- ISBN13: 9780758219282
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
I know God doesn’t make mistakes, and if I’m gay it’s because that’s what he wanted. What you wanted. And I think the challenge is to get everyone else to see that. This is their test, not mine. If only Taylor Adams had kept on lying to his parents, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have been shipped off to Straight to God, an institution devoted to “deprogramming” troubled teenagers and ridding them of their vices–whether it’s drugs, violence, or … More >>
Tags: drugs, god doesn, parents, product description, remainder mark, Straight, Thinking, troubled teenagers, vices, violence
#1 by Amos Lassen on March 25, 2010 - 7:53 am
Reardon, Robin. “Thinking Straight”, Kensington Books, 2006.
From Boy to Man
Amos Lassen
“Thinking Straight” is a sensitive and insightful
book. Reardon takes on dogma and fundamentalism and shows the power of love as he writes about being Christian and gay in today’s world. Taylor Adams, a teenager, is the main character here and his parents do not quite understand him. They send him to a program named “Straight to G-d”, an organization that claims it help the youth of today deal better with reality and especially deals with those have a homosexual leaning but teaching them not to overcome it. Taylor knows he is gay and accepts himself. He also believes that G-d has no problem with his being gay. He fights to be true to himself and love his boyfriend, William. But at “Straight to G-d” he is not allowed to have any such thoughts and everything that he is does is closely monitored There is no privacy and in fact, no one there is who or what he/she seems to be
If Taylor had not come out to his parents, he would not have to endure the attempts at deprogramming but since he has been placed at the hands of fundamentalists, he must pretend to conform until he can find a way to break lose. He knows Bible and he knows what is true for him. He discovers that the staff at “Straight to G-d” uses piety as a cover for cruelty and is not” real” people. Even with this, Taylor manages to learn about much including compassion, courage and betrayal but even more than all else, he learns who he really is.
The book will take you back to the days of adolescence and high school and you will probably remember what it was like the first time you fell in love. You also remember–or learn–what a fragile thing love is. This is not just a coming-of-age story, it is a book of self-discovery and tenderness, And “A Secret Edge” has several sub-themes; relationships, the family, Hindu philosophy and the issue of violence.
Teens, gay and straight, need a book like this as do clergy of all faiths. It says a great deal and does so beautifully.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Joel C. Hanks on March 25, 2010 - 9:04 am
I was totally captivated with this novel and could hardly put it down (my work honestly suffered during this read…LOL). Reardon’s depiction of this love story is beautifully written and draws the reader into the lives of the main characters. But it is so much more than that. The author knows his stuff as is evidenced by the use of countless scriptural references as characters quote what they view to be Biblical directives (though some are mistakenly taken out of context by the character). The bottom line is that the world is struggling to come to terms with the rightness or wrongness of gay love amidst a sea of other more damaging “sins”, and that battle rages on in the lives of individuals on all sides of the issues. But regardless of feelings, upbringing, sermons, counselling, parental objections and societal barriers, the strong point is made that all are capable of wrongdoing, and that love gives credence to Christendom rather than negates it. I have never read a book so quickly, as its spell held me between the front and back covers until tears blurred my vision at the last page. I stongly urge people of all ages to read this work of art.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Dino Sarma on March 25, 2010 - 10:15 am
I was going to read a few pages in, and go directly to bed last night, but such was not to be. I picked up /Thinking Straight/, and couldn’t stop reading until every last word was digested thoroughly. Others have done a better job than I at giving a summary of the story, so I’ll get into the things that stood out for me.
For one thing, the author makes her opinion known about how easy it is for people who aren’t gay to misjudge what our experiences are. On the same token, for people who aren’t Christian, it’s sometimes difficult to see this monolith of a religion, and separate out extremists from the compassionate, loving, and Christ-like people. On both sides, a lot of assumptions, and very little listening go on.
