A powerful book about the author’s personal experiences in 1995 at the Seven Ranges Boy Scout Reservation in rural Ohio where he was a counselor. To a lesser extent it’s also about the abuse of Boy Scouts across America, the author’s addiction issues as an adult and promoting the use of MDMA and psychotropic mushrooms for those with PTSD. There’s a lot here’s but it’s an interesting book.

Though not as widely covered as the sexual abuse scandals of the Catholic Church, there were decades of systematic abuse throughout the Boy Scouts of America. Eventually the organization went bankrupt due to the lawsuits. The numbers are unbelievable. While there are 11,000 known cases of abuse within the Catholic Church in America there have been 82,000 Boy Scouts who have filed claims. 82,000. Wrap your head around that if you can.

In 1995, the author’s summer, the matter involved both rape and death. Horrible. I won’t go into the details here, but they are in the book. And it doesn’t take much extrapolation to believe that for at least one, perhaps more of the people involved, this might not have been his first time around. At the same time, Renner shows us life for young people his age in 1995, the life they should have been leading, fun, carefree…they were working at a summer camp; but even that camp framework contained rituals that normalized improper discussions of sexual activity, and this harkens back to the very founding of the Boy Scouts.

It’s a hard book to say one enjoyed, but I carry only appreciated Renner’s candor, as well as that of those he interviewed for the book. This is something the general public should know more about (the author mentions a recent Hulu documentary called “Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of the Boy Scouts”). Recommended.

I'll begin by saying I'm a fan of James Renner, and I've read all his books, as well as writings he's done. His non fiction reads like fiction; the books are difficult to put down.
I was a Girl Scout leader for years, with no real experience with Boy Scouts of America (BSA,) but I assumed they were essentially run in the same manner.
I have now learned this is not true, and I've learned things I wish didn't exist so I didn't have a sadness for how this could happen in an organization that was built to focus on building good character. The kids deserve to be protected. Period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#JamesRenner #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks #BoyScouts #ScoutCamp

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the eARC.

This book is haunting. I thought I had some understanding of the BSA but I did not. I ache for the children who have been permanently scarred by these experiences. Renner gives a no holds barred exploration of the organization and its many shortcomings to protect its members. I’ll never forget it.

An extremely vulnerable, honest, and courageous look into the Boy Scouts abuse scandal and its long-lasting effects. Sad but necessary reading.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213870690

This was really a very good book, although I think the author makes a lot of assumptions in certain places, such as calling BP a closeted homosexual. He refers to Tim Jeal's book, The Boy-Man, but in that book, Jeal commented that it was difficult to compare the moral standards of today vs. Victorian England. He did not come right out and say that BP was a homosexual.

I am truly sorry for what happened to Mr. Renner and so many like him. I had a tremendous Scouting experience. At no time was I ever treated sexually or verbally by anyone in my 40 years as a Scout, volunteer, or professional Scouter. The good vastly outnumbers the bad apples in Scouting.

Scout Camp, by James Renner, is an intense read. Rennet takes us on a roller coaster ride of his personal experiences with the Boy Scouts intertwined with the history of the organization. The story is heartbreaking and unflinching and a necessary read.