Official Review: Nephi's Courage by Rory Mcfarlan

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Nephi's Courage" by Rory Mcfarlan.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“Please don’t judge me because I sin differently than you. And don’t assume that you know my sins. Remember that God will judge us the same way that we judge others.”

Nephi has spent his entire life trying to be a good Mormon, adhering to the strict doctrine and devoting much of his week to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Still, he feels a deep void in his heart, and this emptiness is perpetuated by continually repressing his feelings for the same sex. After expressing his questions and concerns to Bishop Thompson, he feels better. Still, the respite is short-lived when his church begins giving him the cold shoulder.

Meanwhile, Nephi’s exposure to the online dating world is met with challenges. Due to his inexperience, it is tough to find a compatible date. While using a dating app, he meets Alex, who is also gay, and they form a purely platonic relationship. Alex begrudgingly accepts Nephi’s choice to be a practicing Mormon. He makes it abundantly clear to Nephi that the gay community will likely shun him. Nephi feels like he right in the middle of a tug-of-war. How can he embrace his identity when being Mormon and gay are two things that can never co-exist?

Nephi’s Courage by Rory McFarlan is a heart-wrenching book about self-discovery, discrimination, and maintaining faith through the darkest of times. The book is comprised of approximately three hundred pages and is written from the third-person perspective. It follows Nephi Willard as he begins to embrace a side of himself that's been repressed for his entire life. His journey is met with opposition and incorrigible anger from individuals who see homosexuality as a sin.

This book was a massive eye-opener for me as I come from a place that has always fostered love and acceptance. I guess my liberal upbringing had me seeing things through rose-colored glasses. Nephi’s Courage was a harsh but much-needed dose of reality. My family and circle of friends come from all walks of life, and many are proud members of the LGBTQ community. Still, while reading this book, I was able to put that aside and immerse myself in Nephi’s plight.

The author couldn’t have created a better protagonist to root for; Nephi’s honestly and relentless positivity was delightful. I admired how he was able to remain hopeful for a bright future, regardless of the deplorable way others treated him. His bother, Jacob, often threw disparaging comments Nephi’s way. He said, “Nephi, you just need to humble yourself, repent, and stop flaunting your gayness. Think about the family for once.” There was also Brother Hanson, whose comments were the most shocking of all. He said, “Why don’t you understand that you don’t fit in? You are an abomination.” While these opinions saddened Nephi, he never once gave up on being true to both his sexuality and his faith.

While the book had its fair share of characters that harbored hateful attitudes, two characters showed Nephi unconditional love and acceptance. Stacy was Nephi’s childhood best friend, and she supported him unequivocally from the beginning of his coming-out journey through to his plan to finally embrace it. Although she had a husband and small children to worry about, she made sure Nephi knew she was only a phone call away. Alex was another character who showed immense love for Nephi, but his friendship came from a place of understanding. As a gay man, he could relate to Nephi in a way that no one else could. Alex introduced Nephi to the unpredictable world of dating, and his life experience became a beacon of hope for Nephi.

Overall I adored this book; the only thing that I found off-putting was the religious aspect. While I know that understanding the Mormon doctrine was crucial to the story, at times, I felt like it was too much information thrown at me. Other than that, I have no complaints. The book was professionally edited, and I chose to give it a rating of three out of four stars.

For readers who appreciate books that are heavily based on character development, this book is for you! Nephi’s story brings up important issues such as social injustice and discrimination, and I think this is an essential read for all human beings. For readers who are sensitive to death by suicide, I would dissuade them from reading this book as it may be a trigger.

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Nephi's Courage
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[Julius_]

An eye opener book about love and acceptance. This sounds awesome. Thanks for the review.

[Ngozi Onyibor]

Coming from a very conservative and religious country myself, I can relate to Nephi's struggle. It's hard for most religious people to understand that being gay is not a choice, it is the way people are; they can't change it. It must have been so hard for Nephi, dealing with repressed emotions and rejection from friends and family. I hope he finds happiness. However, I'm a little bemused, is this a memoir or fiction? Your review is great by the way.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Coming from a very conservative and religious country myself, I can relate to Nephi's struggle. It's hard for most religious people to understand that being gay is not a choice, it is the way people are; they can't change it. It must have been so hard for Nephi, dealing with repressed emotions and rejection from friends and family. I hope he finds happiness. However, I'm a little bemused, is this a memoir or fiction? Your review is great by the way.

It is listed as Fiction. Thanks for your comment!

[adamgreenrock]

Sounds like a book that I can get behind (mainly character development). Not sure how deep it will be but thanks for your thoughtful review!

[Kanda_theGreat]

I love the author's investment in character development much as the religious nature of the book may put me off.
Amazing review.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I love the author's investment in character development much as the religious nature of the book may put me off.
Amazing review.

Thank you!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Sounds like a book that I can get behind (mainly character development). Not sure how deep it will be but thanks for your thoughtful review!

Thank you!

[InStoree]

Coming from a very conservative and religious country myself, I can relate to Nephi's struggle. It's hard for most religious people to understand that being gay is not a choice, it is the way people are; they can't change it. It must have been so hard for Nephi, dealing with repressed emotions and rejection from friends and family. I hope he finds happiness. However, I'm a little bemused, is this a memoir or fiction? Your review is great by the way.

I can totally relate to your comment, Michelle. I agree that being gay is not a choice, and if this is a sin as most religions indicate, then, as Stephanie quoted at the beginning of her review, we will be judged by God, not by humans. Our job is to love each other and accept one another as we are.

I also think that this book should be read by everyone, as it seems to touch some significant aspects that our society faces these days. Thank you for your insightful review, Stephanie!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Coming from a very conservative and religious country myself, I can relate to Nephi's struggle. It's hard for most religious people to understand that being gay is not a choice, it is the way people are; they can't change it. It must have been so hard for Nephi, dealing with repressed emotions and rejection from friends and family. I hope he finds happiness. However, I'm a little bemused, is this a memoir or fiction? Your review is great by the way.

I can totally relate to your comment, Michelle. I agree that being gay is not a choice, and if this is a sin as most religions indicate, then, as Stephanie quoted at the beginning of her review, we will be judged by God, not by humans. Our job is to love each other and accept one another as we are.

I also think that this book should be read by everyone, as it seems to touch some significant aspects that our society faces these days. Thank you for your insightful review, Stephanie!

I couldn't agree more! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments!

[Wyland]

This is an interesting read being that it tries to redefine the role or region in a changing world. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

This is an interesting read being that it tries to redefine the role or region in a changing world. Thanks for the wonderful review.

Thank you!

[NetMassimo]

This is an interesting novel because it highlights the problems of people who don't fit in their communities because of certain rules that are considered part of their faith. Thank you for a review that describes the complexities of that kind of situation.

[Rayasaurus]

Being a member of the LGBT community myself, and coming from a very religious background, I feel like I could relate to Nephi very well. I also struggled with sexuality and faith for a long time before I figured everything out for myself. Thank you for such a great review!

[Maria Esposito]

Hopefully, people who are struggling with the same issues will be able to find some relief and courage in this novel! Thank you for your beautifully written review, I look forward to reading more from you!