Thinking Straight

By Robin Reardon

If only Taylor Adams had kept on lying to his parents, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have been shipped off to Straight to God, an institution devoted to "deprogramming" troubled teenagers and ridding them of their vices -- whether those vices are drugs, violence, or -- in Taylor's case -- other boys.

At Straight to God, such thoughts -- along with all other reminders of Taylor's former "sinful" life -- are forbidden. Every movement is monitored, privacy is impossible, and no one -- from staff to residents -- is quite who they first appear to be. There's Charles, Taylor's clean-cut roommate, desperate to leave his past behind; Nate Devlin, a handsome, inscrutable older boy who's alternately arrogant and kind; gorgeous, secretive Sean, who returns to Straight to God each year to avoid doing prison time for drugs. Here, where piety can be a mask for cruelty and the greatest crimes go unpunished, Taylor will learn more than he ever dreamed about love, courage, rebellion, and betrayal. But the most surprising lessons will be the truths he uncovers about himself.

Taylor's story presents a compelling exploration of the journey from boy to man and a testament to the strength that comes with accepting both who we are and whom we love.