Dear Dad

by Laura Best

his father’s terminal illness, and his right to choose MAID.



It’s 2014 and the Ice Bucket Challenge is everywhere. You know, people posting videos of themselves dumping freezing ice water over their heads to raise money for ALS research.



It’s weird, everyone suddenly talking about ALS, because Sam’s family has been dealing with it ever since his dad, Gregory, was diagnosed three years ago. Now everything has changed. His dad, a brilliant lawyer, stopped working, then stopped walking, and now he can’t even talk. His mom quit her job to take care of him. And now Sam is quitting the one thing he’s amazing hockey. It sucks to have to stop, but it’s exhausting trying to do normal-life things when life is anything but normal.



Everything is complicated and messy and hard—especially the way Gregory has been thinking about things since his diagnosis. Death. Medical assistance in dying. The right for terminally ill people—people like Gregory—to choose when they go.



Sam’s trying to be supportive; he reads all the arguments for legalizing MAID, and even goes to a rally. But the idea of helping his father die is like a weight pressing down on him, and it gets heavier and heavier until something snaps, and he does the only thing he can think of. Sam bolts.



He takes a job as a farmhand for a weird old guy way out in the country. From here, in the middle of the woods, it’s not clear if Sam will ever find a way back to his family…or if he even has a family to go back to.



How can a fourteen-year-old possibly wrap his head around something the whole country is fighting about?


Dear Dad is a brave and hopeful look at a teen boy’s struggle with his father’s terminal illness, disability, and death.

200 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[carcinoGeneticist · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my Grandma first told me she planned on writing a book set in the present AND about a boy, I thought her head would explode halfway through writing it. But a few years later this very book is in my hands and it is AMAZING. It takes a good author to be as versatile as Laura Best.
Dear Dad is about a boy named Sam, who is a hockey enthusiast and whose dad has been diagnosed with ALS. If you want to know more about the story itself read the book instead of my review because reviews are for opinions on the books, not just retelling them (as some people seem to think!), but I will say this is an important book and I think it should be added to some sort of school curriculum because it has a good message, a good story, and feels. I felt so bad for Sam and his dad! Despite being a little too old for this book, I still loved it, which is a sign of a good book if it can be enjoyed by readers outside of its demographic. Love you and your books Nanny. <3

[Sue Slade · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I guess when you want to escape, any place is better than the place you’re at.”
-Dear Dad by Laura Best

Dear Dad by Laura Best is about how 14-year-old Sam Gillis and his family deal with and navigate Sam’s Father’s ALS diagnosis and the subsequent years as his physical health declines. It is a well-written young adult novel that touches on the serious topics of medically assisted death, and terminal illnesses with sensitivity. A recommended read for anyone in middle grade and even those much older who are dealing with a family member with a terminal disease.

[Jorja Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It shows the real life reality of having a family member with a serious illness and how hard it can be. When Sam ran away I found it difficult to follow what was going on in the book. I give this book a 4/5.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! This book is probably one of the best books I have ever read. The book is called Dear Dad by Laura Best published by Nimbus Publishing. This book was a hard book to get through but it is so important to learn about.

This book follows Sam, our main character as his dad goes through Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS) which is a degenerative disease that causes people to eventually die. Sam has known about the disease and his Dads wishes since the beginning but when a promise can’t be met, Sam does the unthinkable. I really think that this book is needed in today’s society because it talks about complex issues in a way that is easy for a young adult to understand. It dives into themes like Dying With Dignity which is a movement that encourages people who have a chronic illness to have the right to die the way they want.

I think that while this book was extremely hard to read, it has an important message which is to be kind for you never know what someone else is going through. Sam is a main character who is very tough on himself and does not want to burden his family with continuing to play hockey.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think that everyone should read this book at least once in their lives. My favourite part was when Sam and his dad go out to the Dying With Dignity rally.
A huge thank you to Digitally Lit for the free book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

[Darlene Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Laura Best at her best. This well-written book is from the point of view of Sam, a fourteen year old boy dealing with a family crisis. His father had ALS and is deteriorating rapidly. A lot for a teenage boy to deal with. The character of Sam is well developed and realistically portrayed. I felt I knew him and could empathize with him. Other characters are also realistic. My favourite is James, a crusty old farmer, who is wiser than he appears. (he reminded me of my dad) The inclusion of dogs in the story adds another dimension. Most of all, this is a book about love; love of family, pets, and life. Sam writes a letter to his dad in his journal and states, "None of it was easy, but we stuck together, the way families do. We learned to lean on each other."
This is an emotional and entertaining book that should be in all school libraries. It is crucial for kids dealing with any debilitating disease.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam's life has forever changed since his dad's ALS diagnosis. As things have gotten worse, Sam decides to quit hockey so that he can spend more time with his dad before he's gone. But being a caregiver comes with its own set of challenges. As Sam's dad edges closer to death and has made his opinions known about his "right to die" with dignity, Sam struggles even more with the prospect of losing his dad.

This book does a great job of looking at familial caregivers, grief, and the concept of euthanasia. I loved Sam's character, and I think his time at the farm are some of my favorite chapters. I can't get a good feel for teen appeal on this one just yet.

I read an ARC from Edelweiss.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

F**k incurable diseases. As someone who lost their grandmother over a year ago because of an incurable disease, I felt for Sam. While we weren’t as close compared to a father son relationship for example, I still felt his pain and could relate based off of how I had watched my mom over the last few years be sort of a caregiver to both my grandparents, supporting my grandfather who was watching his wife loose herself little by little.

Overall great book! Really worth the read! Glad I found it in a small local bookstore!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Laura Best has written an amazing and heartfelt story. Fourteen-year-old Sam is struggling to deal with the fact that his dad has ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

[Derrick Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fast read.