James Renner is a journalist and former reporter for the Cleveland Scene. Known for his work on the Maura Murray case (he wrote "True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray"). His thorough research and investigation has resulted in a boatload of work on that puzzling mysterious disappearance, which is available at the Special Collections Archive in the Kent State University Library. I have found his work to be thorough, well-written, and free from the gratuitous violence that occasionally creeps into the true crime genre…

So I perk up when I hear mention of Renner’s work. I confess I am a true crime fan, sometimes to an embarrassing degree. And the title of his latest, "Scout Camp", hinted at possibly the telling of some event or incident involving young males…but holy crap, I was not prepared for THIS book. Far beyond an expose of AN event or incident, this searing and unblinking look at several aspects of Renner’s life experience is both shocking and unsettling (possibly more so as the grandmother to an amazing former Eagle Scout who was deeply involved in…who knows what). I realized that this book definitely made me fairly certain that my uneasiness about my grandson’s Scouting experience had been spot on.

I am not a Scout hater, and for many of those involved there are many positive things about scouting, but things were so bad that BSA eventually declared bankruptcy as a result of the lawsuits brought against them. And it was massive: compared to the scandals involving the Catholic Church, with its 11,000 known cases of abuse, 82,000 suits have been filed against BSA. EIGHTY-TWO THOUSAND. Yikes. This is huge.

Renner lays out his own story, including the abuse he suffered as a child from his stepmother and how he used Boy Scouts as a means of escaping his unsafe environment – only to learn that his choice of the Scouts was not any safer. Renner gives information about the Boy Scouts going back to the founding, up to and including the abuse scandals, including the racism and appropriation of Native American culture, particularly in the Scouts’ ceremonies.

As Renner grew into adulthood, he struggled with both addiction and depression, both stemming directly from the horrors he experienced as a boy. But (possibly because I wanted so much for it to be so) there is also a look at the positive experiences and learning that occurred. It’s not for the squeamish, and is sometimes very painful to read, but it is an important topic and can only be covered well (IMO) by someone who truly knows the facts firsthand. Thanks to Kensington Pubklishing and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review. Four stars.

A few years ago, my husband told me about the pipestone ceremony he participated in for several years at Seven Ranges Boy Scout camp in the '90s. He was in fact a camper in the summer of 1995 that James Renner discusses here, although not during the week of Mike Klinger's attack of a high schooler and subsequent death. As my husband told me about the ceremony, he was hesitant. His main recollections were of being terrified and then being unable to talk about it afterward--after all, a scout is supposed to keep the secret.

So it was with a personal interest I read this, Renner's most personal book. He explores his childhood abuse at the hand of his stepmother, and how Boy Scouts was one of his methods of escaping a house that was not safe, only to discover that camp was unsafe, too. He went to camp year after year, first as a camper and then as a counselor in the summer of 1995. The events and the abuse that took place at the camp that summer provide a compelling story that feels important to witness, as difficult as it is to read at points. Renner writes clear-eyed and unsentimental prose and gives us important context of the Boy Scouts' founding and its legal troubles after the abuse of so many of its scouts came to light. He also explores the racism and appropriation of Native American culture in the pipestone ceremony. Renner doesn't flinch away from showing his addiction and depression issues in adulthood and how they stem from his childhood. The reader can't help but wish him as much wholeness can happiness as possible. The shape of this book felt familiar to me because I as an adult have also spent a lot of time revisiting abuses that I witnessed as a teen and puzzling about how they molded me.

As a counterbalance to the heavy subject matter, I really enjoyed seeing his trip west to meet the only miner of pipestone in the U.S., and I enjoyed all of the '90s Northeast Ohio nostalgia--Dick Goddard! Belden Village Mall! Ultimately, this read felt like an important act of witnessing and acknowledging, both of Renner's own tough childhood and of the nationwide abuses that led to BSA's declaring bankruptcy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I am a big James Renner fan and although this more personal story is a bit surprising it is raw and answers questions of where the author comes from. It was difficult to read at points as I currently have an 11 year old son that is a scout. I think Renner did a nice job discussing the pain parts if this organization caused yet some of the changes that the organization has made as a result of its horrific past. Renner does a food job of writing in a way in which prevents me from googling as he answers my question before I get the chance. It normalizes mental health and addiction and shows how this trauma can impact victims. I will continue to look forward to Renner’s next book as each is so unique.

I was not prepared for this book. James said we would not be prepared and he was right because I was not. I immediately jumped when I saw he had a new book coming out with even reading what it was about. I saw Boy Scouts and thought it would be an expose of the pedos. Which technically it was but it’s also so much more. The content is definitely dark but also gives more background on James’ life. Having followed him for a while through books, podcasts and online, I knew something was going on with him. This book revealed a lot of reasons why. I can usually devour his book in 3, 4 days tops. Not this time. I had to keep stopping and leaving the book. The content made my wounded child want to hug his wounded child and tell him it gets better. The book is amazingly written as always but the content could be triggering to some. Would I read it again? Definitely. Why? Because I probably missed a lot of details because my heart hurt for everyone involved. Also, I’m glad you’re still here James!

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.