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Scout Camp: Sex, Death, and Secret Societies Inside the Boy Scouts of America
In this timely and deeply personal true crime memoir, acclaimed journalist, author, creator of the True Crime This Week podcast, and former Boy Scout James Renner, explores the dark side of an American institution, its pervasive culture of sexual abuse, and the traumatic—even deadly—repercussions of its long-buried secrets.
In the summer of 1995, at the largest Boy Scout camp in Ohio, a night of sexual violence ended with one counselor dead and another hospitalized. The death was ruled “accidental.” It wouldn’t be the last death associated with Seven Ranges Reservation.
James Renner, too, was a counselor at Seven Ranges that year. He was always sure there must be more to the story of Mike Klingler’s death, because Renner also knew firsthand that the 900-acre camp was not the safe getaway it was portrayed to be. On Friday nights the boys were ushered into the woods for a frightening ceremony in which they learned the rules for becoming good young men—and, above all, that keeping secrets was a Scout’s duty. No matter how dark the secrets were.
Determined to face his demons, Renner embarks on a journey back to that tumultuous summer and exposes a clandestine society that left indelible scars on the Scouts and the staff who were there. For Renner, it meant opening up about his twisted upbringing, his issues with trust and sexuality, and a lifetime of self-medication. The result is a deeply personal, no-holds-barred, and vitally important true crime memoir.
In the summer of 1995, at the largest Boy Scout camp in Ohio, a night of sexual violence ended with one counselor dead and another hospitalized. The death was ruled “accidental.” It wouldn’t be the last death associated with Seven Ranges Reservation.
James Renner, too, was a counselor at Seven Ranges that year. He was always sure there must be more to the story of Mike Klingler’s death, because Renner also knew firsthand that the 900-acre camp was not the safe getaway it was portrayed to be. On Friday nights the boys were ushered into the woods for a frightening ceremony in which they learned the rules for becoming good young men—and, above all, that keeping secrets was a Scout’s duty. No matter how dark the secrets were.
Determined to face his demons, Renner embarks on a journey back to that tumultuous summer and exposes a clandestine society that left indelible scars on the Scouts and the staff who were there. For Renner, it meant opening up about his twisted upbringing, his issues with trust and sexuality, and a lifetime of self-medication. The result is a deeply personal, no-holds-barred, and vitally important true crime memoir.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published February 25, 2025
85 people are currently reading
3953 people want to read
About the author
James Renner
22 books1,059 followersJames Renner is an award-winning journalist and author of True Crime Addict, the definitive book on the Maura Murray disappearance. Renner is also a novelist, having written The Man from Primrose Lane and other works of scifi and fantasy. He currently hosts the podcast, The Philosophy of Crime.
In 2019, he founded The Porchlight Project a nonprofit that raises money for new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. In May, 2020, James Zastawnik was arrested for the murder of Barbara Blatnik, thanks to the work of genealogists funded by the Porchlight Project.
In 2019, he founded The Porchlight Project a nonprofit that raises money for new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. In May, 2020, James Zastawnik was arrested for the murder of Barbara Blatnik, thanks to the work of genealogists funded by the Porchlight Project.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
March 4, 2025
James Renner tackles a beloved national organization fraught with scandal and his own personal demons in his latest true-crime book "Scout Camp: Sex, Death, and Secret Societies Inside the Boy Scouts of America", his best book yet. And definitely his most personal and emotionally powerful.
Something happened at the Seven Ranges Boy Scout Reservation in Northeast Ohio---the largest boy scout camp in Ohio---in 1995, when Renner was between his junior and senior year of high school. Renner loved Boy Scouts, having attended the camp every summer for the past several years. That year, Renner was a counselor-in-training, something he had been looking forward to for months.
Something happened that summer. Something horrible and tragic. But for 30-plus years, Renner couldn't talk or write about it, for a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons was because it would mean having to examine an uncomfortable aspect of his sexuality. Indeed, it meant reliving a past that involved physical abuse and sexual trauma, and reopening some old wounds.
Alternating brilliantly between his own personal history and the history of the Boy Scouts of America organization, Renner's book is both a fascinating study of an organization that, like the Catholic Church, was forced to reckon with a history of sexual impropriety, pedophilia, and passing the buck when it came to blame and the ways (healthy and unhealthy) in which victims cope with trauma from abuse.
Strangely enough, this is not a "hit-piece" against the BSA or the scoutmasters and staff members who acted improperly towards young boys. Renner still has fond memories of his summers spent at scout camp. His personal attempts at coming to terms with---and even finding forgiveness for---his abusers are as gripping and intense as any of his previous true-crime thrillers.
This may be the first Renner book you will read where you may need a box of tissues handy.
Something happened at the Seven Ranges Boy Scout Reservation in Northeast Ohio---the largest boy scout camp in Ohio---in 1995, when Renner was between his junior and senior year of high school. Renner loved Boy Scouts, having attended the camp every summer for the past several years. That year, Renner was a counselor-in-training, something he had been looking forward to for months.
