SALON

Thursday, Feb 14, 2013 8:00 PM UTC

Julia Scheeres was losing her religion

In "Jesus Land," a memoirst reckons with an Evangelical upbringing and the grief of her brother's death

By

Topics: Religion, julia scheeres, Memoir, Books, What to Read, audible, Audiobooks, The Listener, Evangelical Christianity, Race, Racism, Death, grief, Parenting,

Julia Scheeres was losing her religion (Credit: Shutterstock/Salon/Benjamin Wheelock)

When I first began to read literature seriously, in my early 20s, I was in thrall to the literary and intellectual tradition that Catholic and Jewish writers could draw upon and push against. I found that I had much in common with believers and apostates such as Isaac Bashevis Singer, Andre Dubus, Cynthia Ozick, Nathan Englander and Philip Roth. They were Americans, but they were also somehow other, owing to childhoods that claimed allegiances that transcended the merely national. Like those writers, I had belonged as a child to a group that claimed a high otherness, but unlike those writers, I belonged to a group that so distrusted the culture itself that it had never bothered to cultivate much in the way of a literary tradition. I have waited until the fourth sentence to use the phrase “Evangelical Christianity,” because the people from whom I came have been partially responsible, as a political power block, for so many of the abuses of the late 20th and early 21st century. Literature aims to complicate, or it ought to, and Evangelical Christianity too often aims to reduce, to say, “There are two ways of looking at every problem, the right way, and the wrong way,” and there are consequently two kinds of people, the right people and the wrong people.

But this, too, is a reductive characterization, and one that too often goes underexplored in literature, because, like every other group of people, evangelicals are an agglomeration of individuals who are distinguished one from the other by their individual wants, needs and desires, by their individual prejudices and peccadilloes, by their individual inclinations toward generosities and pettinesses, by their individual circumstances of birth and family and origin and raising and class and culture. So when writing about evangelicals, as when writing about anyone, the trick is to particularize, and that’s the special gift Julia Scheeres displays in her fierce, honest and intelligent memoir “Jesus Land,” which tells the story of her raising in rural Indiana by well-educated parents with a missionary zeal, who pack Scheeres and her adopted brother David (who is African-American) off to the New Horizons Youth Ministries Christian boot camp in Escuela Caribe, in the Dominican Republic, a place that promises to reform troubled teenagers by culture shock and distance.

The audiobook is ably narrated by Elizabeth Evans, whose delivery is sufficiently sassy in the first half of “Jesus Land” to simulate the interior life of the teenager whose observations drive the story forward through time. In the second half, her delivery alternately expands and flattens to mirror the emotional risings and fallings that Scheeres endures at Escuela Caribe, where corporal punishment is permissible, where discussions among the teenagers are constantly policed, where daily brainwashing sessions are mandatory, and where new arrivals arrive at Level Zero of a five-level system of earned privileges. At Level Zero, a student must be watched at all times, must ask to move, sit, stand or eat, must not communicate with members of the opposite sex or with other “zero-rankers,” must not wear makeup or jewelry, and must memorize arcane Bible passages and achieve physical benchmarks in sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts, and squat thrusts in order to have any chance of advancing to Level One.

The rest of the audiobook is an account of Scheeres’ near-capitulation to the program, as part of a long attempt to escape, get home and regain a little bit of power over her own life. The one measure of grace that distinguishes her time at Escuela Caribe from the other students’ is the presence of her beloved brother David, with whom she has survived “racism and religion,” and with whom she finds, ultimately, her true home and her true family. So it is heartbreaking when the book’s epilogue is devoted to news of David’s death — news that forces in Scheeres a renewed, adult reckoning with the events they experienced together at Escuela Caribe, and especially with her parents, whose good intentions provoked so many atrocious outcomes.

“Good intentions go awry,” Scheeres writes, “as with missionaries bent on saving souls who obliterate entire tribal cultures. Or former juvenile delinquents who find Jesus and decide to start reform schools. I thank my parents for bringing me David, but not for the life they gave us.”

It is tempting to read Scheeres’ story as a metaphor for the culture from which she came, but metaphors are slippery. “Jesus Land” could likewise be read as a metaphor for the United States, or a metaphor for human beings in general. Like the best writers, Scheeres offers her characters in the fullness of the contradictions they hold in tension, and with great and clear-sighted empathy, and at the end of the audiobook, the listener might say: They’re so much like me.

*   *   *

New to Audible? Listen to this and other titles for free or check out a sample.

Kyle Minor

Kyle Minor is the author of "In the Devil’s Territory," a collection of stories and novellas, and the winner of the 2012 Iowa Review Prize for Short Fiction. His second collection of stories, "Praying Drunk," will be published in February 2014. More Kyle Minor.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 8 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
146 points147 points | 10 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
73 points74 points | 23 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
79 points80 points | 12 comments
vote
We must hate our children
61 points62 points | 11 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
55 points56 points | 16 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows