Star Map

Vaughn captures the anguish of teens growing up under strict fundamentalism in this well-written but disorganized deconversion memoir. Called to preach at a young age, Vaughn grew up in the 1960s attempting to shut out the world. He adhered to an unforgiving moral code with no room for anything (especially girls and pop culture) that might distract from his mission. His growing unease at racial injustice in the civil rights era, theological disagreements, and obsessive reading of the Bible all conspired to make him question his solid attachments. But the real unravelling came from his time with a self-proclaimed antinomian drifter who encouraged him to transgress his morality for the greater good. His experiences at college provided an inelegant opportunity to run through some classic arguments against the existence of God. Vaughn has an impressive ability to make the reader feel the deep discomfort of losing certainty. However, the chronology of the chapters is frequently hard to trace, making the parts stronger than the whole. Vaughn also struggles to decide whether the primary story is his family problems, his growing skepticism, or random anecdotes of growing up in a strict church. Recovering fundamentalists will recognize themselves here, but the bright moments only barely outshine the flaws. [em](May) [/em]