Deadly Secrets

by Karen Scalf Linamen, Keith Wall, Linamen

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891093206
• ISBN13: 9780891093206
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group
• Length: 237 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Unique Look at a Difficult Subject

This book is valuable for two groups of people: gay Christians and those who know them. If you're a Christian who's gay, you will probably relate to A LOT of what Scott Cameron went through. You'll see that the things he wrote about--the fear, overwhelming struggle, sense of alienation, and intense loneliness--are not unique to you. If you know someone who's gay, reading this may help you understand him a little better. Understanding is the beginning of empathy. The book depicts many times in Cameron's life where the intervention of one of his Christian friends could have made a difference. Maybe you'll be equipped to be more proactive in someone else's life after you've read it. And if you're gay, reading about some of those missed opportunities might help you avoid the same outcome.Be forewarned: this book is a serious downer. One of the reviews on the back cover says it's "a gripping story of hope and victory," but I didn't see it that way at all. It's the most wrenchingly depressing thing I've ever read. If you have any heart at all, it will make you cry. Even so, it's worth it, even though it may ruin your day (or week).It has weaknesses. As the book's introduction notes, it is, for lack of a better term, a docu-drama woven from Scott Cameron's journals (begun when he was in junior high) and interviews with friends and family. Although some of the facts may be somewhat altered, it's still a good read. The book does suffer a bit because it's written by people who are straight (even though they're using source material from Cameron). It tends to focus a bit too much on AIDS, although that's what kills Cameron (I'm not letting anything out by saying that; you can see that coming by the time you read the third page of text, if you miss the references on the cover). There are no graphic descriptions of sex, and I believe there are other aspects of Cameron's life that were sanitized, as well. Maybe in the end that doesn't really matter. At the risk of being redundant, it's worth reading.