Heretic

A Memoir

By: Jeanna Kadlec

Narrated by: Xe Sands

A memoir of leaving the evangelical church and the search for radical new ways to build community.

Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor’s son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth that lived under that conviction: she was queer and, if she wanted to survive, she would need to leave behind the church and every foundational building block she knew.

Heretic is a memoir of rebirth. Within, Kadlec reckons with religious trauma and Midwestern values, as a means of unveiling how evangelicalism directly impacts every American--religious or not--and has been a major force in driving our democracy towards fascism. From the story of Lilith to celebrity purity rings, Kadlec interrogates how her indoctrination and years of piety intersects with her Midwest working-class upbringing. As she navigated graduate school, a new home on the East Coast, and a new marriage, another insidious truth began to reveal itself --that conservative Christianity has both built and undermined our political power structures, poisoned our pop culture, and infected how we interact with one another in ways that the secular population couldn’t see.

Weaving the personal with powerful critique, Heretic explores how we can radically abandon these painful systems by taking a sledgehammer to the comfortable. Whether searching for community in the face of millennial loneliness or wanting to reclaim a secular form of fellowship in everyday life, Kadlec envisions the brilliant possibilities that come with not only daring to want a different way but actually striking out and claiming it for ourselves.

Totally relatable

I definitely found myself in the world of deconstruction described so eloquently in this book.

Gorgeous

So many thoughts and feelings I struggle to convey on a day to day basis, thank you for this.

Incredible

As someone who also grew up in the midwestern evangelical environment, I found this story to be beautifully raw and poignant. I found so many parallels between the author and my own story and it felt so good to feel heard even though the words were not my own.

Sound advice too!!

This is for anyone who may struggle with religion or the dead feeling inside after you leave all that you know. Loved the thoughtfulness of it and how open the author was to every detail. Beautifully written

Liberating

I have never felt more seen in my life. The bible references are a true icing on the cake.