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jessicajessica101's review against another edition
5.0
livre extraordinaire, troublant, énervant, donnant à la réflexion
je ne pense pas que je parviendrais à expliquer tout ce que jai ressenti en lisant ce livre. on ne va pas se mentir, il porte énormément sur la religion, chose à laquelle je ne crois pas, mais je pense qu'il peut aider énormément de personnes gays essayant de concilier leur foi et leur sexualité et je pense que c'est un coup de force que l'auteur a réussit.
elle nous explique deux foi, deux manières de concevoir une même religion sans condamner aucune pensée. elle les critique simplement.
elle nous révolte, elle nous fais réfléchir, elle nous donne des pistes des réponses et non des réponses fermes ce que je trouve très bien.
en tentant de rassembler un peu plus mes pensées : Un livre qui peut nous faire réfléchir, l'auteur expose ses idées d'une manière objective, nous proposant des idées de réflexion sans jamais les imposer. elle nous offre des personnages attachants, réels, humains, avec leurs souffrances, leurs doutes, leurs opinions propres.
elle nous montre aussi des côtes plus sombre de l'humanité et une histoire qui je pense me restera longtemps en mémoire.
à lire
je ne pense pas que je parviendrais à expliquer tout ce que jai ressenti en lisant ce livre. on ne va pas se mentir, il porte énormément sur la religion, chose à laquelle je ne crois pas, mais je pense qu'il peut aider énormément de personnes gays essayant de concilier leur foi et leur sexualité et je pense que c'est un coup de force que l'auteur a réussit.
elle nous explique deux foi, deux manières de concevoir une même religion sans condamner aucune pensée. elle les critique simplement.
elle nous révolte, elle nous fais réfléchir, elle nous donne des pistes des réponses et non des réponses fermes ce que je trouve très bien.
en tentant de rassembler un peu plus mes pensées : Un livre qui peut nous faire réfléchir, l'auteur expose ses idées d'une manière objective, nous proposant des idées de réflexion sans jamais les imposer. elle nous offre des personnages attachants, réels, humains, avec leurs souffrances, leurs doutes, leurs opinions propres.
elle nous montre aussi des côtes plus sombre de l'humanité et une histoire qui je pense me restera longtemps en mémoire.
à lire
advocatebreathecollaborate's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read, in the manner of being thought prevoking. Definitely not for everyone. Its graphic sexual descriptions may be off putting. But the discussions of different interpretations of Scripture were enough to keep me reading.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Read more at http://rainbowreviews.wix.com/readingfree or on Instagram @rainbowreviewskc
When Taylor's parents find out he's gay, they immediately ship him off to a camp, called Straight to God. (No, it's not a place for gay conversion therapy.) When he gets there, he discovers everything around him is about Christ and the way the bible accepts, and shuns us from our sins. But when Taylor's roommate starts acting distant, he feels that it's time to investigate (afterall, he's finally out of the SafeZone).
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
GBLT
Religion/Christianity
Sexual Abuse
This book was a huge surprise. When I originally started reading it, I swore I'd be reading a true story about a conversion camp. But sure enough, I read the not-so-true story of Taylor, a boy who needed to know that through Christ there was love, and that being gay wouldn't change that. I thought, "Surely I'll get tired of reading all these bible verses." But I didn't. It was more re-assuring than anything, despite my own personal acceptance of my sexuality.
The story line, was good. But the concepts didn't mesh well with the writing style, which was the biggest disappointment in this novel. The way this is written, it feels like a memoir. I very much felt as if Taylor was a real person, and that I was following a brief moment in his life. But that brief moment, was too brief. Taylor was expected to be at the camp over the summer, but by the 100th page, I was only at day 2. But the end of the book, I only saw, 10 days, maybe? For me, I felt cheated. I would've liked to see the same chain of events happen, because I think it was extremely powerful, but it took a while to get to the camp, and the ending was really abrupt. I would've liked to see a bit more character growth, and while this is a separate issue, I think it would've been so rewarding to see more than just two characters change. The lack of substance from the other characters that Taylor bonded with could've accounted for more purposeful pages. While something happened in every chapter, the most important things happened in the first 98 pages, and the last 50 pages. That leaves 150 pages of things that weren't unimportant, but they didn't add a lot of value (for me) to the story line. I also missed the closure (if there was any) because Taylor and his parents as well as between Taylor and Will.
