Highlights many many issues in society in general - people in power get away with things when children are too afraid or unaware.

Not an easy topic to read/listen to but a very important one.

Makes you question what else can be done to have a THOROUGH background check on people in charge of kids - interviews or references with family/friends, hard drive checks?

Important book.

Scout Camp is the retelling of one man’s recollection of his experience with the Boy Scout’s of America. The author recounts his childhood in great detail and goes on to update the audience on his life presently. The heinous acts that were either experienced by or witnessed by the author are truly horrifying.

I appreciated the backstory of how BSA was founded and honestly explains quite a bit on how it’s now associated with scandal. The man who created BSA was a closeted pedo, which set the course of direction for what the BSA has allowed. While many members have experienced nothing but wonderful memories during their time with the camp - those who didn’t get so lucky are still recovering.

Thank you to #netgalley and #JamesRenner for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I often don’t enjoy books narrated by the author, but this one is different. James Renner’s voice adds a personal touch, making it feel like he’s telling you his story directly.

The book covers many seemingly unrelated topics, yet Renner’s skillful narration weaves them together into a compelling and engaging story. I also learned so much about the Boy Scouts of America that I never knew, and he even spills some tea about the organization’s recent history.

I highly recommend this book—it was fantastic from start to finish!

Very powerful, deeply tragic. Renner tells us candidly and artfully of his struggle to reckon with the trauma of one summer, the repercussions when pedophiles are protected, and the dark history of the Boy Scouts. Renner’s research is impressive and hewrites beautifully. Still, this is a hard read, because the abuse and destruction are devastating (although, mercifully, not described in graphic detail).

Many thanks to NetGalley / Tantor Audio for an ARC audiobook, which was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the Audio ARC!

I don't remember the last time I read a book as honest and vulnerable as Scout Camp. This is some heavy stuff, and should be approached with caution by sensitive readers. Then again, as the author points out, if enough people turn away from the uncomfortable hard truths of situations like this, it makes it that much easier for the exploiters to keep on exploiting.

Having been a Boy Scout myself during the exact time period referred to in this book made this an all=too-realistic 'what-if' sort of story for me. And I guess I just thank my Higher Power that I was not personally affected by a similar situation.

I'm amazed at the author's resilience, and at his ability to remember the good that happened in addition to the awful, and to even lighten things up with a little humor throughout the book. Kudos, James, and I hope your positive realism can help others learn to cope.

A truly remarkable account. Five stars for James Renner and his book, and zero stars to all of those who helped perpetuate this cycle of despicable behavior.

Trigger Warnings:
Sexual acts, Masturbation, Homosexuality & LGBTQ2IA+, Child pornography, Pedophelia, Child Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Illness, Addiction, Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Torture, Bullying, Racism

Review:
The story shared by James Renner about the Boy Scouts of America Organization had a shocking arc. Going from an organization held in high regards for its contribution to society and the professional development of young men to being an organization publicly known and ridiculed for its treatment
and abuse towards young boys including sexual assault, homophobia, racism and any other form of bigotry you can imagine. To then attempt to rebrand themselves as an inclusive organization by allowing openly gay and trans youth to participate in their programming in an effort to save face.
Its honestly shocking to learn about this progression and to know they are still allowed to operate and have not been shut down. The story was laid out in a way that eased the listener into the facts and the situation without giving away too much as the beginning.

This book, like the author said will probably be shelved in true crime, however the story is so much more and written with a compassion that gives hope to a plethora of victims for justice. I watched the true crime documentary about the boy scouts that Renner mentioned and this book adds so much context to the lived experiences of the victims. I think this book is extremely relevant and important in this day and age. I think it will also appeal to more readers because of it's biography/memoir style. I don't generally give star ratings to memoirs because I can't judge people's lived experiences but for quality of writing and coherence it's easily 5 stars. The topic although difficult to listen to was easy to follow and written with compassion. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who read and loved, Know My Name, Raised by a Serial Killer, The house of My Mother, and Don't Call It a Cult.

Sex, Death, and Secret Societies Inside the Boy Scouts of America by James Renner, reveals the sexual violence and deaths that occurred on the Seven Ranges Reservation and one of the largest Boy Scout Camps in Ohio in 1995.

Taking the reader through the events on that 1995 summer day, and some boy scout history, the narrator/author takes us on a journey though the troubled history of abuse that has occurred at the Boy Scouts of America.

It is important to note that being a biography/memoir, it is not a comprehensive history of the abuse that has occurred within the BSA. In addition, the narration feels a little uneven and sometimes abrupt in its presentation.

