Staff Pick
Imagine telling your parents what you are, and instead of loving and accepting you, they have you kidnapped and sent to a remote island for you to be unmade. That's the all too familiar reality of Connor Major, who endures the horrors of Camp Nightlight, a remote conversion camp for gay teens. As he fights for his freedom and the freedom of his campmates, he begins to uncover sickening truths about Nightlight. And he's bent on revealing them to the world. Poignant as it is distressing, Surrender Your Sons will sit with you long after you've turned the last page. Recommended By Stacy W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Connor Major's summer break is turning into a nightmare.
His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he "changes."
But Connor's troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide--from the campers to the "converted" staff and cagey camp director — and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he's exposing the camp's horrible truths for what they are--and taking this place down.
Review
“Hard to read story, hard-to-stop-reading writing.” — Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
“An impressive, dynamic, and riveting debut!” — Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
“Messages about struggles with internalized homophobia and the world's treatment of those who are different ring true.” — Publisher's Weekly
About the Author
Adam Sass began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He's sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) Though he was raised in an Illinois farm town, his desire for a creative career took him to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and currently, North Carolina, where he lives with his husband and dachshunds. When he's not dropping hot takes on Twitter, Adam is a recurring co-host on the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer podcast Slayerfest98. Surrender Your Sons is his first novel.