there'd be NO FORGIVENESS. At times, I was in awe that her own parents and the children could forgive him but I absolutely COULD NOT. It was truly powerful that they could, but I'm still like effff that noise. Then I was real irritated with Preston because you chose to forgive your dad but then acted like a spoiled child when you didn't get your way. I think the dad should have had more than a 5 year sentence... and I'm surprised the jury didn't convict. Like I said, frustrating, soul searching, but well-written... definitely a different world than I'm used to from Shusterman

[Elaina Kindagottapoopis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was in elementary school. I was a twisted kid, obsessed with murder and all that. Anyway, point is, I reread this book last week, and it's awesome.

It's a quick read, and I picked it up for a laugh, thinking, "this is going to be hilarious, Lifetime channel style."

It wasn't.

This book is based on a true story about a young boy who's father murders his mother. If I give away any other details of this book, I'll feel that I've said too much. Read it. Adult, young adult, whatever.

Do it.

[Tami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't tend to read realistic fiction because the real world is sad enough. Given this is based on a true story, it makes it all more heartbreaking. Preston is admirable. Although I'm just really upset the dad got off so easily, unfortunately, that's the way it goes in real life too.

[Brenda Ho · Rating 1 out of 5]

Greatly lacked depth.

[Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Neal Shusterman this book was very disappointing.

I started reading this book because I was very intrigued by the plot and it felt lackluster. The book is about forgiveness but the subject was barely touched. After Preston’s dad got out of jail his entire family was simply walking on eggshells around his dad. It got to the point where the roles were reversed between Preston and his dad. They were treating him as a fragile child and completely ignoring the fact that he killed Preston’s mom. That’s not forgiveness in the slightest.

The ending made up for it a little bit but it isn’t enough to save this book.

[Oni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really hard to admit the hate, yet to love the ones who made you suffer... https://bit.ly/chaseforgive

[P.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read many realistic stories because the real world is depressing enough. Stories of domestic abuse are terrifying.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Neal Shusterman’s early works, What Daddy Did/Chasing Forgiveness already exhibits his keen insight into the human psyche. In this fictionalized account of actual events, teenager Preston Scott loses both parents when their acrimonious relationship ends with mom shot and dad imprisoned for her murder. Fortunately, Preston and his younger brother, Tyler, have a stable home with their maternal grandparents but life is forever changed. Quiet, smiling Tyler becomes even more quiet except for unexpected outbursts or alarming drawings. Preston throws himself into athletics and often finds himself running to try to escape the demons in his head and his anger spills out violently and frequently. How do you continue loving the father who meant the world to you when he killed the mother you loved so much? True to real life, Danny Prescott is released from prison after only a few years and is forgiven and taken in by his dead wife’s parents. Shusterman focuses on Preston’s conflicting emotions and presents a poignant struggle between love, hate, anger, and forgiveness. Fans of Unwind, Arc of the Scythe, and Dry need to look more for the author who gave us Bruiser. Recommended for readers grade 8 and up, but if a younger reader has the maturity to understand the deep emotional conflicts, the text is free from profanity and sexual content and the violence described is primarily that of Preston as he lashes out at others or pushes his body to its limits.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dark, real dark in a life of a child. The memories about his life now printed on him, won’t be able to erase. How much love he has for his father to forgive all this, to loves him still? How much love they have for each other to live side by side after the event occurred? I don’t have the answer, but Preston does, his dad does, his grandpa does and his grandma does.

I came through this book as a recommendation from my professor. More than what I expected, Neal drives me in a conflict between family members, between their selfishness, between their self-esteem. Dad wasn’t as fault, mom wasn’t as fault. They just can’t get along. How many time I wished they can let everything go easily. Money can’t buy happiness. I hate the mom sometimes but she doesn’t deserve that ending, how pitty she was, this beautiful women now can’t even start on her new life that she wished for. I feel sorry for the dad too. His love seemed useless, he was trying to save his soul, saves the family and his love. But mom refused to play along. So they took the wrong path, since that moment everything broke. Everyone got hurt.

I somehow wished I didn’t purchase this book, didn’t know about this story. So my soul can be rest and sleep well at night. But anyway, I still recommend this book. It was well written and full of emotional.

