Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Akashic Books (2023), 336 pages
Description
"Delia Barnes and Ernest Wrangham met as teens at Celebration Camp, a church-supported conversion therapy program-the dubious, unscientific, Christian practice meant to change a person's sexuality. After witnessing a devastating tragedy, they escaped in the night, only to take separate roads to their distant homes. They have no idea how each has fared through the years. Delia is a college basketball coach who prides herself on being an empowering and self-possessed role model for her players. But when she gets fired from her elite East Coast college, she's forced to return to her hometown of Rockside, Oregon, to coach at her high school alma mater. Ernest, meanwhile, is a renowned poet with a temporary teaching job in Portland, Oregon. His work has always been boundary-pushing, fearless. But the poem he's most wanted to write-about his dangerous escape from Celebration Camp-remains stubbornly out of reach. Both persist in the mission to overcome the consequences and inhumane costs of conversion therapy. As events find them hurtling toward each other once again, they both grapple with the necessity of remaining steadfast in one's truth, no matter how slippery that can be. Tell the Rest is a powerful novel about coming to terms, with family, history, violence, loss, sexuality, and ultimately, with love"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member maribou
Virtually unputdownable. And I cried happy tears at the end. Compelling characters and effective pacing. Also it shows rather than merely telling that friendship, love, compassion, are more important than respect for authority, which is a very good moral indeed.
(NB: I read an advance reading copy
CN: enormous amounts of homophobia, including so called "conversion therapy", slurs, and abuse; religious coercion; rape and sexual coercion; child abuse of multiple kinds; violence; suicide; bullying; defiant child treated unfairly by adults; a cat runs away and you don't know for a while if she's ok or not (but she is).
(NB: I read an advance reading copy
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given to me by the book's publisher.)CN: enormous amounts of homophobia, including so called "conversion therapy", slurs, and abuse; religious coercion; rape and sexual coercion; child abuse of multiple kinds; violence; suicide; bullying; defiant child treated unfairly by adults; a cat runs away and you don't know for a while if she's ok or not (but she is).
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LibraryThing member psychomamma
I received this book for free from the early reviewers program at Library Thing. This book is about two teens who were sent against their will to a Christian conversion camp, and how that experience reverberated throughout their lives. I really loved the characters and story and thought the author
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did a great job discussing such a brutal experience and how it impacts those who have gone through it. I was worried at one point that this was going to just be a Christian bashing book. As a therapist, many of my LGBTQ+ clients struggle with faith, but do find loving Christian communities in the end. But the author then does a great job of providing a sympathetic and loving pastor character that does show that not all Christians are right-wing bigots and provides hope that for those who wish to still interact with faith communities, they are out there. All in all, this book is lovely and definitely worth a read! Show Less
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
I loved the way the threads of Delia's life - basketball, lesbianism, her friend William the poet, conversion therapy, coaching (but especially her role as a basketball coach) - were woven throughout the book. It made it so much more interesting than what I expected, a blow-by blow horrifying
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account of her time at the conversion therapy camp. This tapestry propelled the plot, making for a compelling read. She's a very good writer except for very occasional overwriting ("their sneakers squeaking out tears of rainwater"), but given all her awards I'm sure she knows more about writing than I do, so all in all five stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member GrrlLovesBooks
I received the book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Excellent. Could not put the book down.
Believable characters and plot twists. A story had a great ending and handled the subject matter with sensitivity.
Uplifting. Positive message. A must read.
Excellent. Could not put the book down.
Believable characters and plot twists. A story had a great ending and handled the subject matter with sensitivity.
Uplifting. Positive message. A must read.
LibraryThing member mmoj
When I first started this book I was hooked. But I also had to put it down because it was emotional from the start. When I picked it up again to start reading again I thought it was a different book. It was more cold. Because Delia had grown up and was so, removed. She had rage and sex but it
As the author introduced characters and pieces of Delia came into view I felt I understood why we had such an abrupt change from that child at the beginning to the woman we were learning about.
This was heartbreaking, endearing, frustrating and I at times, wanted to throw the book and hug almost all the characters. It made me ask, how do we hate so thoroughly while spouting righteousness. How do we hurt each other so easily.
The last chapter of this book crushed me.
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seemed like it was someone else rather than her own emotions. As the author introduced characters and pieces of Delia came into view I felt I understood why we had such an abrupt change from that child at the beginning to the woman we were learning about.
This was heartbreaking, endearing, frustrating and I at times, wanted to throw the book and hug almost all the characters. It made me ask, how do we hate so thoroughly while spouting righteousness. How do we hurt each other so easily.
The last chapter of this book crushed me.
