If her audience involves the homophobes in society, few people would see themselves in the role of the hate-monger, Andy Harris, and Greene's intent is ineffective. Her position inadvertently antagonizes. The irony is that the author appears to be trying to get the reader to 'hate' the Religious Right. This dichotomy boxes people in and offers no hope for growth or dialogue. Furthermore, I don't sense that the author makes an attempt to understand how people are brought up.
Conditioning is crucial in constructing our world view.
I do not attempt to excuse the behaviors of the antagonists in this book, but I believe the idea is to educate and not lash out further. Greene's novel seems to ignite more hatred. Certainly, there is an inordinate amount of greed, hypocrisy, and corruption within several of the world's organized religions. Victim My ultimate criticism of the novel, however, lies in Greene's reinforcement of negative gay stereotypes. While gay youth are ravenous for literature dealing with gay themes and characters, they should be reading literature that presents people like them in a positive light.