{"product_id":"jesus-land-isbn-9781640092167","title":"Jesus Land","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER: An “exquisitely wrought memoir” about how “love can flourish even in the harshest climates”—for readers of \u003ci\u003eThe Liar’s Club\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRunning with Scissors \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“One of the best memoirs in years” (Anne Lamott): A poignant account of\u003c\/b\u003e two siblings—one white, one Black—growing up in the Christian fundamentalist communities of Indiana and the Dominican Republic.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Julia and her adopted brother, David, are 16 years old. Julia is white. David is black. It is the mid–1980s and their family has just moved to rural Indiana, a landscape of cottonwood trees, trailer parks, and an all–encompassing racism. At home are a distant mother—more involved with her church’s missionaries than her own children—and a violent father. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this riveting and heartrending memoir, Julia Scheeres takes us from the Midwest to a place beyond imagining. Surrounded by natural beauty, Escuela Caribe—a religious reform school in the Dominican Republic—is characterized by a disciplinary regime that extracts repentance from its students by any means necessary. Julia and David strive to make it through these ordeals and their tale is relayed here with startling immediacy, extreme candor, and wry humor.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Over a decade after its first publication, \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e remains deeply resonant with readers. This \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling memoir is a gripping tale of rage and redemption, hope and humor, morality and malice—and most of all, the truth: that being a good person takes more than just going to church.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the ALA Alex Award\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the QPB New Visions Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This is one of the best memoirs in years. I foisted it on friends and strangers alike, and everyone loved its marvelous story, writing, humor, truth.” —Anne Lamott, author of \u003ci\u003eBird by Bird\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“As the story gains momentum, it becomes clear that Scheeres is driven by two things: the fierce love she feels for her brother and the rising anger she experiences as she witnesses the injustices he endures. There is much praise, these days, for the detached, quietly elegant narrative. But there is little mention of the power a well–tended rage can bring to a good story. It is Scheeres's high emotion and her tight control of her narrative within that emotion that is most striking. Her anger serves her well: it is focused, justified and without a trace of self–pity. Shot through with poignancy.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What makes \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e unique and easy to relate to is its unadorned, dark humor . . . Many of us could have had the misfortune of stumbling into Jesus Land but few would have the spirit to survive.” —\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “[An] exquisitely wrought memoir, Scheeres emerged with sensibilities intact and learned that love can flourish even in the harshest climates.” —\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] gripping memoir.” —\u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Unflinchingly honest.” —\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] rough, brutal, and shockingly good memoir . . . \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e is matter–of–fact, clear–eyed, and compassionate, without vindictiveness, which is, of course, what real Christian charity is about.” —\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Julia Scheeres's engrossing debut won over most of our readers . . . a reminder that what matters is not just the tale but the telling.” —\u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A clear–eyed memoir . . . with judicious restraint. To spend your childhood in a doctrinaire environment, whether political or religious, is to become too familiar, too fast, with the worst of human frailties––hypocrisy, bigotry, moral cowardice.” —\u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] darkly comic memoir.” —\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Julia Scheeres has written a love story that is as romantic and as sad as any recent memoir you'll read . . . What Scheeres' devastating book maps out is the story of this thwarted relationship, which somehow survives every twisted setback and deprivation to emerge intact. . . . It's tough going, but life–affirming.” —\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e] is a book readers are sure to be talking about, and references to such titles as \u003ci\u003eRunning With Scissors\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGirl, Interrupted\u003c\/i\u003e will likely be drawn. Scheeres succeeds at relating a harrowing life story with effortless humor and wisdom.” —\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “What did Julia and David learn from their strict Christian upbringing? How to write apparently . . . Everything in this memoir, including its final tragedy, is brightly, clearly rendered, by a voice as rich in forgiveness as it has unforgivable stories to tell.” —\u003ci\u003eMilwaukee Journal Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A harrowing memoir of coming–of–age amid religious zealotry . . . Scheeres manages to balance her righteous rage against fanatical hypocrisy with a smart sense of humor . . . poignant and heartbreaking.” —\u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating study of how so–called discipline warps young minds . . . poignant and [more] important to share.” —\u003ci\u003eSeattle Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A real–life coming–of–age tale is told in \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e. . . Scheeres . . . looks back with journalistic clarity and literary grace at her teenage years.” —\u003ci\u003ePW Daily\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinary memoir not just for the jaw–dropping tale it depicts, but for the wit and honesty, and literary courage within it pages. This book will make readers think of the \u003ci\u003eLiar's Club\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBastard Out of Carolina\u003c\/i\u003e, but there's nothing derivative in it. For all its hardship and terror, it is above all a love story. Scheeres is the real thing, and this is a book that should last for a long, long time.” —Tom Barbash, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Dakota Winters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book will break your heart and mend it again. Julia Scheeres peels back the shiny, plastic veneer of fundamentalist Christianity to reveal the intolerance, hypocrisy and cruelty that can lie beneath. She does this with a merciless eye for detail, and an uncanny ability to evoke the essence of the Midwest. However, it is the exquisite candor and humor which makes \u003ci\u003eJesus Land\u003c\/i\u003e so worth the reading. That, and the simple human love that shines out of every page.” —Lisa Reardon, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mercy Killers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The grace and emotional brawn that carried Julia Scheeres through the pummeling brutality of her youth has enabled her to tell the tale with a measured intensity that pulls you to her side and keeps you there. I could not stop reading this book.” —Mary Roach, best–selling author of \u003ci\u003eStiff\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Julia Scheeres' beautifully–written memoir took my breath away—for the cruelties she suffered, for the courage it took to survive and tell her story, and for her enduring, sparkling faith. She is able to describe the everyday details of her experience with a clear, candid eye, and without bitterness—making her story vividly alive, at turns heart–breaking and humorous.” —Laura Fraser, author of \u003ci\u003eAll Over the Map\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this brilliant, sorrow–filled, race–tangled memoir, Ms. Scheeres story–telling skill makes you cheer for her and her adopted brother every step of the way as they navigate a cruel childhood. You will especially love the well–written sections about Ms. Scheeres' exile to a Dominican Republic reform school—inhabited by many emotionally–uneven adults who prove the adage that some Christians are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” —Joe Loya, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Scheeres] deftly exposes the disparity between her parents' religious beliefs and their actions . . . and confesses with honesty and emotion her guilt and shame at abandoning her little brother in her search for acceptance. This work will force readers to relive the angst of being a teenager at a new school and desperately trying to fit in. Highly recommended.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The writing is Dickensian in its blend of the tender, the brutal, and the absurd.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The road out of an intolerant small town leads straight to a faith–based reform school in journalist Scheeres's scarifying memoir . . . A bristly summoning of unpretty events, conveyed with remarkable placidity.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A frank and compelling portrait . . . Tinged with sadness yet pervaded by a sense of triumph, Scheeres's book is a crisply written and earnest examination of the meaning of family and Christian values, and announces the author as a writer to watch.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eJulia Scheeres\u003c\/b\u003e's essays, articles, and book reviews have been published in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eO, The Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e and other publications. Her second book, \u003ci\u003eA Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Jonestown\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Northern California Independent Bookseller Association's Nonfiction Book of the Year award. She lives in Berkeley, California, and is a member of The Grotto.","brand":"Counterpoint","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301138878693,"sku":"NP9781640092167","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781640092167.jpg?v=1767730393","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/jesus-land-isbn-9781640092167","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}