Title: Rapture Practice: My One-Way Ticket to Salvation (2013)
Author: Aaron Hartzler
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 978-0316094658
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography/Memoir, LGBQT
Reading Level / Interest Age: Ages 14 and up
Author Profile:
“A writer and actor, Aaron’s autobiographical performances have been seen in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York where he received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Off-Off Broadway Performance. He’s performed in plays and musicals on regional stages across the country, and was featured in several TV pilots no one saw. You might have seen him in the very first episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the role of “Handsome Guy”–although you may have missed him, too, because at the time, his hair was strangely blond and decidedly not very handsome. Aaron lives in southern California with his boyfriend Nate (who is decidedly very handsome) and their two dogs Charlie and Brahms.”
From - http://www.aaronhartzler.com/about-aaron/
Reader's Annotation:
The true story of Aaron Hartzler, who grew up in a strict evangelical home that restricted many of the pleasures that children and teens take for granted. At sixteen years old, Hartzler begins to seriously question his religion, his family and himself as he experiments with new experiences and looks for his own truth.
Plot Summary:
Growing up, Aaron Hartzler’s family never owned a television, was restricted from going to the movies, and could not listen to rock music all because it went against the Lord. Growing up in a strict evangelical household, Hartzler’s family believed that at any moment Jesus would swoop down and take the family to heaven so long as they were saved. As a youngster, Hartzler was careful to follow the rules laid out for him by his parents and thrilled at the prospect of joining Jesus in the sky. However, as he reaches the age of sixteen he begins to experiment more with his life on earth, finding out there is so much more to life than he was ever allowed to experience. Rattled with unasked questions and contradictions that constantly plague him, Hartzler begins to live beyond the rules set up for him by his parents and his religion and gets to live, for the first time, by his own rules. Throughout Hartzler’s journey, he explains how he was able to find himself without losing the family he loves, and how it is okay to lose faith if that means discovering your own truth.
Critical Evaluation:
This memoir’s strength lies in Hartzler’s deft writing style, language, and tone. Religion is already a difficult topic to discuss, even more so in Hartzler’s case because it played such a pivotal role in his upbringing. Despite this though, Hartzler writes with a voice that is lively, clear, honest and forthright, outlining the exact nature and belief system of Evangelical Christians as well as its direct effect on his own childhood and the limitations that he experienced. While Hartzler is honest, he also never takes a condescending tone in his narrative and rather than constructing a history based on rebellion and judgment, his tone is indicative of discovery and truthfully showing the beliefs of his family and religious community. Additionally, no matter how much Hartzler was angered or frustrated by his parents he still portrays them lovingly demonstrating that even if his own beliefs were changing family still matters and he still loves them despite some of the harder moments he has experienced. All of this is further emphasized through the author’s strong attention to detail as he minutely describes everything from making out with a girl to watching his grandfather crochet. This adds such a lovely balance to the seriousness of some of the harsher realities of religion because his tone is often wry, a bit hilarious and a reminder to readers about the ridiculousness of growing up. Readers will easily be able to relate to Hartzler through his voice and his honest approach to his own internal conflict that caused him to question his faith and the journey he took in order to become true to himself.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenges / Issues:
Defense of Challenges / Issues:
Book Talk Ideas:
Why This Book?
This book presents a number of topics and is written in a voice that teens will easily relate to and find authentic because of the fact it is a true story. While religious and LGBQT themes are present, at the end of the day this book covers the larger scope of choice and accepting that what parents may want their children to be is not necessarily who they are, and there is nothing wrong with that. Teens struggling with this will easily find a kindred spirit in Hartzler’s memoir, making this an excellent choice for any collection.
Author: Aaron Hartzler
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 978-0316094658
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography/Memoir, LGBQT
Reading Level / Interest Age: Ages 14 and up
Author Profile:
“A writer and actor, Aaron’s autobiographical performances have been seen in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York where he received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Off-Off Broadway Performance. He’s performed in plays and musicals on regional stages across the country, and was featured in several TV pilots no one saw. You might have seen him in the very first episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the role of “Handsome Guy”–although you may have missed him, too, because at the time, his hair was strangely blond and decidedly not very handsome. Aaron lives in southern California with his boyfriend Nate (who is decidedly very handsome) and their two dogs Charlie and Brahms.”
