Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began

Today's nonfiction post is on Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began by Alex Cooper with Joanna Brooks. It is 245 pages long and it published by HarperOne. The cover has a picture of Alex on it with the title above her. The intended reader is someone who is interested in real life horror stories and LBGT+ issues. There is foul language, sex, and voilence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- When Alex Cooper was fifteen years old, life was pretty ordinary in her sleepy suburban town and nice Mormon family. At church and at home, Alex was taught that God had a plan for everyone. But something was gnawing at her that made her feel different. These feelings exploded when she met Yvette, a girl who made Alex feel alive in a new way, and with whom Alex would quickly fall in love.
Alex knew she was holding a secret that could shatter her family, her church community, and her life. Yet when this secret couldn’t be hidden any longer, she told her parents that she was gay, and the nightmare began. She was driven from her home in Southern California to Utah, where, against her will, her parents handed her over to fellow Mormons who promised to save Alex from her homosexuality.
For eight harrowing months, Alex was held captive in an unlicensed “residential treatment program” modeled on the many “therapeutic” boot camps scattered across Utah. Alex was physically and verbally abused, and many days she was forced to stand facing a wall wearing a heavy backpack full of rocks. Her captors used faith to punish and terrorize her. With the help of a dedicated legal team in Salt Lake City, Alex eventually escaped and made legal history in Utah by winning the right to live under the law’s protection as an openly gay teenager.
Alex is not alone; the headlines continue to splash stories about gay conversion therapy and rehabilitation centers that promise to “save” teenagers from their sexuality. Saving Alex is a courageous memoir that tells Alex’s story in the hopes that it will bring awareness and justice to this important issue. A bold, inspiring story of one girl’s fight for freedom, acceptance, and truth.

Review- This is a real life horror story that is still happening today. Alex was sent to the home of two people who like to abuse children and do so with the smile of their community. Her parents did not know what the Siale's were really doing but they also did not listen to her when she told them. They allowed their fear of Alex going to Hell to let them put her in Hell. To this day they do not believe her. Alex was saved because she found help and did not let the Siale's make her afraid of everyone and everything. She continued to reach out and try to save herself. I believe that she is now trying to save others. It was hard to read this book at times but I believe that Alex deserves to be heard.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.