Jacob’s Prayer is a collection of the personal stories, poems and pictures about the author’s experience being a white teacher trying to make a home on the Akali Lake First Nations Reserve up in the Cariboo.

It begins with three people stuck on a capsized boat in a storm: Lorne Dufour, John Rathjen, (both teachers) and ranch owner Martin Von Riedemann.  As fate would have it, Dufour was the only one to make it back—but just barely alive. It took the heroic efforts of a First Nations Jacob Roper and his never-give-up attitude to save Dufour from lethal hypothermia. A testament to Dufour’s writing; he balances just the right mix of tension and discovery in its first few riveting passages.

The Halloween night of 1975 was a turning point between the two cultures. On one side, there were the white ranchers who own the land, along with the two white teachers who are expected to teach the Native children the fundamentals; and on the other side you had the oppressed Native people, the children of the land.

After that night, death brought things in perspective. It was obvious that even though Dufour and the First Nations of Akali Lake come from different background, Dufour’s prose focuses on their similarities. On that night, a rescue did what politicians, Indian Affairs, and the residential school system could not do— it galvanized the community.

This book focuses on a gentle power of the people of Akali Lake, and how it empowered Dufour to be a better teacher. Before the night even took place it was obvious that Dufour had an enduring love of the people. This was the 70s and he and Rathjen were the first teachers hired from the community after Indian Affairs were given their walking papers. Unlike their predecessors, Rathjen and Dufour, were teachers who cared about the people. They were passionate about teaching and this book documents their powerful bond with the community of Akali Lake.

This book is packed with emotional bits of poetry, some of it inspiring like in Personal Power, and at times heartbreaking with Ralph. After reading Jacob’s Prayer, it is obvious that Dufour was the pillar in the community, going to funerals weddings and community gatherings. If one of his students were in pain, he would take a personal interest in them. In short, after looking at some of the photographs in the book and after reading some of his long prose, he’s truly at home in his community. Jacob’s Prayer: it is an enjoyable read about life, death, pain, heartbreak, isolation and celebration in Akali Lake. (Harbour)