The title is a little striking and definitely warrants investigation. So I took the bait and ordered it from my book club. Main character Gabe is an only child growing up as a Jehovah's Witness in the early 80s. His parents converted after they were married (shotgun wedding) and now his dad is an elder in their congregation. Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk takes us from middle school through Gabe's high school graduation. His teen years are marred by embarrassment and confusion about his religion and his constant thoughts of sex. Mostly, this book is about the tragic times of puberty set in the life of a Jehovah's Witness. Writer Tony DuShane dips his foot into the pool of exposing the fraudulent aspects of Kingdom Hall activity in the latter half of the book, but only to add drama to the conflict that Gabe is feeling. There are a lot of references to music from the 80's and San Francisco, which are really fun.
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