Adam's Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor’s Calling to Defy the Church’s Persecution of Lesbians and Gays by Jimmy Creech

Adam's Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor’s Calling to Defy the Church’s Persecution of Lesbians and Gays by Jimmy Creech
Stars: 3.5-4/5

Length: 376 pages
Blurb
Jimmy Creech, a United Methodist pastor in North Carolina, was visited one morning in 1984 by Adam, a longtime parishioner whom he liked and respected. Adam said that he was gay, and that he was leaving The United Methodist Church, which had just pronounced that “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” could not be ordained. He would not be part of a community that excluded him. Creech found himself instinctively supporting Adam, telling him that he was sure that God loved and accepted him as he was. Adam’s Gift is Creech’s inspiring first-person account of how that conversation transformed his life and ministry.Adam’s visit prompted Creech to re-evaluate his belief that homosexuality was a sin, and to research the scriptural basis for the church’s position. He determined that the church was mistaken, that scriptural translations and interpretations had been botched and dangerously distorted. As a Christian, Creech came to believe that discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people was morally wrong. This understanding compelled him to perform same-gender commitment ceremonies, which conflicted with church directives. Creech was tried twice by The United Methodist Church, and, after the second trial, his ordination credentials were revoked. Adam’s Gift is a moving story and an important chapter in the unfinished struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil and human rights.

Overall
An inspiring and educational telling of one religious man's journey.

Review
What I read of this was a while ago, so many of the details are fuzzy. I didn't stop because I wasn't enjoying it, but rather because I became somewhat bored with it. Part of this could be my unfamiliarity with autobiographies. He faced many struggles and he overcame as many as he could. I think if I had continued, I would have enjoyed it, but I couldn't entice myself to return to it either. It was fairly well written and interesting, at least the 60% that I read.

There are many parts of this story that would make it ideal for a religious person who was trying to understand homosexuality to read. Obviously the narrator is relatable and the reader gets to witness his progression from standard blinded individual to understanding to advocate.

In some ways this is a painful story to read because the author had to face many difficulties just because he was welcoming to homosexuals. I think it's an interesting comparison to the struggles he relates of the gay people he's known, although (as far as I read and recall) he doesn't make this connection in text. He's doing what he feels is right and while he doesn't like some of the results, he refuses to back down.

I'd definitely recommend picking this up in a library if you can find it, but this will be a must-have for only some readers.

Review: What Becomes You by Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz

What Becomes You by Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz
Stars: 3/5

Overall
While this book has an interesting concept, the writing and length kept me from really enjoying it. Some parts felt overly repetitious and went on too long, while other parts felt like they were barely explained. The language and grammar seems more poetic than prose, which sometimes makes it difficult to understand what is being said--or what is trying to be said. However, this is balanced out by some sections that are beautifully written (when the style clicks with what's being said) and express important and powerful messages. I wish I could read an abridged version.

Strengths
I think the thing that saved this book from being a terrible read was that the sections that I enjoyed, I really loved. I loved the ideas Aaron shares and his story. I wanted to know more, see more, learn more. He had sections that seemed almost enlightened in both their concepts and their writing. I loved those sections. Sadly, they were not all that often.

Topic. Obviously people don't pick this book up (most likely) unless they have an interest in transsexuals or concepts of gender and sexuality. It's why I picked it up and those elements were completely satisfied by the end. They book also does an excellent job of looking at perception: how we perceive ourselves, how others perceive us and how that perception can change.

Weaknesses
Lack of linear story telling. While I can respect that this isn't an autobiography in the traditional sense, I found the amount of skipping around difficult to follow. Aaron's story is especially bad at this as his early adult life (mainly his 20s) are shown in such brief and random glimpses that it's hard to tell what's happening in his life. While obviously the events aren't meant to be the central focus of the book, it made it hard for me to understand his emotions and his mental standing when he turned 30.

Hilda's section. While Hilda's section had some interesting parts, for the majority I wasn't interested. Perhaps it's because my own perspective aligns more with Aaron's, but I think it's more a matter of not feeling particularly compassionate toward her story and her telling of it. While she stresses that Aaron wanted her to write about herself, I still felt like her story was more selfish in its attempt to share the same story Aaron told from the opposite side.

Writing. The writing wasn't necessarily bad, but it had a certain poetic style that was sometimes difficult to understand. It felt like a prose poem rather than straight prose, which didn't lend itself to expressing the story these two individuals were trying to tell.