But this story, it's one many experience - that Christian values counter the ability to be gay. This story did an amazing job of showing the different levels of acceptance for gay Christians. As I mentioned previously, this felt like a memoir. That's a combination of how it was written, and the experience behind it. It felt very realistic. There were few moments that I thought, "that's not really going to happen." And then I remember an episode of some crime show and think, wait, that did happen... and there was no disclaimer before hand. It's not in the papers so much anymore, but when this book was written in 2008, this was a hot-topic issue in Obama's campaign. And that's because being gay was shifting from being the greatest sin (although, this book reminds us that no sin varies in weight from another) to being something progressives accept. This book looked into the future, into that historical shift and that's something that could've been predicted, but in no way could the author have known has drastic that shift was going to be. I think the reality-factor behind this novel made it that much more entertaining. And I don't mean that in the sense that reading about these camps is a laugh-factor; but I never felt like I had to put the book down. I became increasingly annoyed when I was interrupted as a matter of fact.
The title was really well done. "Thinking Straight" isn't just a phrase (as in, I'm so tired I wasn't thinking straight,) used, but it's used in the sense that these gay youth need to think straight. But they can't, because this is a thing ingrained in their bodies, in their DNA. And I think that the title, paired with the cover art (see above) really drove home this idea that these teenagers are caged into this camp with parental threats on the outside; that if they don't become straight, if they don't become straight edge, if they don't become calm/mild-mannered teenagers, that a certain hell awaits them on the other side of the fence. It's a separation of church and state; it's a separation of healthy and unhealthy; of reality and inner impulses; it's the epitome of what it means to try to think straight.
When Taylor's parents find out he's gay, they immediately ship him off to a camp, called Straight to God. (No, it's not a place for gay conversion therapy.) When he gets there, he discovers everything around him is about Christ and the way the bible accepts, and shuns us from our sins. But when Taylor's roommate starts acting distant, he feels that it's time to investigate (afterall, he's finally out of the SafeZone).
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
GBLT
Religion/Christianity
Sexual Abuse
This book was a huge surprise. When I originally started reading it, I swore I'd be reading a true story about a conversion camp. But sure enough, I read the not-so-true story of Taylor, a boy who needed to know that through Christ there was love, and that being gay wouldn't change that. I thought, "Surely I'll get tired of reading all these bible verses." But I didn't. It was more re-assuring than anything, despite my own personal acceptance of my sexuality.
The story line, was good. But the concepts didn't mesh well with the writing style, which was the biggest disappointment in this novel. The way this is written, it feels like a memoir. I very much felt as if Taylor was a real person, and that I was following a brief moment in his life. But that brief moment, was too brief. Taylor was expected to be at the camp over the summer, but by the 100th page, I was only at day 2. But the end of the book, I only saw, 10 days, maybe? For me, I felt cheated. I would've liked to see the same chain of events happen, because I think it was extremely powerful, but it took a while to get to the camp, and the ending was really abrupt. I would've liked to see a bit more character growth, and while this is a separate issue, I think it would've been so rewarding to see more than just two characters change. The lack of substance from the other characters that Taylor bonded with could've accounted for more purposeful pages. While something happened in every chapter, the most important things happened in the first 98 pages, and the last 50 pages. That leaves 150 pages of things that weren't unimportant, but they didn't add a lot of value (for me) to the story line. I also missed the closure (if there was any) because Taylor and his parents as well as between Taylor and Will.
