Review: A book with a sensitive subject that I'm glad I took a chance on
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2011
Misha has decided to go undercover at one of the gay reprogramming camps to do a magazine article. When he arrives he runs into Jude with whom he'd had a close encounter a couple of years ago. He's determined that Jude won't get sucked into the program and lose himself. It's an exposé of his time at the centre, the kind of things they do and a few of the people he meets. It's also him spending a fair bit of time with Jude both getting to know him and trying to convince him that being gay is not a horrible thing. Okay, people who know me are aware that I have serious issues with religious intolerance in my books (a couple of DNF in there) and I was worried about this. I luvs me some KZ Snow, but I know that not all themes are for all people. Now comes the big BUT, whew, I really enjoyed this and while the owners/leaders of this retreat are intolerant, they aren't as bad as some stories I've heard *shudder* and it's not page after page of spewed hatred. I smiled often, there are some genuinely humorous moments and I felt a bit sad sometimes too for the men who so desperately wanted to be "normal". Misha's statement to Jude "I just wish you loved who you are as much as I do." pretty much says it all. If only everyone could feel that kind of self-acceptance the world would be a kinder place. So for others like me who are thinking "Ewwww religious fundies, run, run fast!" the focus is not so much on that but on inner acceptance and exploration. I'm glad I took a chance.