The son of a Baptist pastor in small-town Arkansas, Garrard Conley was outed to his parents at nineteen and forced to attend a church-supported conversion therapy programme that promised to 'cure' him of homosexuality. Through an institutionalised Twelve-Step programme heavy on Bible study, he was supposed to emerge heterosexual, ex-gay, cleansed of impure urges and stronger in his faith in God for his brush with sin. Instead, even when faced with a harrowing and brutal journey, Garrard found the strength and understanding to break out in search of his true self and forgiveness. At times heartbreaking, at times triumphant, this memoir is a testament to love that survives despite all odds.