Something happened that summer. Something horrible and tragic. But for 30-plus years, Renner couldn't talk or write about it, for a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons was because it would mean having to examine an uncomfortable aspect of his sexuality. Indeed, it meant reliving a past that involved physical abuse and sexual trauma, and reopening some old wounds.
Alternating brilliantly between his own personal history and the history of the Boy Scouts of America organization, Renner's book is both a fascinating study of an organization that, like the Catholic Church, was forced to reckon with a history of sexual impropriety, pedophilia, and passing the buck when it came to blame and the ways (healthy and unhealthy) in which victims cope with trauma from abuse.
Strangely enough, this is not a "hit-piece" against the BSA or the scoutmasters and staff members who acted improperly towards young boys. Renner still has fond memories of his summers spent at scout camp. His personal attempts at coming to terms with---and even finding forgiveness for---his abusers are as gripping and intense as any of his previous true-crime thrillers.
This may be the first Renner book you will read where you may need a box of tissues handy.
March 20, 2025
This was a tough read, but absolutely an important one. The author alternates between more journalistic chapters and deeply personal ones to paint a picture of a deeply troubled organization. He recounts his own experience of being sexually abused at Scout camp, and shares the ways that trauma continues to affect his life decades later. He also delves deep into scouting history and interviews other survivors to expand the story beyond his personal experience. I was completely gripped by this book and I highly recommend it.
September 11, 2024
ARC for review. To be published February 25, 2025.
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.
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.
April 19, 2025
5 Stars!
August 22, 2025
This is a confusing mess of a book that seems to be an attempt to use the "true crime" podcast or documentary format to get readers interested in the story of abuse in scouting. But it's a total failure, from a man who is a drug-addicted, mentally ill, suicidal alcohol abuser that was jailed at least twice (convicted of a felony), has a "team" of three that help him survive life (therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist), and has written other crime books (though you'd never know it from his inability to put together a cohesive narrative).
From the start the text is poorly organized with back-and-forth "then" and "now" chapters throughout the book, keeping the stories from having any emotion or impact. Essentially this is two different books--one being the author's own story, which ends up being pretty minimal and not that interesting, and the other being that of his Boy Scout camp where a number of children were abused.
It's tied together by a supposed "mystery" of how a male camp leader died after being exposed, but that's a red herring--there's nothing mysterious about it. The guy was caught, fired, and then killed himself. Renner's attempt to make it a question of whether the man was murdered or not is a laughable misdirect in an attempt to sell this--more proof that most amateurs doing "true crime" podcasts are morbid (and talentless) crazy people.
There is so much wrong with this book that it's difficult to know how to pick it apart. The author jumps all over the place, inserting canards or gossip, admitting to his own failed memories, going off on tangents like whether he was having gay feelings or how he suddenly discovers in his 40s that he was "abused" by his parents. For all the conspiracy theories about the camp sexual abuse, the leader's death, and the author's own upbringing, Renner foolishly ends up failing to take responsibility for his own actions and comes up with some horribly uninspiring conclusions.
Based on how he plays it up early in the book, I assumed he had a huge tragic story of his time at camp--but he didn't. At age 11 he had one extremely minor incident of another boy his age fondling him under the covers in a bed they shared--that's it. Renner as an adult questions if this shouldn't be considered abuse even though they were both young and exploring. Meanwhile, other boys at camp are victims of sexual intercourse by adult leaders, which should be made a big distinction in the author's mind but the guy seems to be treating them the same.
His alcohol and drug addictions? "I believe in harm reduction as opposed to abstinence." He says he needs his liquor "for the days I'm feeling especially anxious. As far as I'm concerned, that's basically bottled water." Right, you think that logic will keep you from doing harm to others and yourself?
His hatred and claimed PTSD from parents and stepparents who abused him? He tries to spin it positive but considers whether "everything happens for a reason." The simple answer is that "no, it doesn't." Sometimes bad things just happen for no good reason (just as sometimes good things happen with no reason), period. But Americans feel the need to spin that folksy piece of advice to try to make themselves feel like something good will happen someday or that they have some value in life.
"I have had no suicidal ideations for many months," he ends the book. Many months? That's it? "I believe the psychedelics did most of that." Right, drugs that chemically force you to avoid taking responsibility for yourself and totally alter your mind are the answer, correct? Well if this book is any evidence, they've turned you into an illogical robot spewing woke catch phrases.
He even defends evil, inappropriate thoughts. "I don't believe anyone is in control of their imagination...we are not our thoughts, we are our actions." Gee, James, I think abusers also should be held accountable for their thoughts when they speak them out loud, shouldn't they?
Lessons from his time in jail? Nope--instead he makes a bizarre claim that he may have seen there an angel/vision male figure with the same name of the camp abuser who died. Not just once but both times he was incarcerated--and then a third time when he was in a mental institution! It's hard to believe he's serious, but understandable coming from a drugged-up guy that sees himself as having to turn everything positive.
