The Gift
Published on 25. February 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
294 pages
978-1-61153-591-4 (ISBN)
Description
A haunting tale of religious extremism and the struggle for acceptance in mid-20th century America.
Butch Blackwell, raised in the insular world of Jehovah's Witnesses, grapples with his burgeoning homosexuality amidst the church's condemnation. His mother, Pansy, brings him to rural Siskiyou County, California, where he finds solace and unexpected kinship with a kindhearted rancher, Steve Bultemeyer. Butch embraces the cowboy culture, but his journey to self-discovery is fraught with prejudice and family secrets.
As Butch navigates faith, sexuality, and the complexities of small-town life, he confronts the hypocrisy of religious dogma and the courage required to live authentically. Will Butch find a path to acceptance and forge his own definition of family and faith? The Gift explores the enduring power of love, the search for belonging, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Perfect for readers seeking character-driven historical fiction with LGBTQ+ themes.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
418 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61153-591-4 (9781611535914)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
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.