Reading Secrets

Malcolm Himschoot

ISBN 10: 196351114X / ISBN 13: 9781963511147

Published by Catalyst Books, US, 2025

About this Item

A trans pastor's fascination with the Scripture inherited from his closeted, fundamentalist father.When his dad died, Malcolm Himschoot inherited his father's Bibles. He chose to re-read them, examining his dad's notes in the margins, teasing out the details of his upbringing and gender identity amid the structures and forms of biblical narratives. For Malcolm, coming out meant exile and verbal excommunication; he embodied all his gay father tried to hide. In Reading Secrets, he travels alongside the ghost of his father, exploring their inherited homophobia and the American culture that shaped their triumphs and tragedies. With these poetic and evocative meditations, Malcolm transforms the Scripture he inherited, and finds a place in it for himself.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781963511147

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reading Secrets
• Publisher: Catalyst Books, US
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 196351114X
• ISBN 13: 9781963511147
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A trans pastor’s fascination with the Scripture inherited from his closeted, fundamentalist father.

When his dad died, Malcolm Himschoot inherited his father’s Bibles. He chose to re-read them, examining his dad’s notes in the margins, teasing out the details of his upbringing and gender identity amid the structures and forms of biblical narratives. For Malcolm, coming out meant exile and verbal excommunication; he embodied all his gay father tried to hide. In Reading Secrets, he travels alongside the ghost of his father, exploring their inherited homophobia and the American culture that shaped their triumphs and tragedies. With these poetic and evocative meditations, Malcolm transforms the Scripture he inherited, and finds a place in it for himself.

About the Author

Malcolm Himschoot is a writer, minister, and educator. The United Church of Christ, a historic denomination, made much of his ordination as an out trans man by producing the indie documentary Call Me Malcolm in 2005. His previous writing has appeared in edited anthologies and journals.