Renner even goes out of his way to give the Boy Scout organization affirmation for the good things they do, such as early in the book warning readers not to misjudge the inclusion of his childhood camp chaplain. "I don't want you to read further expecting him to do something bad...he was the best of the bunch." This is the guy who he hasn't seen for decades and refused to return Renner's calls in the preparation for the book, so the adult "reporter" really has no idea whether the man is hiding something or not. The same with the recent Boy Scout head who he heaps praise upon despite some very questionable ways of handling the lawsuits.
Like I said, it's a mess. Some will praise it simply because of the topic, but unorganized and partial "facts" along with poorly stated personal stories that shift blame without supporting details make for a sloppy and incomplete look at the scandals. Remember that the word "camp" can also mean "exaggerated theatrical style or stereotypes," which this former theater performer seems to have done with his own life and with scouting.
From the start the text is poorly organized with back-and-forth "then" and "now" chapters throughout the book, keeping the stories from having any emotion or impact. Essentially this is two different books--one being the author's own story, which ends up being pretty minimal and not that interesting, and the other being that of his Boy Scout camp where a number of children were abused.
It's tied together by a supposed "mystery" of how a male camp leader died after being exposed, but that's a red herring--there's nothing mysterious about it. The guy was caught, fired, and then killed himself. Renner's attempt to make it a question of whether the man was murdered or not is a laughable misdirect in an attempt to sell this--more proof that most amateurs doing "true crime" podcasts are morbid (and talentless) crazy people.
There is so much wrong with this book that it's difficult to know how to pick it apart. The author jumps all over the place, inserting canards or gossip, admitting to his own failed memories, going off on tangents like whether he was having gay feelings or how he suddenly discovers in his 40s that he was "abused" by his parents. For all the conspiracy theories about the camp sexual abuse, the leader's death, and the author's own upbringing, Renner foolishly ends up failing to take responsibility for his own actions and comes up with some horribly uninspiring conclusions.
Based on how he plays it up early in the book, I assumed he had a huge tragic story of his time at camp--but he didn't. At age 11 he had one extremely minor incident of another boy his age fondling him under the covers in a bed they shared--that's it. Renner as an adult questions if this shouldn't be considered abuse even though they were both young and exploring. Meanwhile, other boys at camp are victims of sexual intercourse by adult leaders, which should be made a big distinction in the author's mind but the guy seems to be treating them the same.
His alcohol and drug addictions? "I believe in harm reduction as opposed to abstinence." He says he needs his liquor "for the days I'm feeling especially anxious. As far as I'm concerned, that's basically bottled water." Right, you think that logic will keep you from doing harm to others and yourself?
His hatred and claimed PTSD from parents and stepparents who abused him? He tries to spin it positive but considers whether "everything happens for a reason." The simple answer is that "no, it doesn't." Sometimes bad things just happen for no good reason (just as sometimes good things happen with no reason), period. But Americans feel the need to spin that folksy piece of advice to try to make themselves feel like something good will happen someday or that they have some value in life.
"I have had no suicidal ideations for many months," he ends the book. Many months? That's it? "I believe the psychedelics did most of that." Right, drugs that chemically force you to avoid taking responsibility for yourself and totally alter your mind are the answer, correct? Well if this book is any evidence, they've turned you into an illogical robot spewing woke catch phrases.
He even defends evil, inappropriate thoughts. "I don't believe anyone is in control of their imagination...we are not our thoughts, we are our actions." Gee, James, I think abusers also should be held accountable for their thoughts when they speak them out loud, shouldn't they?
Lessons from his time in jail? Nope--instead he makes a bizarre claim that he may have seen there an angel/vision male figure with the same name of the camp abuser who died. Not just once but both times he was incarcerated--and then a third time when he was in a mental institution! It's hard to believe he's serious, but understandable coming from a drugged-up guy that sees himself as having to turn everything positive.
Renner even goes out of his way to give the Boy Scout organization affirmation for the good things they do, such as early in the book warning readers not to misjudge the inclusion of his childhood camp chaplain. "I don't want you to read further expecting him to do something bad...he was the best of the bunch." This is the guy who he hasn't seen for decades and refused to return Renner's calls in the preparation for the book, so the adult "reporter" really has no idea whether the man is hiding something or not. The same with the recent Boy Scout head who he heaps praise upon despite some very questionable ways of handling the lawsuits.
Like I said, it's a mess. Some will praise it simply because of the topic, but unorganized and partial "facts" along with poorly stated personal stories that shift blame without supporting details make for a sloppy and incomplete look at the scandals. Remember that the word "camp" can also mean "exaggerated theatrical style or stereotypes," which this former theater performer seems to have done with his own life and with scouting.
October 30, 2025
A decent book surrounding the allegations of sexual abuse many suffered at the hands of leaders of the Boy Scouts of America. It mainly follows one summer the author was at camp and the rituals used and the abuse some suffered. Its more of a memoir that a true crime novel, following our author and his subsequent addiction issues.
Its a fast read and engaging with lots of thoughts of the author throughout. If you are looking for a comprehensive overlook at the organization as a whole this is not the book. Its a personal reflection of one summer the author endured.