But this story, it's one many experience - that Christian values counter the ability to be gay. This story did an amazing job of showing the different levels of acceptance for gay Christians. As I mentioned previously, this felt like a memoir. That's a combination of how it was written, and the experience behind it. It felt very realistic. There were few moments that I thought, "that's not really going to happen." And then I remember an episode of some crime show and think, wait, that did happen... and there was no disclaimer before hand. It's not in the papers so much anymore, but when this book was written in 2008, this was a hot-topic issue in Obama's campaign. And that's because being gay was shifting from being the greatest sin (although, this book reminds us that no sin varies in weight from another) to being something progressives accept. This book looked into the future, into that historical shift and that's something that could've been predicted, but in no way could the author have known has drastic that shift was going to be. I think the reality-factor behind this novel made it that much more entertaining. And I don't mean that in the sense that reading about these camps is a laugh-factor; but I never felt like I had to put the book down. I became increasingly annoyed when I was interrupted as a matter of fact.
The title was really well done. "Thinking Straight" isn't just a phrase (as in, I'm so tired I wasn't thinking straight,) used, but it's used in the sense that these gay youth need to think straight. But they can't, because this is a thing ingrained in their bodies, in their DNA. And I think that the title, paired with the cover art (see above) really drove home this idea that these teenagers are caged into this camp with parental threats on the outside; that if they don't become straight, if they don't become straight edge, if they don't become calm/mild-mannered teenagers, that a certain hell awaits them on the other side of the fence. It's a separation of church and state; it's a separation of healthy and unhealthy; of reality and inner impulses; it's the epitome of what it means to try to think straight.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of straight camp is fascinating and bewildering and appalling. The protagonist's parents disagree, though—Taylor is shipped off to Straight to God when they learn he likes boys.
Now, Straight to God is not only for The Gays. It's also for people who have committed other crimes against...well, StG would probably say crimes against God, but let's say crimes against a particular denomination's idea of God. That includes, it seems, people with drug problems, or those who have had premarital sex (hint: this is more likely to be pregnant teenage girls, since it's easier to tell—their boyfriends are less likely to be there). If this book had come out more recently, I'd wonder if it wasn't in part inspired by recent events in the Duggar compound.
There are a number of really interesting things here. Taylor goes to StG not only against his will but also with a solid belief that being gay is not wrong, but he's also deeply religious. He just doesn't agree with everything his parents (or StG) are teaching. Many of the other characters are similar, and there's plenty of wrestling with ideas of God and religion. My mom is one of the sweetest women alive, says Taylor. And since her God is like her, it's almost like I miss God as much as I miss her. And my dad—well, he's gruff, no doubt there; look how hard he's been on me. And like his God, he's a little narrow-minded about some things, but I could do a lot worse than him (76).
A little later on, another character points out to Taylor that the people running StG aren't actually evil. Misguided, yes (particularly those who believe, say, that it's better to commit suicide than to live life gay), but genuinely doing what they think is best for the residents at StG. That's much, much more interesting to read about than a one-note place where the people running it are all flat-out horrible people.
That being said...the book takes a very weird turn towards the end, when one of the characters does turn out to be flat out evil, or at least batshit crazy. We're talking I guess it's supposed to make up the big climactic stuff, and be in there for the drama of it all, but it was a huge disappointment—not that parts of that big climax aren't relevant to stuff that has happened in churches, but it made the book feel a whole lot less realistic. And I hated that Taylor repeatedly wonders why .
Two other quibbles. One, Taylor reads an article—quite late in the game—about pheromones, gay men reacting to other gay men's pheromones rather than women's pheromones, etc. It's treated as a 'this changes everything!' moment, like, oh! There's proof! Now they have to listen! But...that's it? No. That's the sort of thing that will change the minds of a very few people, and those who are determined to believe otherwise will go on believing otherwise. I have similar problems with Taylor's theological conclusion that homosexuality was a sin thousands of years ago because homosexuality meant not having kids and that would 'jeopardize our whole community' (267) because of lack of things like retirement funds...but does he think that every single person back then had kids? What about the ones who were sterile? Or whose kids died? Or who died themselves, leaving their kids to be raised by others? Taylor's reasoning should be developed further, sure, but it's still in a very shallow stage.
The other quibble is the IM lingo. Granted, it is used as a plot point (a plot point that thinks it is more major than it actually is), but it is the single stupidest example of teenageness that I have seen in a very long time. Taylor and his boyfriend are obsessed with IM lingo to the extent that it's their 'test' when they first meet each other. Do they both know what WAI and PONA mean? ('what an idiot' and 'person of no account', for those of us who have lives.) They do! They're meant to be! You know what it says to me? That they're more interested in using stupid set acronyms than they are in developing independent thoughts.
