Description:
A glimpse into a gay child's escape from a world of abuse, homophobia, and religious extremism.
Brief description: Scott Terry was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, and spent his childhood praying for God and Armageddon to heal him of his homosexual thoughts. At the age of sixteen, he escaped from the Witness religion and was riding bulls in the rodeo as a gay cowboy. Scott's memoir, (Cowboys, Armageddon, and The Truth) was named one of the Top 20 Must Read Books of 2013 by Advocate magazine. It was named one of the best LGBT releases of 2012 by Out In Print and Band of Thebes book lists, and was a double-award winner of the Rainbow Book Awards (Best Gay Debut, and Best LGBT Non-Fiction, 2013). Scott's new novel, The Gift, is a work of fiction and scheduled for release in Fall 2024. Scott has written often for the San Francisco Chronicle, and his essays has been featured in the Huffington Post and Alternet Magazine, amongst others. Scott's rodeo gear, clothing, and championship buckles are in the permanent collection of the Autry Museum of the American West (Los Angeles), and are currently on display in the museum's Imagined Wests exhibit. He and his husband operate an organic farm in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Review Quotes:
Nominated for the Over The Rainbow Book List by the American Library Association in July 2012
Named Best LGBT Debut and Best LGBT Non-Fiction of 2013 by Rainbow Book Awards.
"Cowboys, Armageddon and The Truth tells a real hero's journey. Terry proves to be a wonderful model of the sensitive gay man rising up through and out of religious orthodoxy and coming into his own. This book is about the gay hero's journey." -Toby Johnson, author of Gay Spirituality
''Scott Terry's gritty, colorful account of his church-choked years is insightful and cringe-inducing-a window into the lives of people with a terrible need to confine themselves in rigid little boxes. I shuddered at his predicament, marveled at his resilience, and was heartened by his breakthrough.'' -Will Fellows, author of Farm Boys
''Scott Terry's stirring memoir illustrates the maiming pain that families can inflict on their members, especially the young and powerless, and the many ways that orthodox religion can isolate and warp its believers.'' -Jeff Mann, author of Purgatory
''A lively, affectionate autobiography with messages of inspiration and acceptance.'' -Kirkus Reviews