Its a fast read and engaging with lots of thoughts of the author throughout. If you are looking for a comprehensive overlook at the organization as a whole this is not the book. Its a personal reflection of one summer the author endured.
March 26, 2025
Wow. Just... wow.
I listened to this on audio and I loved his historical context of how BSA came to be. And his telling of his story in the "then" and "now" contexts. It was easy to follow. He respected the privacy and story of those he grew up with. He honored the dead and protected the innocent but brought to light that which needed to be.
Love that he finally told his own story.
I listened to this on audio and I loved his historical context of how BSA came to be. And his telling of his story in the "then" and "now" contexts. It was easy to follow. He respected the privacy and story of those he grew up with. He honored the dead and protected the innocent but brought to light that which needed to be.
Love that he finally told his own story.
July 15, 2025
James Renner is an American true crime writer. His 2025 book Scout Camp is part true crime thriller, part memoir as he's a character in the true crime story he writes about herein (in a much more personal way than how the late Michelle McNamara wrote herself into I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer).
Despite reading a fair breadth of nonfiction genres, true crime is one I consciously don't dip into often due to its generally disturbing nature. Scout Camp is an exposé into the accusations of pedophilia and abuse (as well as the panoply of racism, homophobia, sexism and cultural appropriation) within the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), told largely through the lens of Renner's first-hand experiences as a former scout and scout camp counselor in the 1990s. Renner was a multi-year participant, then a teenage counselor in 1995, at the (extant) Seven Ranges boy scout camp in Northeastern Ohio. 1995's camp featured multiple traumatic events that Renner is still dealing with into his 40s. The book details the systemic gaps that permitted and perpetuated a culture of abuse within the BSA, both at the 1995 camp and more broadly. (BSA filed for chapter 11 (consolidation) bankruptcy in 2020 and has since established a settlement fund for survivors of sexual abuse, but as Renner details, accessing the fund is contingent upon state-specific laws and statutes of limitation, which aren't uniform.)
Renner also spends about half of the book detailing his traumatic childhood and how its effects have lingered into his middle adulthood. I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of these parts of the book in the overall narrative here. While he's certainly entitled to share his own story on his own terms, I felt like it bifurcated the narrative too much, and it was hard to parse how his BSA-specific trauma vs. other childhood and adolescent traumas contributed to his ongoing mental health and addiction struggles (this is probably an impossible question to answer). I sympathize with Renner a lot; I have no first-hand experience with BSA, but I did grow up in the Catholic church and am well aware of the parallel sexual abuse scandals. My parish growing up featured not just one but two head parish priests who have been accused of sexual crimes against children, one of which came to light only recently from an event that happened in the 1990s when I was attending the grade school attached to the parish. The accuser could have easily been one of my classmates or someone else I knew - and this is someone who's likely suffered in silence for decades and whose trauma likely has manifested in detrimental ways as their life has progressed.
Further reading:
Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church by the Boston Globe
What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention by Donna Freitas
Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford
My statistics:
Book 215 for 2025
Book 2141 cumulatively
Despite reading a fair breadth of nonfiction genres, true crime is one I consciously don't dip into often due to its generally disturbing nature. Scout Camp is an exposé into the accusations of pedophilia and abuse (as well as the panoply of racism, homophobia, sexism and cultural appropriation) within the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), told largely through the lens of Renner's first-hand experiences as a former scout and scout camp counselor in the 1990s. Renner was a multi-year participant, then a teenage counselor in 1995, at the (extant) Seven Ranges boy scout camp in Northeastern Ohio. 1995's camp featured multiple traumatic events that Renner is still dealing with into his 40s. The book details the systemic gaps that permitted and perpetuated a culture of abuse within the BSA, both at the 1995 camp and more broadly. (BSA filed for chapter 11 (consolidation) bankruptcy in 2020 and has since established a settlement fund for survivors of sexual abuse, but as Renner details, accessing the fund is contingent upon state-specific laws and statutes of limitation, which aren't uniform.)
Renner also spends about half of the book detailing his traumatic childhood and how its effects have lingered into his middle adulthood. I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of these parts of the book in the overall narrative here. While he's certainly entitled to share his own story on his own terms, I felt like it bifurcated the narrative too much, and it was hard to parse how his BSA-specific trauma vs. other childhood and adolescent traumas contributed to his ongoing mental health and addiction struggles (this is probably an impossible question to answer). I sympathize with Renner a lot; I have no first-hand experience with BSA, but I did grow up in the Catholic church and am well aware of the parallel sexual abuse scandals. My parish growing up featured not just one but two head parish priests who have been accused of sexual crimes against children, one of which came to light only recently from an event that happened in the 1990s when I was attending the grade school attached to the parish. The accuser could have easily been one of my classmates or someone else I knew - and this is someone who's likely suffered in silence for decades and whose trauma likely has manifested in detrimental ways as their life has progressed.