[Robert Lechleitner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's safe to say that I really enjoy everything that I have read by Neal Shusterman so far and can easily say he's an instant read author. This book was something I never knew I needed to read but I'm so glad that I did. While I can't say that I relate to Preston in regards to the situation that completely changes his life. I can absolutely relate to all the feelings he was dealing with as a teen grasping with a life altering change. The quote that drives this book and all the feelings that Preston struggles with and as I teen I struggled with too at his age under different circumstances is "Do you know what it's like to love someone more then anything in the world, but hate them, too?"

This story is about life and death, of anger and forgiveness and unspeakable crime that no human being should have to endure. While I can't say that everyone can relate to the exact situation that shatters Preston's world. I can guarantee this book will hit you in the feels on a deep and raw level. Bring your box of tissues because you'll be needing them by the end.

[Seema M. Fazil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book I picked up by Neal Shusterman, and how I loved it! It was the most amazing contemporary realistic fiction I've ever read. So many thoughts crossed my mind as I was reading this book, that I don't know how to organize them. It's a story that I will never forget.

***UPDATED REVIEW***

Neal Shusterman's Chasing Forgiveness is one of my top favorite books.

I just finished reading it for the second time.

Chasing Forgiveness is a beautiful, coming-of-age story based on a true story about a family that experienced a tragedy. It's a story about forgiveness.
Preston Scott's father kills his mother. Even though Preston's grandparents - his mom's parents - forgave their son-in-law for killing their daughter, Preston struggles to feel the same.

Full review @ My Blog

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chasing forgiveness is such a great book. It left a mark on me and it showed me to appreciate the love for my father/family even in the roughest times. It showed me that you have to love them no matter what. Because family is family, and you can only have one.
A teen attempts to forgive the unforgivable, Preston Scott was only twelve when his father killed his mother. Even though his parents had been fighting for a long time, Preston didn't believe that his dad was capable of divorcing his mom, or even worse, to murder her.
After his father goes to jail, Preston is surprised of how his grandparents could forget his dad so easily after he had killed their daughter. Although he tries to do the same, he can't. He's never going to see her mom again due to his father’s actions, and he still loves him? How's that possible? He'll tell you his story of how he got over it.

[Emily LaFree · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the novel Chasing Forgiveness, by Neal Shusterman, a teen attempts to forgive the unforgivable. I enjoyed this book because it teaches you that no matter how much someone has hurt you, you can always find room in your heart to forgive them. In this stunning book Preston Scott was only 12 years-old when his dad does the unthinkable. It is then Preston’s decision on whether or not to forgive his father. His father is sent to prison, and released by the time Preston is 16. Preston then has to determine if he will allow his father to become a part of his everyday life again. Chasing Forgiveness is a must read because it teaches about what forgiveness really is.

[ْ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't stop feeling pitty for Preston . He's really deluded . Preston loved - and hated also - his father  Way to much that he couldn't even blame him for the accident - I mean the terrible crime he committed -  But I think that Preston and everybody else need to know that fathers may lie sometimes ... They may broke promises other times ... And they can of course murder their wives . They're just a shity humans who may do something inhumane . And you know anyone can be a criminal oneday and anyone can be the victim .

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

was very interesting. played at the emotions. the struggle between love, hate and balance makes one reevaluate whats really important in life.

[Marwa Alshouli · Rating 3 out of 5]

seems like uncle steve is the only sane person in this family smh

[Laura Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Forgiveness Book Review.

The novel I read in my book club group, is called “Chasing Forgiveness”. The novel was written by Neal Shusterman, and was previously published as “What Daddy Did”. The book was published in 1991.

I don’t really read books, because I am more into documentaries, but I did not mind this one. I really like true-crime stories, so this novel was right up my ally. The novel is about a young boy, named Preston, whose father killed his mother. The novel is written from his view and experience. I like that he is very raw and honest about how he feels and what he experiences, whether it is about his father’s crime, or about being a young teenager going through the stages of puberty and hormones. Preston struggles with forgiving his father, and if his mother will forgive him. He wants to forgive his father because he loves him and believes his father was not mentally well, making him do this terrible thing, but he struggles with his mother not forgiving him for having these feelings about his father.