I’m so fortunate that by the time I did come out to my mother, I was well into college (full scholarship), and was already working at a full time job. I’m also fortunate that my mother didn’t see the need to “pray out the gay” or do anything else to change me. Not everyone is so fortunate. I can’t count the number of friends in high school who faced the same problems that Taylor faces in the book.
At the end of the day, however, the author never gets preachy. There’s lot of scripture in there, and plenty of discussion by the characters about said Christian scripture. As one who isn’t part of that religion, it was certainly interesting to see the various sides of various issues (from homosexuality to forgiveness to Jesus and his message) and what those things mean. Often the only context I get for Christian scripture is those foaming-at-the-mouth street preachers, or the ones who invade the subway before a particularly long stretch, and rant and scream about how everyone’s a sinner and going to burn in hell, bla bla bla. To finally be able to separate out the sincerely thoughtful people who are just living in their faith is a definite plus.
I guess that we all have so much to learn from each other, if we just allow ourselves to.
This is one of those books that I’d recommend to anyone struggling with issues of acceptance (of him/her self or others), anyone who’s ever known that giddy feeling of your first love, anyone who has the courage of her or his convictions to stand up for what s/he believes in.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Jeffrey Erno on March 25, 2010 - 10:24 am
Taylor Adams is a sixteen-year old gay high school student who is head over heels in love with his first boyfriend Will. Unfortunately the joy that he feels about his first romance is not shared by his parents. They are devout, fundamentalist Christians, and they thus believe homosexuality to be an abomination. In an effort to cure Taylor of his homosexual proclivities, they elect to send their son to a six-week, faith-based, behavior-modification program called “Straight to God”.
This is the second of author Robin Reardon’s books that I’ve read, and I am quick to admit that she is an impressive story teller. Her ability to get inside the head of her gay male protagonist is remarkably realistic, and her development of complex yet likable characters creates an interesting and memorable read. In this particular story she uses a narrative arc to transform characters who initially appear to be a certain way but eventually are revealed to contradict this first impression.
Reardon also weaves together two extremely paradoxical viewpoints into a story which ultimately challenges the assumptions of both arguments. She craftily challenges fundamentalists to re-examine their condemnation of homosexuals, and she gently urges gays to try to understand the motives which fuel these harsh, fundamentalist judgements.
Although there were some plot elements which I did not find to be particularly plausible, I sincerely regard this book to be one of the best I have read in terms of its presentation of how people of faith choose to perceive sexual orientation. It certainly would be one of the first books that I would recommend to someone who is struggling to reconcile their faith with their affectional identity. It could also be immensely helpful to the religious family member of a gay person who has just come out to them.
I was most disturbed by the methodology that the program employed to brainwash and control its residents. One example is the use of what they referred to as the “safe zone” in which the inmate was required to remain mute for a period of hours or days. This prevented them from ever questioning authority or expressing any opposing opinion. It also created feelings of frustration and helplessness, quite the opposite of the “safe” atmosphere it was supposed to provide.
I was also a bit annoyed by the manner in which the religious establishment eventually evolved to a place of pseudo-acceptance of gay identity. They ultimately conclude that homosexuality “used” to be a sin, but it is not any more. This sort of rationalization does not explain why God would ever create someone to be gay in the first place. And their insistence upon protecting the “sanctity” of marriage by disallowing gays to marry is also contradictory in that they continue to condemn sexual relations outside of marriage.
Perhaps the important reality is that the process of reexamination had begun. At least some of the fundamentalists were able to allow themselves to rethink their staid opinions and challenge their previous assumptions.
Over all, I loved the book, and do not hesitate to recommend it. I’m anxiously waiting to see what future work this author has in store for us. Five stars
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Jerry L. Wheeler on March 25, 2010 - 10:37 am
I have read about half of the book so far and have found it quite interesting. It arrived in excellent condition. I would buy similar products from this saler anytime. Jerry
Rating: 4 / 5