Further reading:
Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church by the Boston Globe
What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention by Donna Freitas
Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford
My statistics:
Book 215 for 2025
Book 2141 cumulatively
October 21, 2024
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!
April 27, 2025
Less about “sex, death, and secret societies,” and more about this guy’s personal experience. That’s worthwhile, but slap “memoir” on the actual cover. This is not the deep dive, journalistic endeavor, sprinkled with personal account, I’d hoped for.
July 19, 2025
took me back to the good ol’ days
July 9, 2025
“Scout Camp” is part memoir, part true crime, and too real to ignore. It’s about physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental health, and addiction. It’s personal, but it’s also a broader investigation into cycles of abuse and how they reverberate through time and memory.
This one was heavy. The subject matter is deeply upsetting, but there’s a straightforward honesty in how Renner confronts both the crimes and his own demons. It’s about reckoning with the past, questioning the institutions we’re taught to trust, and understanding how trauma shapes us, even when we don’t want it to.
At times, it’s hard to read, but it’s worth it. Especially if you’re interested in memoirs that dig into the uncomfortable places most people avoid. There’s no neat resolution, but that feels intentional. Renner isn’t writing for closure. He’s writing to shine a light.
Not an easy book. But a powerful one.
This one was heavy. The subject matter is deeply upsetting, but there’s a straightforward honesty in how Renner confronts both the crimes and his own demons. It’s about reckoning with the past, questioning the institutions we’re taught to trust, and understanding how trauma shapes us, even when we don’t want it to.
At times, it’s hard to read, but it’s worth it. Especially if you’re interested in memoirs that dig into the uncomfortable places most people avoid. There’s no neat resolution, but that feels intentional. Renner isn’t writing for closure. He’s writing to shine a light.
Not an easy book. But a powerful one.
March 21, 2025
I love love love James Renner. Our minds work similarly when it comes to true crime—reading his books is akin to picking his brain on a particular case. I love how he breaks the fourth wall and writes as if you’re in a conversation with him. I can’t remember if it’s a common feature of his books but this one includes not on,y discussion questions at the end but rabbit hole suggestions as well for those wanting todo a deeper dive. Brilliant.
This book was a mixed bag for me. Boy Scouts holds very little interest for me and this was especially true when Renner would get technical with it and write at length about stuff like secret societies. On the flip, there’s an actual story involved from the summer of 1995 that’s worthwhile. Renner himself also tackles his own demons with an unflinching amount of vulnerability that I wasn’t expecting but that made me value this book exponentially more.
This book was a mixed bag for me. Boy Scouts holds very little interest for me and this was especially true when Renner would get technical with it and write at length about stuff like secret societies. On the flip, there’s an actual story involved from the summer of 1995 that’s worthwhile. Renner himself also tackles his own demons with an unflinching amount of vulnerability that I wasn’t expecting but that made me value this book exponentially more.
April 26, 2025
Most of this book was poorly written and borderline offensive, at one point the author says that because BSA was founded by a possible pedophile (of which there is no concrete proof) it has so many pedophiles. Also the author starts one chapter talking about how important his daughter was to trying to get sober and then spends the majority of the chapter talking about how one drug trip changed his life. It’s also presented as some sort of mystery when there is literally nothing mysterious about anything that happens in this book the crime it alludes to at the start is a very clear-cut suicide. He actually presents a possible theory of murder and calls it “unlikely” like yeah I could say that my great grandmother died of old age or possibly the ghost of Hitler but that doesn’t make it a mystery
September 30, 2025
Deeply moving. This one is going to take some time to deal with. This was a very difficult read for me and brought up some past experiences. I am shocked to find these things are still going on in the BSA. Thank you for sharing your story.
March 27, 2025
Rating true stories is so much more complicated than rating fiction, but mad kudos to James for telling this story
March 13, 2025
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.
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.
March 16, 2025
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.
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.
March 18, 2025
Loved this! I was so excited to have unexpectedly won this in a giveaway, as I quite literally never win anything. Wasn’t even on my radar, but I am so glad this found its way to me. I look forward to also checking out James’ true crime podcast. Very real and personable delivery for sensitive material - feels as if he is talking directly to you as you read.
June 30, 2024
This book is a roller coaster of emotion from the first page to the last. I felt such anger, sadness, and sympathy. A person can be shaped by their life experiences, whether it be for good or bad (sometimes in between) and this book is a good example of that and is also such an eye opener into a society that was once thought of as so trustworthy.
April 9, 2025
4 stars for a quick read. I thought the "then" chapters set at the camp were the strongest. A lot of Scouts in my family went to Seven Ranges, so this was an especially interesting book. Sidenote: Belden Village Mall never had a movie theater in it, so that threw me off, LOL.
April 3, 2025
Thank you for writing this book. I thought it was very thoughtful and brought a number of issues to the surface.
I’m so sorry so many have become victims and have suffered immeasurably.
I’m so sorry so many have become victims and have suffered immeasurably.
July 1, 2025
This definitely isn’t a true crime book. It’s not bad, but the description is misleading.
