Above All Things: The Journey of an Evangelical Christian Mother and Her Gay Daughter

by Shari Johnson

Shari Johnson's world turned upside down the night her 37-year-old daughter called and told her that she was gay. This just couldn't be possible. Cholene had always been the hero-Air Force Academy graduate, second woman to fly the U-2 spy plane, captain for United Airlines - she cried, begged, pleaded with God to change Cholene, but he changed Shari instead. It seems that he was much more concerned about Shari's lack of love than he was about Cholene's homosexuality. This book is Shari's personal story.

194 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2012

Reviews

[Michele Yotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very reader friendly and not belabored with theology. The author’s style speaks to experiences and honest reflection.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a moving book. It's written by an extremely religious evangelical mother whose daughter came out of the closet as a lesbian when she was in her 30s. The mother was absolutely devastated at her daughter's "sinful lifestyle". The book is about how she worked through her feelings and came to support her daughter. It was very realistic in the sense that she experienced a lot of emotions that I think Christian parents of gays often experience, where she prayed and prayed for her daughter to become straight and only gradually came to understand. It gave me hope that even the most closed minded people can change when someone they love comes out as gay. Evangelical Christians who are homophobic were made a little more real to me and even though it was hard for me to understand where this woman was coming from, I found myself sympathizing with her. Unfortunately, I think many of the people who most need to read this book won't because they think they already have all the answers