Anyway. I would have loved to see a few other things developed a bit further. Sean's story, for example. Also...this idea that Taylor eventually buys into that StG is great as long as they cut out the gays-are-bad parts. Feels too easy, especially when we see very little of what it's like for people who are there for other reasons. Still, worth the read.
Happy that my parents are reasonable human beings (fantastic human beings, actually) who would never in a million years have shipped me off to straight camp. Happy that I'm no longer a teenager.
Now, Straight to God is not only for The Gays. It's also for people who have committed other crimes against...well, StG would probably say crimes against God, but let's say crimes against a particular denomination's idea of God. That includes, it seems, people with drug problems, or those who have had premarital sex (hint: this is more likely to be pregnant teenage girls, since it's easier to tell—their boyfriends are less likely to be there). If this book had come out more recently, I'd wonder if it wasn't in part inspired by recent events in the Duggar compound.
There are a number of really interesting things here. Taylor goes to StG not only against his will but also with a solid belief that being gay is not wrong, but he's also deeply religious. He just doesn't agree with everything his parents (or StG) are teaching. Many of the other characters are similar, and there's plenty of wrestling with ideas of God and religion. My mom is one of the sweetest women alive, says Taylor. And since her God is like her, it's almost like I miss God as much as I miss her. And my dad—well, he's gruff, no doubt there; look how hard he's been on me. And like his God, he's a little narrow-minded about some things, but I could do a lot worse than him (76).
A little later on, another character points out to Taylor that the people running StG aren't actually evil. Misguided, yes (particularly those who believe, say, that it's better to commit suicide than to live life gay), but genuinely doing what they think is best for the residents at StG. That's much, much more interesting to read about than a one-note place where the people running it are all flat-out horrible people.
That being said...the book takes a very weird turn towards the end, when one of the characters does turn out to be flat out evil, or at least batshit crazy. We're talking
Spoiler
a priest systematically raping and murdering boys at StG.Spoiler
one of the boys would 'allow' himself or 'put up with' being rapedTwo other quibbles. One, Taylor reads an article—quite late in the game—about pheromones, gay men reacting to other gay men's pheromones rather than women's pheromones, etc. It's treated as a 'this changes everything!' moment, like, oh! There's proof! Now they have to listen! But...that's it? No. That's the sort of thing that will change the minds of a very few people, and those who are determined to believe otherwise will go on believing otherwise. I have similar problems with Taylor's theological conclusion that homosexuality was a sin thousands of years ago because homosexuality meant not having kids and that would 'jeopardize our whole community' (267) because of lack of things like retirement funds...but does he think that every single person back then had kids? What about the ones who were sterile? Or whose kids died? Or who died themselves, leaving their kids to be raised by others? Taylor's reasoning should be developed further, sure, but it's still in a very shallow stage.
The other quibble is the IM lingo. Granted, it is used as a plot point (a plot point that thinks it is more major than it actually is), but it is the single stupidest example of teenageness that I have seen in a very long time. Taylor and his boyfriend are obsessed with IM lingo to the extent that it's their 'test' when they first meet each other. Do they both know what WAI and PONA mean? ('what an idiot' and 'person of no account', for those of us who have lives.) They do! They're meant to be! You know what it says to me? That they're more interested in using stupid set acronyms than they are in developing independent thoughts.
Anyway. I would have loved to see a few other things developed a bit further. Sean's story, for example. Also...this idea that Taylor eventually buys into that StG is great as long as they cut out the gays-are-bad parts. Feels too easy, especially when we see very little of what it's like for people who are there for other reasons. Still, worth the read.
Happy that my parents are reasonable human beings (fantastic human beings, actually) who would never in a million years have shipped me off to straight camp. Happy that I'm no longer a teenager.
lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
0.25
god (as it were), what a train wreck, in basically every possible way. major trigger warnings for rape and CSA. don't read this book. a voyeuristic display of gay suffering for a straight audience.