May 26, 2025
James Renner gives a short history of the Boy Scouts and during his research he discovered that the founder was a homosexual involved in the Boer Wars in South Africa. His guidebook for scouts became a bestseller and almost one hundred years later a scandal blew up revealing widespread abuse. Eighty-two thousand sexual abuse cases were uncovered. The Catholic Church in America had eleven thousand cases but received much more bad press. The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in February of 2020.
Having read three of Renner's books, I expected a true crime page-turner but instead encountered an autobiography of the author's inner demons. The self described alcoholic has ventured into magic mushrooms, marijuana and prescription drugs in order to retain his sanity. The possible suicide of his molester receives only a small portion of the book; a huge disappointment.
Having read three of Renner's books, I expected a true crime page-turner but instead encountered an autobiography of the author's inner demons. The self described alcoholic has ventured into magic mushrooms, marijuana and prescription drugs in order to retain his sanity. The possible suicide of his molester receives only a small portion of the book; a huge disappointment.
October 6, 2024
DO NOT BE FOOLED. James Renner is one of the most unprofessional and downright horrible journalists out there. This book has no sources, bibliography, or anything else to prove this story happened . He shrouds Michael Klingler death in unwarranted mystery and drama making him out to be possibly murdered, only for him to agree with the verdict of suicide in the end. This whole book seems like a BSA shit-talk rather than an actual crime case.
Instead of actually addressing problems properly and offering solutions forward. Renner will go on long rants that flip between homophobic rants about Robert Baden Powell and sympathy for the modern day situation. At one point you will hear about the time he went to a mental hospital and then started psychedelics (IM NOT JOKING!)
There are better and more thoroughly researched books out there that document the dark side of the Boy Scouts. Please seek those out rather than this rage-bait written by a true-crime charlatan
Instead of actually addressing problems properly and offering solutions forward. Renner will go on long rants that flip between homophobic rants about Robert Baden Powell and sympathy for the modern day situation. At one point you will hear about the time he went to a mental hospital and then started psychedelics (IM NOT JOKING!)
There are better and more thoroughly researched books out there that document the dark side of the Boy Scouts. Please seek those out rather than this rage-bait written by a true-crime charlatan
October 20, 2025
This book has a reveal, which is that James Renner is not a saint. He is though, fucking amazing. Dude, like I knew this was coming. I was so afraid that it never would. What an absolute tragedy that would have been. In True Crime Addict the foreshadowing is there. The bizarre strip club scene that grinds and grates so uncomfortably against Renner the devoted father, son, and husband. The reporter more interested in what’s best for the community, than what’s best for the cut-throat competition for ratings and readership. The investigator who, while having a penis and more testosterone than estrogen, fights for girls and women and refuses to judge them, but then throws the phrase “gang bang” in a pool into the mix. Which was so utterly jarring and out of sync with the rest of the vibe, that I was like, did this page not have an editor? The utter fixation on this one stranger, but a tiny little aside about a grandfather who raped his own children and was never forced to stop or even face a public outing. Maura smora. Guess which parts of the book I fixated on and have been fixated on? (excepting of course the fatal hit and run of that poor boy, let’s call him, Motive to Flee, uh…alleged I guess I’m supposed to say. Wink). “So much of what had confounded her…suddenly made sense.” Page 56
If it’s fiction, you don’t really have to consider the source, right? If you told me tomorrow that one of my favorite fictional authors liked to torture dogs. I could still be like, damn that puppy pounder had an amazing imagination, ability to create characters, and snappy dialogue. (RE: can I still listen to Thriller and go to heaven?, e.g.). But when it’s non-fiction, you have to consider the source. It seems to me that if that is the one thing every person actually tried to do more often, well, it would be a better world. So the still shot of Primary Source Renner, this nonjudgemental dude taking his kid to tumbling class and reporting with a conscience kept getting knocked out of frame by this dude who said gang bang, etc. Of course, there is more than enough room to be both those things in one person and in one lifetime. Still though, how is a stranger’s disappearance more worthy than that hint of a story about his own grandfather?
Of course I could never have predicted the specifics that shape this memoir of rape and molestation and even after hearing Catholic Church story after Catholic Church story, I still retain the ability to be shocked and horrified by even one child’s story of abuse and struggle to force my mind to confront the scope and scale of systematic rape and molestation. Those images and realities want to glance off my brain and roll away, not just to a dark and dusty corner, but into a black hole, never to be seen or thought of again (what are holes, but circles, too?). Which makes me, of course, common and normal as hell. It’s the status quo response.