From - http://www.aaronhartzler.com/about-aaron/
Reader's Annotation:
The true story of Aaron Hartzler, who grew up in a strict evangelical home that restricted many of the pleasures that children and teens take for granted. At sixteen years old, Hartzler begins to seriously question his religion, his family and himself as he experiments with new experiences and looks for his own truth.
Plot Summary:
Growing up, Aaron Hartzler’s family never owned a television, was restricted from going to the movies, and could not listen to rock music all because it went against the Lord. Growing up in a strict evangelical household, Hartzler’s family believed that at any moment Jesus would swoop down and take the family to heaven so long as they were saved. As a youngster, Hartzler was careful to follow the rules laid out for him by his parents and thrilled at the prospect of joining Jesus in the sky. However, as he reaches the age of sixteen he begins to experiment more with his life on earth, finding out there is so much more to life than he was ever allowed to experience. Rattled with unasked questions and contradictions that constantly plague him, Hartzler begins to live beyond the rules set up for him by his parents and his religion and gets to live, for the first time, by his own rules. Throughout Hartzler’s journey, he explains how he was able to find himself without losing the family he loves, and how it is okay to lose faith if that means discovering your own truth.
Critical Evaluation:
This memoir’s strength lies in Hartzler’s deft writing style, language, and tone. Religion is already a difficult topic to discuss, even more so in Hartzler’s case because it played such a pivotal role in his upbringing. Despite this though, Hartzler writes with a voice that is lively, clear, honest and forthright, outlining the exact nature and belief system of Evangelical Christians as well as its direct effect on his own childhood and the limitations that he experienced. While Hartzler is honest, he also never takes a condescending tone in his narrative and rather than constructing a history based on rebellion and judgment, his tone is indicative of discovery and truthfully showing the beliefs of his family and religious community. Additionally, no matter how much Hartzler was angered or frustrated by his parents he still portrays them lovingly demonstrating that even if his own beliefs were changing family still matters and he still loves them despite some of the harder moments he has experienced. All of this is further emphasized through the author’s strong attention to detail as he minutely describes everything from making out with a girl to watching his grandfather crochet. This adds such a lovely balance to the seriousness of some of the harsher realities of religion because his tone is often wry, a bit hilarious and a reminder to readers about the ridiculousness of growing up. Readers will easily be able to relate to Hartzler through his voice and his honest approach to his own internal conflict that caused him to question his faith and the journey he took in order to become true to himself.
Curriculum Ties:
- Religious studies
Challenges / Issues:
- LGBQT
- Some sexual content
- Teen alcohol use
Defense of Challenges / Issues:
- Have a clear understanding of the library’s selection policy as well as copies available in order to identify specific points of the policy to challengers in order to strengthen defense.
- Express the library’s dedication to intellectual freedom and open access as outlined in the ALA Library Bill of Rights. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
- Know the material being challenged in order to show that you understand the content and how the challenged material works in context with the rest of the text.
- Have access to both supportive and critical reviews from reliable sources, such as School Library Journal or VOYA. Provide challenger’s with these reviews through either hard copies or by including reviews in the catalog records of library materials.
- Have the ability to explain the rationale behind the inclusion of materials in the library’s collection by discussing an item’s literary merits, intended audience, and offering a brief summary.
- One of the most important lines of defense is to be an active listener and to stay calm. Pay attention to the patron’s concerns, do not interrupt, and do not take his/her challenge personally. Additionally, even if you do not agree with the challenge, still speak to the patron with understanding and compassion. Make sure to respectfully outline the library’s selection policies as well as the principles outlined in the Library Bill of Rights. If the patron is still adamant about the removal of the text, offer a “Request for Reconsideration” form, outlining the patron’s concerns that can be presented to senior library staff.
Book Talk Ideas:
- Discuss the conflicting feelings Aaron has towards his religion and his life. Is he justified in his thoughts? Why or why not?
- Talk about the universality of Aaron’s teen experiences. Do Aaron’s experiences mirror those of teens that come from any type of household? Why or why not?
Why This Book?
This book presents a number of topics and is written in a voice that teens will easily relate to and find authentic because of the fact it is a true story. While religious and LGBQT themes are present, at the end of the day this book covers the larger scope of choice and accepting that what parents may want their children to be is not necessarily who they are, and there is nothing wrong with that. Teens struggling with this will easily find a kindred spirit in Hartzler’s memoir, making this an excellent choice for any collection.