Taylor had his moments of relatability, but they weren't nearly enough to outweigh the rest of it. this book is a disaster (and painfully dated) and no-one should read it. I know I'm repeating myself, but I feel this strongly enough to justify the redundancy. normally I'd consider donating it to the library but I don't want anyone else to end up with it either.
Taylor had his moments of relatability, but they weren't nearly enough to outweigh the rest of it. this book is a disaster (and painfully dated) and no-one should read it. I know I'm repeating myself, but I feel this strongly enough to justify the redundancy. normally I'd consider donating it to the library but I don't want anyone else to end up with it either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Rape
pjmurphy3's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked it and I'm glad it made me think about things when it came to religion and being gay. I would recommend it to anyone who might be struggling with these issues gay or straight. I think books like this should be required reading list for high school students. And remember God loves you no matter what.
emmap1998's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this book, which unfortunately were not met.
The book would go up a whole star if the outdated, irritating and confusing IM lingo was removed. It made the book seem even more poorly written than it was and just made me want to scream. The childish writing style was contrasted hugely with graphic (but again- badly written) sex scenes that just seemed out of place in a YA book.
The plot was repeatative, and often dull, until a massive plot twist came out of nowhere. *spoiler* The corrupt rapist priest was introduced about three chapters from the end of the book, and resolved pretty quickly. I felt like not enough of a big deal was made about it, especially the victims who seemed to not even be mentioned.
Taylor, the protagonist, was extremely irritating. His mind seemed to entirely revolve around perfect sex god boyfriend Will. Who could have been a great character, if we hadn't only seen him through Taylor's eyes. Taylor had an annoying habit of thinking everyone was gay initially, and then when he discovered if the were or not, judging them accordingly. His mind was similar to that of a boy crazy teenage girl and there was practically no character development. I did like his strong will though, and his determination to not be changed.
However, the message of the book was essentially a good one. Some of the characters (like Will and Charles) were great and, if they were expanded further, could have been amazing. I mainly gave it 3 stars because of the extensive discussion concerning the bible and homosexuality, which made me think of things I hadn't before.
Overall, a good idea, but poorly executed, with irritating characters and lots of stereotypes.
The book would go up a whole star if the outdated, irritating and confusing IM lingo was removed. It made the book seem even more poorly written than it was and just made me want to scream. The childish writing style was contrasted hugely with graphic (but again- badly written) sex scenes that just seemed out of place in a YA book.
The plot was repeatative, and often dull, until a massive plot twist came out of nowhere. *spoiler* The corrupt rapist priest was introduced about three chapters from the end of the book, and resolved pretty quickly. I felt like not enough of a big deal was made about it, especially the victims who seemed to not even be mentioned.
Taylor, the protagonist, was extremely irritating. His mind seemed to entirely revolve around perfect sex god boyfriend Will. Who could have been a great character, if we hadn't only seen him through Taylor's eyes. Taylor had an annoying habit of thinking everyone was gay initially, and then when he discovered if the were or not, judging them accordingly. His mind was similar to that of a boy crazy teenage girl and there was practically no character development. I did like his strong will though, and his determination to not be changed.
However, the message of the book was essentially a good one. Some of the characters (like Will and Charles) were great and, if they were expanded further, could have been amazing. I mainly gave it 3 stars because of the extensive discussion concerning the bible and homosexuality, which made me think of things I hadn't before.
Overall, a good idea, but poorly executed, with irritating characters and lots of stereotypes.
anna_wa's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really well-written. I at first was a little wary of reading about it because of the concept of the book; those ""conversion"" camps in real life scare the heck out of me.
But I'm glad I stuck through it to the end. The main character's love for his friends, his boyfriend, God, and what's right are all strong, and it makes the read more positive than negative overall. However, I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I was sure they could handle reading about the concepts discussed there. It's still extremely scary, especially towards the end with Something Big happens (that's all I'll say so as not to spoil anything).
But I'm glad I stuck through it to the end. The main character's love for his friends, his boyfriend, God, and what's right are all strong, and it makes the read more positive than negative overall. However, I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I was sure they could handle reading about the concepts discussed there. It's still extremely scary, especially towards the end with Something Big happens (that's all I'll say so as not to spoil anything).