Yet, I hope. As we hear news of detailed rape and molestation instances, maybe things are getting better. Openly talking about this, admitting that it happens, naming it, embracing victims and survivors, is the way through to something better. Maybe, maybe not. God, all the victim blaming, slut shaming, warehouses full of moldering, untested rape kits, the election of a convicted rapist as leader of the free world, I cringe and grind my teeth at my embrace of Bill Clinton, there’s my shame. To me, those images are now so much worse than one of a little boy getting anally raped by a grown man, and being left alone to clean up his own blood and feces and that man’s semen, in silence. It seems each generation gets an at bat at this, strikes out, shuts their eyes, stops up their ears, and retires from the Majors to a backyard pickle ball court. God, I hope we can finally learn to get better at this. I have never been raped or molested, so all I can say from my perspective, to people who have and who come forward is, please don’t spare the details, lay it all bare. I know that’s not your job nor your responsibility. I know the kind of people who can’t face it, will try and too many times succeed in making you pay for it, and I’m so sorry. I just don’t know though, that this ever gets better without that. I struggle to imagine what to do with these pedophiles vis-a-vis the criminal justice system. I do not struggle to imagine a little kid reading Scout Camp and then not getting groomed and raped…that’s just what joy looks like sometimes. “There’s nothing more powerful than survivors telling their stories,” -Jessica Miranda P. 62.
Of course, you are enough for divine intervention. Though, possibly the doubt you are feeling is not about your own worth, but about your own ungrateful disappointment that the production value was so low? Mike came with no disco ball, confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, and not even an opening band or emcee. Geesh. That ego thing is always a work in progress, for all of us isn’t it? Also, you gotta accept the intervention probably started when you met Julie and then became a better parent then the previous few generations of your family members were able to. 5. Maybe you can’t know, cuz the interventions weren’t for you. A demon would have brought you ice crystal methamphetamine and the coffee, but no Splenda.
If it’s fiction, you don’t really have to consider the source, right? If you told me tomorrow that one of my favorite fictional authors liked to torture dogs. I could still be like, damn that puppy pounder had an amazing imagination, ability to create characters, and snappy dialogue. (RE: can I still listen to Thriller and go to heaven?, e.g.). But when it’s non-fiction, you have to consider the source. It seems to me that if that is the one thing every person actually tried to do more often, well, it would be a better world. So the still shot of Primary Source Renner, this nonjudgemental dude taking his kid to tumbling class and reporting with a conscience kept getting knocked out of frame by this dude who said gang bang, etc. Of course, there is more than enough room to be both those things in one person and in one lifetime. Still though, how is a stranger’s disappearance more worthy than that hint of a story about his own grandfather?
Of course I could never have predicted the specifics that shape this memoir of rape and molestation and even after hearing Catholic Church story after Catholic Church story, I still retain the ability to be shocked and horrified by even one child’s story of abuse and struggle to force my mind to confront the scope and scale of systematic rape and molestation. Those images and realities want to glance off my brain and roll away, not just to a dark and dusty corner, but into a black hole, never to be seen or thought of again (what are holes, but circles, too?). Which makes me, of course, common and normal as hell. It’s the status quo response.
Yet, I hope. As we hear news of detailed rape and molestation instances, maybe things are getting better. Openly talking about this, admitting that it happens, naming it, embracing victims and survivors, is the way through to something better. Maybe, maybe not. God, all the victim blaming, slut shaming, warehouses full of moldering, untested rape kits, the election of a convicted rapist as leader of the free world, I cringe and grind my teeth at my embrace of Bill Clinton, there’s my shame. To me, those images are now so much worse than one of a little boy getting anally raped by a grown man, and being left alone to clean up his own blood and feces and that man’s semen, in silence. It seems each generation gets an at bat at this, strikes out, shuts their eyes, stops up their ears, and retires from the Majors to a backyard pickle ball court. God, I hope we can finally learn to get better at this. I have never been raped or molested, so all I can say from my perspective, to people who have and who come forward is, please don’t spare the details, lay it all bare. I know that’s not your job nor your responsibility. I know the kind of people who can’t face it, will try and too many times succeed in making you pay for it, and I’m so sorry. I just don’t know though, that this ever gets better without that. I struggle to imagine what to do with these pedophiles vis-a-vis the criminal justice system. I do not struggle to imagine a little kid reading Scout Camp and then not getting groomed and raped…that’s just what joy looks like sometimes. “There’s nothing more powerful than survivors telling their stories,” -Jessica Miranda P. 62.
Of course, you are enough for divine intervention. Though, possibly the doubt you are feeling is not about your own worth, but about your own ungrateful disappointment that the production value was so low? Mike came with no disco ball, confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, and not even an opening band or emcee. Geesh. That ego thing is always a work in progress, for all of us isn’t it? Also, you gotta accept the intervention probably started when you met Julie and then became a better parent then the previous few generations of your family members were able to. 5. Maybe you can’t know, cuz the interventions weren’t for you. A demon would have brought you ice crystal methamphetamine and the coffee, but no Splenda.
March 26, 2025
I get the impression that Renner wasn't allowed to market this as a memoir, his platform is a true crime podcast and his previous books were true crime, so he has to write a true crime book. But this book isn't true crime. It's a memoir about a man trying to figure out what happened the summer he was seventeen.
I don't want to say that this is a universal experience but I think many people have the experience of "the incident" at their high school or summer camp, something that's shrouded in rumors because the adults refuse to talk about it. What makes "the incident" unique in this case is the fact that it's not unique, it's one of the hundreds of thousands of cases of pedophilia that happened in Boy Scouts.
