Official Review: Ad Majorem by Tom Beattie

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kimmyschemy06
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Official Review: Ad Majorem by Tom Beattie

Post by kimmyschemy06 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ad Majorem" by Tom Beattie.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Ad Majorem: A Gay Man’s Spiritual Testament is a partly sarcastic, partly funny but moving book written by Tom Beattie.

Ad Majorem (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which means 'for God’s greater glory') features two very important men, St. Ignatius of Loyola and the book author himself, Tom Beattie, told in parallel accounts.

Ignatius, whose given name was Iñigo, was born in 1491 in the Basque Country of northern Spain, to a wealthy family. After a brief and unpromising position in court, Ignatius entered the military where he got injured and was sent home. During his period of convalescence, Ignatius found his way to God.

On a different note, the author felt early on that he could possibly be gay. After reading a life-changing book by Dr. George Weinberg, Society and the Healthy Homosexual, he decided to embrace his gayness and lived at peace with himself amidst a society that believed homosexuality was morally and socially wrong.

By presenting the life of the saint whom he admired, idolized and whose examples he tried to emulate, the author comes up with a beautiful tribute to St. Ignatius of Loyola and a very interesting, funny, amusing and entertaining book about a gay man, his faith in GOD and a glimpse of his life as a member of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) community, which is made easier by the presence of his husband by his side. He starts by admitting that he wanted to live a normal heterosexual life but eventually gave in and chose to be true to himself with ardent belief that God loves him for what he is just as much as He loves everyone else.

The book is written in a casual tone that makes it sound like the author is just sitting right beside you and talking to a friend. I find his sarcasm, which is probably meant to sting intended targets, funny and liberating. The bible verses he inserts in his narrative give emphasis on the points he is trying to get across and, I believe, just as powerful as the verses read in church.

There is a part of the book I find particularly moving, that is when the author mentions being not welcome to communion during Mass because he is considered unworthy. However, by mentioning the hate crime victim Matthew Shepard and the dishonorable discharge of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, the author shows the extent of disrespect, discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQ.

All in all, this is a well written and well-referenced book that also shares important lessons and food for thought, my favorite being ‘being manly and courageous meant being true to yourself and to God’s unique plan for you.’ Despite that, however, this book may not be for readers who are not very accepting of gay people and same-sex relationships.

I, therefore, rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is interesting, funny, entertaining and inspiring, and I recommend it to all LGBTQ and to those who love and support them.

******
Ad Majorem
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Post by Amheiser »

Your review is very informative and makes it seem like this book would be a very interesting read. I believe everyone should respect others as they would want to be respected themselves. It seems like reading this book would be enlightening for people who don't understand what it might be like for people in the LGBTQ community. I like that the author wrote with humor because it seems like that would help in keeping the subject from being too intense, but still getting the ideas across.
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

Amheiser wrote:Your review is very informative and makes it seem like this book would be a very interesting read. I believe everyone should respect others as they would want to be respected themselves. It seems like reading this book would be enlightening for people who don't understand what it might be like for people in the LGBTQ community. I like that the author wrote with humor because it seems like that would help in keeping the subject from being too intense, but still getting the ideas across.
Thank you very much. Yes, it is very interesting. Not preachy or accusing, just true which makes it a very touching book for me.
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Post by MarisaRose »

Great job on the review! I really like how the author took a series topic and tried to add some humor as well as a unique spin to the story. I think I would enjoy this book; it doesn't really sound like anything I've ever read before!
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

MarisaRose wrote:Great job on the review! I really like how the author took a series topic and tried to add some humor as well as a unique spin to the story. I think I would enjoy this book; it doesn't really sound like anything I've ever read before!
Thank you very much. It's one great book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Humor makes the world go around. Sounds interesting, but not something I would normally read. Thanks for the review though.
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

kandscreeley wrote:Humor makes the world go around. Sounds interesting, but not something I would normally read. Thanks for the review though.
You're welcome!
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Post by bookowlie »

Great review for what sounds like a very honest and moving story. I like that the author added some humor to balance the serious subject matter.
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

bookowlie wrote:Great review for what sounds like a very honest and moving story. I like that the author added some humor to balance the serious subject matter.
Thank you very much. I can almost imagine the author to be a funny, smart, unpretentious and compassionate person through his book :)
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Post by CrescentMoon »

This sounds really interesting. I've always loved to read books about characters and their journey in self discovery. In this case the character is a man on a path to accept his homosexuality. I've always enjoyed reading about people coming to terms with who they really are. Great review!
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

CrescentMoon wrote:This sounds really interesting. I've always loved to read books about characters and their journey in self discovery. In this case the character is a man on a path to accept his homosexuality. I've always enjoyed reading about people coming to terms with who they really are. Great review!
Thank you very much. This is a great book and I enjoyed it a lot :)
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Post by christinac_2585 »

Great review and thank you for writing it. The book sounds very interesting, but I don't normally read memoirs. I do like how it has humor in the book and that the author adds bible versus to emphasize points. Again great review, you did a wonderful job describing this book.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Another great review, kimmyschemy06! I do enjoy memoirs where it seems like the author is speaking to you. It's so sad that he was withheld from communion "because he is considered unworthy" - that breaks my heart. But, I'm glad that Mr. Beattie took the time to share his experiences because I can easily see this as a read to inspire many. Congratulations to the author for receiving such a positive review!
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Post by gali »

Not my cup of tea, but it does sound like a touching memoir. It is good that the author shows in his book the extent of "disrespect, discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQ". Good job on the review!
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Post by skalicia »

Although this isn't the type of book I typically read, the book sounds moving. The author has shared his life in such an important way.
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