Preston also has the struggles of being in the public eye and moving with his grandparents. I really like how his grandparents were able to forgive his father for killing their daughter. I learned a valuable lesson from this. I learned that hating someone does more damage to you, than it does to them. The novel has many good messages, and his grandmother is very wise, but it is mostly based from religion. I am not religious, but I can apply her knowledge to my own life. I also like that the grandparents did not teach Preston and his brother to hate his father, but to embrace him. They taught them that their father needs them the most, and he will recover much faster.

Although the novel is really easy to read and sends some really good messages and points, there are some things I do not like. Sometimes I would lose track of where certain events were taking place. Sometimes flashbacks were not that clear and it made it confusing. Maybe it is just me, but that was one thing that made it less enjoyable. I also did not really like the ending. It seemed really rushed and kind of corny. They end the book by talking about how Preston was running a race, and his father wanted to race him, since the last time he did, Preston was eleven. I feel there could’ve been more to say about their relationship and what Preston learned from everything that happened. I feel is just ended abruptly. Also, in the afterword, I feel that they could’ve put more information on how Preston turned out and about his father’s life now. I have just read novels that include more detail, but maybe it was just easier to end the information there.

Overall, I would recommend the book. It was easy to read, and was very detailed, and if you are into true crime stories, you will enjoy this novel.

[Tiffany Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on true events, this is a gritty, honest story, narrated in a believable teenage voice. Preston Scott is 11 years old when his parents separate, and his father, unable to cope with the situation, shoots and kills his mother. Preston and his younger brother Tyler go to live with his mother's parents, who have an almost unbelievable capacity for forgiveness. They take the boys to visit their father in jail, encourage them to still love him, and plan on welcoming him back into their lives when/if he is released from prison. They also move to a new home in a different town, hoping to give the boys a fresh start. But it isn't that easy for Preston. Though he still loves his father, he is ambivalent about his father getting a second chance, mortified by the rumors that start circulating at school, and unwilling to talk about what happened with anyone except his best friend. (A popular jock, Preston meets many girls willing to date him, but as soon as they learn about his father, he breaks up with them, unable to bear their "pity.")
Preston's denial of his own rage and sorrow were completely believable, and his voice sounded authentic. My one criticism of the book is how completely his grandparents seem to forgive his father; I know they're Christians, but I found it hard to believe no resentment would show through their kindness. Preston's grandmother even makes the absurd statement, "Lots of people do fine without a mother," right after she tells Preston his mother is dead. As an agnostic, I was grateful the author didn't overdue the Christian aspect of the book, but I still had a bit of trouble with his grandmother, in particular, being so angelic.
The story is powerful and believable. It's also fascinating and very sad. I wouldn't recommend this book if you've recently lost a loved one or feel depressed in general, but I'm glad I read it.

[faatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ... difficult. In a good way, an interesting way. I think the fact that it was written nearly twenty years ago also contributes to how odd it feels to consume it now, in a more self-aware context of the book’s particular subject matter. I certainly believe it’s a book that made me ask myself several questions, sometimes to the point of feeling very dissociated with reality, but other times to the point of feeling this odd, cold sort of understanding wash over me. It’s not as fleshed out in its ideas, but it canvases raw emotion as seen and felt and heard from a child’s perspective, and I think for a situation like this, that alone presents a solid amount of material, despite myself wishing for more. In addition to that, I think it’s the ending, and Danny Scott’s full confession to his son, that pushed my rating down to three stars—but I do think one has to consider that this was written twenty years ago, that the mindset about these kind of incidences and the attitude of forgiveness toward them may have differed at the time (even though I don’t agree with it), and I wonder why in the book’s 2015 republication, Neal Shusterman didn’t choose to change this aspect. I wonder if he wanted the book to stay rooted in the time period it was written for, as a way to reflect on what attitudes towards this issue were like back then, as compared to what they are now; or I wonder if he just didn’t want to change it, on account of the book being told from a child’s perspective, and not an adult’s. As I said, it’s a lot to think about. I did enjoy it, though. I think I’ll always enjoy Shusterman’s ability to put such specific emotions into creative words I can’t help but devour. It’s an acquired habit by now.