It feels more disconnected like true crime/biography vs personal like memoir, which was a little disappointing because the author is the narrator. Nonetheless, it is an important addition to the troubled history of the Boy Scouts of America and I do recommend it.

Thank you, Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 stars
Audio Release Date: Mar 18 2025

Tags:
# TantorAudio
#ScoutCamp
#JamesRenner
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

Scout Camp is part memoir, part investigative nonfiction in relation to secret societies found at Boy Scout Camps across the United States. Renner is the unique true crime journalist who turned his skills toward his own trauma, as he admits in the book to have been assaulted as a young boy at Boy Scout Camp. Renner is extremely open with the struggles this has caused him later in life, to the point where I was shocked he was writing this book now and not after a bit more healing. I hope he has healed and this helps him to be the parent his daughter, who he very clearly loves, needs him to be.

As a book, this was a bit all over the place, timeline-wise. I got a bit confused at times, and that may be because I am known to mentally wander off while listening to audiobooks. I wasn't super confused, but confused enough that I noted it. I would say that the subtitle makes this feel a bit more investigative than it really is -- this is more an exploration into the secret society HE experienced, rather than those across the country. He does, however, go into the history of the Boy Scouts in a way that will definitely stick with me as I get older. All I can say is ew, gross.

So many trigger warnings! Go into this only if you're aware and able.

Renner did the audio for this, and it was 95% good, 5% me wishing he could feel a little less stilted in his reading. It wasn't enough to make it unenjoyable, though.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book absolutely hooked me and wouldn't let go. James Renner masterfully tells the story of his personal experience of abuse within the Boy Scouts of America. It is shocking, riveting, and absolutely heartbreaking. The audiobook is narrated by the author, and I really enjoyed his narration. He weaves his own story with a lot of context that also paints a larger picture, and he is an excellent storyteller. I absolutely couldn't stop listening - finished it in one day! Highly recommend!

TW: Basically everything...Suicide, graphic child abuse, violence, sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse

In this book Renner weaves his own traumatic experience at Boy Scout camp in 1995 with a discussion the organization's history and management of the sexual abuse that's been allowed to flourish under its infrastructure. It also ends up spending quite a bit of time on the nature of abuse, trauma, addiction and recovery, informed by own Renner's experience.

I requested this book because, as a lifetime Girl Scout, I've followed the horrors and controversies associated with the Boy Scouts for nearly 30 years. This book doesn't go into as much depth about the organizational framework that allowed abuse to persist, the subsequent problems with BSA Scouting going co-ed and( direct attacks on Girl Scout troops (not mentioned in this book) as I personally might have liked. What it does instead is also worthwhile, but the overall story is told through the lens of his experience. (Not a dig, just something to know if you're reading it for the history and broader context.)

Renner's description of his experience includes two violent deaths, multiple sexual assaults on children, an secret society based on loin-clothed grown men painting themselves red and wearing imitation American headdresses and unmeasurable consequences. He does a good job describing his experiences in retrospect while giving his young self grace,

I also learned things that were wholly new to me about secret societies at Boy Scout camps, which reminded me of stories I'd heard from friends who went to an all-boys YMCA camp where the best campers went off to do some kind of appropriation-sounding ritual they wouldn't tell me any more about. It should be obvious that there are problems beyond the appropriation here. Telling kids to keep events of a while evening secret opens up opportunities for predators to use this secrecy to abuse children.

I'd give the book 5 stars but it did feel a bit under-edited to me. The narrative jumps between sections that are focused on BSA as an organization and Renner's personal story. Sometimes the timing of the switches seemed a bit off, and we spent a lot of time on a tangent about psychedelics and PTSD, which was interesting, but I would have rather spent that time better understanding what the organization is doing to keep the youth under its charge safe as we go forward.

Overall, I got a lot out of this book and it will stay with me for years to come. That being said, I absolutely do not recommend this book for everyone, but I do recommend it for people who are confident that they can manage the triggers while protecting their health who want to be educated about this topic. The story is unfortunately so extreme that it reads like a novel.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the ARC for an unbiased review.

This book is a bit all over the place. The timeline goes back and forth between the past and the present. Over time, the book becomes less about the Boy Scouts and more about addiction and mental illness. I understand that trauma is a huge contributing factor to both of these issues, but it felt like the author included random facts for shock value only. I hope writing this book was cathartic for Renner! That he will be able to find some closure and get control of his demons.

If you are looking to learn more about the Boy Scouts, I wouldn’t recommend this book. If you are looking for a disturbing recounting of a troubled childhood, then this might be the book for you.