Guest Post at Segullah, Plus New Book Review
Last Sunday, I had a guest post titled "Gay and/or Mormon: A Storyteller's Perspective" published at Segullah (description: "Mormon women blogging about the peculiar and the treasured" — and no, I have no idea where the name came from, though it's a great blog that you should definitely check out, even if you aren't a Mormon woman). It got some good and positive responses — though not as many, I can't help but notice, as several other recent posts, such as one about divorce (titled "When Eternal Marriage Isn't") and one about the ambiguous nature and possible value of sin (titled "To Not Have Sinned").
Which, in a way, illustrates the problem that was part of what I was writing about. There's not a strong desire among LDS Church members to read or talk about homosexuality, for some perfectly natural reasons — leaving us, nonetheless, more poorly equipped to support those in our midst who deal with same-sex attraction. (I'll ignore here other likely reasons for my post getting fewer comments, such as the fact that the other posts were shorter and concluded with open-ended questions inviting discussion, or that what I'm talking about is a less universal topic, or even that I'm more or less a stranger while the other posts were by known friends and community members. Or the possibility, indeed likelihood, that they're just more interesting writers than I am, for that forum at least.)
To some extent, it was a marketing effort: an attempt to get word of my book out to people who might not otherwise have heard about it, in a way that would help them sense that it might interest them (and that it's not about attacking LDS people or beliefs). At the same time, it also gave me a chance to share some of the variety of responses I've received from people who are (or once were) Mormon and same-sex attracted, and what I've learned about the myriad of ways people can react to that dilemma. And my sense that it's important for those stories to be heard, regardless of the value or otherwise of my own book as part of that effort.
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And then checking my in-box this morning, I found a very positive review from another non-LDS blogger, Melissa at i swim for oceans (another really cool blog name, though again I have no idea what it means). She writes in part: "Langford has created a masterpiece in No Going Back. Brimming with morals but never preachy, heartwrenching but never overdone, the story of Paul is one of valor, life, and love of belief and oneself — something everyone can relate to on some level…. The prose is real and honest — a bit too gritty and brutal at times, but it works between a male teenage MC and his friends. Paul is well-rounded and tangible, and I enjoyed the level of detail when it came to showing what Paul was attempting to reconcile with in the LDS religion…. No Going Back was a powerful, moving read with a strong message of friendship, family and tolerance. Whether religious or not, I believe everyone can find a meaning in this book, and need for a few tissues, as it's a tearjerker." It doesn't get much more positive than that!
