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A review by kyperactive
Out of Focus: My Story of Sexuality, Shame, and Toxic Evangelicalism by Amber Cantorna-Wylde
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley, Westminster John Knox Press, and Amber Cantorna-Wylde for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who grew up in remarkably similar circumstances from the other side of the world, the premise of Amber Cantorna-Wylde's book Out of Focus appealed to me. However, while Amber is an exceptional writer who is able to communicate her ideas in a beautiful narrative style, this book missed the mark for me.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, there is a significantly optimistic Christian slant, however, unlike other reviewers, this has impacted my rating of the book. This is not because of an anti-Christian perspective. It is the opposite, actually. I was expecting Amber's criticism of the church to head in a different direction due to this excerpt she wrote in chapter one (pg. 7):
To point this out in chapter one, and then not deconstruct this any further in the narrative beyond occasionally mentioning "straight white cis male Christians" in passing is why I am left craving more from this book. If she did, please let me know and I will alter my review, because it's possible I missed it while reading the heavier chapters. But I cannot recall it being mentioned again, and I did find it challenging to read because of this, as it fails to take into account the importance of intersectionality outside of the author's own personal battle with Christian rejection of sexual diversity (therefore avoiding looking at Christianity with an intersectional feminist lens).
Amber Cantorna-Wylde can write, and it was an easy book to read with a lot to offer to many readers. I wish her luck in her continued journey.
As someone who grew up in remarkably similar circumstances from the other side of the world, the premise of Amber Cantorna-Wylde's book Out of Focus appealed to me. However, while Amber is an exceptional writer who is able to communicate her ideas in a beautiful narrative style, this book missed the mark for me.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, there is a significantly optimistic Christian slant, however, unlike other reviewers, this has impacted my rating of the book. This is not because of an anti-Christian perspective. It is the opposite, actually. I was expecting Amber's criticism of the church to head in a different direction due to this excerpt she wrote in chapter one (pg. 7):
Popenoe's racist, homophobic, patriarchal idea that healthy White people should be the Super Race not only influenced Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, but it continues to influence millions of evangelicals today due to the global influence that FOTF maintains. The central idea is that in order to avoid "race suicide" and ensure that White Christians stay the dominant race and religion, they should breed as many "culture warriors" as possible.
To point this out in chapter one, and then not deconstruct this any further in the narrative beyond occasionally mentioning "straight white cis male Christians" in passing is why I am left craving more from this book. If she did, please let me know and I will alter my review, because it's possible I missed it while reading the heavier chapters. But I cannot recall it being mentioned again, and I did find it challenging to read because of this, as it fails to take into account the importance of intersectionality outside of the author's own personal battle with Christian rejection of sexual diversity (therefore avoiding looking at Christianity with an intersectional feminist lens).
Amber Cantorna-Wylde can write, and it was an easy book to read with a lot to offer to many readers. I wish her luck in her continued journey.