The past they tried to hide. His mother died from cancer in 1955. His father committed suicide shortly thereafter. Paddy Doyle was sentenced in an Irish district court to be detained in an industrial school for eleven years. He was four years old... Paddy Doyle's prize-winning bestseller, The God Squad, is both a moving and terrifying testament of the institutionalised Ireland of less than fifty years ago, as seen through the bewildered eyes of a child. During his detention, Paddy was viciously assaulted and sexually abused by his religious custodians, and within three years his experiences began to result in physical manifestations of trauma. He was taken one night to hospital and left there, never to see his custodians again. So began his long round of hospitals, mainly in the company of old and dying men, while doctors tried to diagnose his condition. This period of his life, during which he was a constant witness to death, culminated in brain surgery at the age of ten - by which time he had become permanently disabled. The God Squad is the remarkable true story of a survivor, told with an extraordinary lack of bitterness for one so shockingly and shamefully treated. In Paddy Doyle's own words: 'It is about a society's abdication of responsibility to a child. The fact that I was that child, and that the book is about my life, is largely irrelevant. The probability is that there were, and still are, thousands of 'me's.'

Zac's Place is a church in Swansea. It's also the spiritual home for the local chapter of the motorcycle club God's Squad. Zac's Place is led by Sean Stillman—a "painfully shy, nervous preacher's kid"—whose ministry has cost him dearly, including physical beating. This is Sean's personal story of a transformed faith alongside the broken, the story of the church he started and the European-wide growth of an unlikely bunch of biker missionaries.

*A Barnes & Noble Teen Blog's Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YA Book of 2019* Jenna Watson is a cheerleader. And she wants you to know it’s not some Hollywood crap: they are not every guy’s fantasy. They are not the “mean girls” of Marsen High School. They’re literally just human females trying to live their lives and do a perfect toe touch. And their team is at the top of their game. They’re a family. But all that changes when Jenna’s best friend stops talking to her. Suddenly, she’s not getting invited out with the rest of the squad. She’s always a step behind. And she has no idea why. While grappling with post-cheer life, Jenna explores things she never allowed herself to like, including LARPing (live action role playing) and a relationship with a trans guy that feels a lot like love. When Jenna loses the sport and the friends she’s always loved, she has to ask herself: What else is left?

Your dream might be over, but your life isn’t. Embrace your broken dream as a chance for a new beginning and see how a “Resurrection Year” can restore your soul. After ten years of tear-soaked prayers and repeatedly dashed hopes, Sheridan Voysey and his wife come to a heart-breaking conclusion: their dream of having a child is over. Empty and confused from a decade of disappointment, they leave their jobs, pack their bags, and embark on a journey in search of restoration. Voysey chronicles the couple’s return to life. From the streets of Rome to the Basilicas of Paris, from the Alps of Switzerland to their new home in Oxford, Voysey and his wife begin the healing process while wrestling with their doubts about God’s goodness. Voysey’s story is beautiful, uplifting, and deeply thoughtful, assuring us that even after the most dead and shattered of dreams can come wonderful, invigorating new life. Resurrection Year: Offers real and universal hope for those who have faced disappointment Is for anyone who has experienced their own broken dream, whether it be unwanted singleness, infertility, the loss of a loved one or the loss of a career Shares the emotive, poetic, and at times humorous discovery of the healing qualities of beauty, friendship, and love One-part spiritual memoir and one-part love story, Resurrection Year is an honest, heart-felt book about recovering from broken dreams and reconciling with a God who is sometimes silent but never absent.

Book Description for The God Squad: At last! A sharp and sexy satire that skewers the absurd methods used by the ex-gay movement to make gays go straight. In this hilarious send-up of ex-gay treatment programs, a young man named Paul joins Escape, run by the Reverend Sly Slocock. While trying to convert other gays, Paul meets Jimmy, a feisty antagonist from Homo Nation, who sets out to undermine Sly's increasingly bizarre attempts to cure Paul's homosexuality. The God Squad is a racy, romantic comedy spiced with irony, intrigue, and forbidden passion. By exposing the fraudulent hypocrisy of ex-gay ministries, it also provides a refreshing antidote to the religious right's campaign against gays. About the Author: Rik Isensee practices psychotherapy in San Francisco and has worked with some clients in recovery from ex-gay programs. He is the author of three self-help books for gay men: Love Between Men, Reclaiming Your Life, and Are You Ready? The Gay Man's Guide to Thriving at Midlife.

A humorous, yet poignant social historic narrative of a priest grappling with the changing mores of both the Catholic Church and contemporary life. Father Harry Schlitt encountered movie stars as well as cardinals and popes. But his real ministry centered around common people he met through his radio and television shows over the span of 50 years.