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LibraryThing member gadosiahe
Tell The Rest started off strong and just kept going. The characters are well written, the plot is solid, and the emotional turmoil is an easy connection point for readers (even those of us who do not get emotionally attached to sports teams, high school women's basketball or otherwise).
My main
The worst thing about the novel is that the girls on the team are not given enough time to really stand out as individuals except for maybe three of them. They are not the main focus of the book, so it does not really detract in any way from the plot. I can see reasons for keeping it this way; it presents the main plot in a clearer and more focused narrative, rather than risking losing the thread of the coach's emotional journey in between chapters focusing on the girls.
The juxtaposition of Delia's chapters with Ernest's worked well, and the conclusion of their arcs was satisfying because of how well the author wrote both characters. The ending was also a fantastic way to wrap things up, and I enjoyed that final peek into another character's life.
Overall, this was an emotionally charged and well written look at the way trauma survivors internalize their experiences and eventually address them in different ways. A well written piece of fiction, I would recommend it to anyone interested in lesbians, the consequences of hating your queer children, or queer characters overcoming their trauma.
My main
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concern with the book was how basketball-heavy the first few chapters are. It opens with a lot of jargon, but this quickly fades into the background of the characters' lives, and even when it was thickest, it did not detract from my enjoyment or understanding of the overall plot.The worst thing about the novel is that the girls on the team are not given enough time to really stand out as individuals except for maybe three of them. They are not the main focus of the book, so it does not really detract in any way from the plot. I can see reasons for keeping it this way; it presents the main plot in a clearer and more focused narrative, rather than risking losing the thread of the coach's emotional journey in between chapters focusing on the girls.
The juxtaposition of Delia's chapters with Ernest's worked well, and the conclusion of their arcs was satisfying because of how well the author wrote both characters. The ending was also a fantastic way to wrap things up, and I enjoyed that final peek into another character's life.
Overall, this was an emotionally charged and well written look at the way trauma survivors internalize their experiences and eventually address them in different ways. A well written piece of fiction, I would recommend it to anyone interested in lesbians, the consequences of hating your queer children, or queer characters overcoming their trauma.
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LibraryThing member literatefool
The technical review of this book is that it is a well paced, well plotted tale that moves between time periods and perspectives smoothly and effectively.
The less technical review is that this book is engaging. I looked forward to reading the next chapters. It was hard, and gut wrenching. It was
A thoroughly good book that I would recommend.
The less technical review is that this book is engaging. I looked forward to reading the next chapters. It was hard, and gut wrenching. It was
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funny and sad. It avoided the easy outs but didn't leave you feeling as if all is lost. It was just an honest look at how people recover from extreme trauma. A thoroughly good book that I would recommend.
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LibraryThing member glendalea
3.5 stars
This novel focuses on Delia, a basketball coach forced to return to her small hometown where she will have to confront her past experiences at a Christian conversion camp. I liked the book overall and felt it did a good job at addressing the traumas that many have endured at these camps
This novel focuses on Delia, a basketball coach forced to return to her small hometown where she will have to confront her past experiences at a Christian conversion camp. I liked the book overall and felt it did a good job at addressing the traumas that many have endured at these camps
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and other forced conversion "therapies." But while I appreciated Delia's story, I would have liked to know more of Ernest's and Cal's stories as they seemed to be the ones who bore the brunt of the abuses. Show Less
LibraryThing member jeanie0510
I received this book from LibraryThings early reviewers program. The premise was that Delia returned to her home town for a job as well as to confront and come to terms with her forced attendance at a conversion camp for gay/homosexual/queer teens. Also to come to terms with her relationship with
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the pastor of the church that held the camp. A parallel plot line was the character returning to her high school as the new basketball coach for the women's team. The chapters alternate from her current coaching to her relationship with two other teens who were at the camp. I wish the book would have held to her return and finding some closure with the camp experience and her relationships with the other teens she met and escaped the camp with. However, the book veered into the plot line of her return to coaching, her relationship with the players, the players back stories, and their quest for a championship. I don't know if the author was trying to draw parallels between the camp experience and the return to basketball, but for me this drug the book down into a basketball story instead of her experiences at the conversion camp and the demons she faced in her life because of it. If the novel would have stayed with only one plot line, I feel I would have enjoyed it more. Show Less
LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
Some things to recommend this: authentic, atmospheric, dramatic, and such a realistic portrayal of small town intergenerational change and rural life generally.
Ultimately too much basketball/sports for me to recommend it unabashedly. I really struggled with reading the basketball descriptions. Not
Ultimately too much basketball/sports for me to recommend it unabashedly. I really struggled with reading the basketball descriptions. Not
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my thing. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1636140793 / 9781636140797