Reader Reviews: The Mind Set on the Flesh
I finished [your] book, and want to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it. You successfully pulled me into a world that [as a straight woman] I know little about, and created in me more understanding and sympathy for those facing such awful adversity. I had no idea that there were such extreme measures being taken by these fundamentalists. I understand hate crimes, but I've never considered their origins, or the depth of their hatred. It will help me in the future.
~ KimM, Irving, TX
The Mind Set on the Flesh written by Bill Prickett is both riveting and challenging. The reader is taken on a journey with Thumper (the main character) as he encounters various opinions of His life choices. The writer draws you in with raw emotions of extreme love and hatred as Thumper journeys with other characters. Through many unexpected twists and turns, the storyline deals with both the biblical and religious ideologies of life choices. The reader will walk away with a greater understanding of God’s love versus man’s hatred and be challenged with their own biblical insights. As an avid reader I found this was one book I could not put down
~ SandyL, Birmingham, AL
The Mind Set on the Flesh, the second novel by this author, sets out to describe the struggles of homosexuals attempting to live out their Christian faith in a hostile Christian faith community. The author also delivers a strong message against the faith-motivated attempts to “convert” same-sex orientation to heterosexuality. He likens ex-gay reparative efforts to the larger issue of religious abuse which includes sexual abuse and child molestation by pastors and priests and abusive corporal punishment and child abuse from the “spare the rod, spoil the child” school of child raising.
Bill Prickett has written a clear, flowing story about believable characters within a believable story line. The fundamentalist characters are strongly opinionated and follow their beliefs and their leaders with blindness to the larger call of the love that the Good News of their faith is supposed to be about. But the author was able to paint them accurately without stepping into caricatures that so many writers fall into. Prickett’s real life experience with these characters is evident in his descriptions.
The main characters are fully developed and clearly defined and understood. They are believable and have personalities. Prickett has written a story that allows you empathize and care for the characters. It is the type of novel that when you put it down, you look forward to getting back to it and as you near the end you are sad that you will be leaving it.
While the author, a former pastor and church leader has a strong command of scripture and biblical quotes, I cannot imagine this book will ever be featured in Christian bookstores. It’s a provocative, well-written book that (unfortunately) may have challenges finding its audience.
~ PaulK, Chicago, IL
“Mind” starts off as a charming, light read that suddenly pulls the reader into a disturbing world of gay bashing and reparative therapy. The book makes no overly political statements, but it absolutely makes you consider the state of gay people in this country. It may perpetuate many stereotypes of the alleged “gay lifestyle,” but more importantly, it portrays humanness and warmth that anti-gay folks would prefer that the public does not see or understand. The story is approachable, and the characters are uncomfortably recognizable at times. I am glad that the tale is set in the Deep South and not in L.A., San Francisco or New York and I appreciate that southerners are treated as open minded, dignified people.
I enjoyed the way the author dips deeply into the psyche of each character, exploring their strengths, weaknesses and motivations. While the characters themselves may be fictitious, the gay bashing and reparative therapy elements are nightmarishly real. Both elements were shocking to me and I had to put down the book for awhile – it was like being in back-to-back crashes with a brick wall. The violence of the attack and the psychological assault on the main character made me analyze my own situation and realize how lucky I am and the importance of having supportive friends, relatives and legal counsel. This book is relevant to the world we live in.
I got a sense of desperation as Thumper was whisked away and subjected to unethical “medical” treatments with his parent’s permission. The book made me understand that in a life-changing moment, we can lose our adulthood, independence and rights while becoming subject to experimentation by those who don’t have our interests at heart or do not accept us as we are.
The author’s background makes him ideally suited to handle issues related to Christianity and how it is used as a weapon to infringe upon other’s rights and dignity as humans. My only disappointment was the book’s happy ending. Considering the damage done by the main character’s family, I was disappointed that they didn’t receive tougher justice!
I enthusiastically recommend this book to friends and family.
~ KenS, Greensboro, NC