Prayer Primer

I’ll admit: I approached *Prayer Primer* skeptical. Another book on prayer? How original. But within 20 minutes, Fr. Dubay had me squirming—and that’s when I knew it was working. His opening salvo on the ‘disease of activism’ (where we mistake busyness for holiness) landed like a gut punch. Dubay doesn’t just *describe* prayer; he *diagnoses* why yours might be stagnant, whether it’s pride, distraction, or the silent heresy that God should conform to *your* schedule. The audiobook’s pacing is relentless in the best way: no meandering anecdotes, just razor-sharp insights delivered with monastic efficiency. Casey Bassett’s narration elevates the material. His tone is conversational yet authoritative, like a trusted mentor leaning in to tell you hard truths over coffee. The production is clean, though I’d have loved a touch more dynamic range—Bassett’s voice occasionally flattens during dense theological passages, making it harder to parse Dubay’s layered arguments. My other critique? The book’s brevity sometimes feels *too* brisk. Dubay dispatches topics like contemplative prayer or suffering in chapters so concise you’ll hit rewind just to soak them in. But that’s also its genius: this isn’t a book to passively consume. It’s a spiritual exam of conscience, and Bassett’s delivery ensures you can’t zone out. If you’re craving a prayer guide that treats you like an adult—not a spiritual toddler—this is it. Just be prepared to be uncomfortable.