Renner paints this picture of how the culture of places like Seven Ranges allows predators to thrive and how abuse reverberates through the lives of victims. He is completely right that secret societies like Pipestone mean that at a young age Scouts learn that they're supposed to keep what happens at camp secret. That stigmatizing homosexuality in the Boy Scouts made it harder to report predation. He shows what became of all the boys he knew that summer, some close the events, some further away, but mostly he talks about what happened to him.
That's why I think this book is really a memoir, the main focus of the book is him trying to figure out how to heal from his abusive childhood. There's a whole chapter dedicated to trying magic mushrooms. He talks very honestly (and at times in ways unflattering to him) about how his pain made him violent and angry and how he didn't want to be that person anymore. If you go into this book expecting true crime, these chapters are going to feel like padding, however as a memoir, I found it quite moving.
I will say that I found his fixation on Baden-Powell's possible closeted homosexuality somewhat bizarre. First of all, B-P was British man born in 1857, of course he engaged in homosexual behaviors, it comes with the territory (although I find the claims that he had no sexual interest in his much younger and very athletic wife, with whom he had three children, quite dubious). But more importantly whether Baden-Powell was gay in 1910 has no bearing on Boy Scout program in 1990.
Scouting programs evolve and change over time, do you know how I know this? Because Scouts UK, an organization that Baden-Powell actually had more influence over, is significantly less conservative than Boy Scouts of American (now Scouting America). Scouts UK went co-ed in 1991 and is not only queer affirming but has a frankly impressive Pride Month collection. Scouting America chose to be the last western boys only Scouting organization in WOSM, the same way the counselors at Seven Ranges chose to keep including the section about abstaining from masturbating in the Pipestone ceremony.
[Also on page 176 he writes: "The first female Eagle Scout, Isabella Tunney, got her Eagle in 2020. By 2022, the rebranded Scouting BSA program had merged the girls’ and boys’ dens and troops." Neither of these statements are true.]
I don't want to say that this is a universal experience but I think many people have the experience of "the incident" at their high school or summer camp, something that's shrouded in rumors because the adults refuse to talk about it. What makes "the incident" unique in this case is the fact that it's not unique, it's one of the hundreds of thousands of cases of pedophilia that happened in Boy Scouts.
Renner paints this picture of how the culture of places like Seven Ranges allows predators to thrive and how abuse reverberates through the lives of victims. He is completely right that secret societies like Pipestone mean that at a young age Scouts learn that they're supposed to keep what happens at camp secret. That stigmatizing homosexuality in the Boy Scouts made it harder to report predation. He shows what became of all the boys he knew that summer, some close the events, some further away, but mostly he talks about what happened to him.
That's why I think this book is really a memoir, the main focus of the book is him trying to figure out how to heal from his abusive childhood. There's a whole chapter dedicated to trying magic mushrooms. He talks very honestly (and at times in ways unflattering to him) about how his pain made him violent and angry and how he didn't want to be that person anymore. If you go into this book expecting true crime, these chapters are going to feel like padding, however as a memoir, I found it quite moving.
I will say that I found his fixation on Baden-Powell's possible closeted homosexuality somewhat bizarre. First of all, B-P was British man born in 1857, of course he engaged in homosexual behaviors, it comes with the territory (although I find the claims that he had no sexual interest in his much younger and very athletic wife, with whom he had three children, quite dubious). But more importantly whether Baden-Powell was gay in 1910 has no bearing on Boy Scout program in 1990.
Scouting programs evolve and change over time, do you know how I know this? Because Scouts UK, an organization that Baden-Powell actually had more influence over, is significantly less conservative than Boy Scouts of American (now Scouting America). Scouts UK went co-ed in 1991 and is not only queer affirming but has a frankly impressive Pride Month collection. Scouting America chose to be the last western boys only Scouting organization in WOSM, the same way the counselors at Seven Ranges chose to keep including the section about abstaining from masturbating in the Pipestone ceremony.
[Also on page 176 he writes: "The first female Eagle Scout, Isabella Tunney, got her Eagle in 2020. By 2022, the rebranded Scouting BSA program had merged the girls’ and boys’ dens and troops." Neither of these statements are true.]
April 12, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
James Renner’s "Scout Camp" is a haunting exploration of the dark underbelly of an institution that has long been synonymous with American ideals of character-building and camaraderie. This deeply personal true crime memoir unearths the secrets of the Boy Scouts of America, revealing a pervasive culture of abuse and secrecy that has left indelible scars on countless lives.
Renner’s narrative is as gripping as it is unsettling. Renner bravely and honestly recounts his own experiences as a counselor at Seven Ranges Reservation in Ohio during the summer of 1995—a time in his life marked by tragedy and trauma. The death of a fellow counselor, Mike Klingler, under mysterious circumstances serves as the catalyst for Renner’s investigation into the camp’s hidden rituals and the systemic failures that allowed such horrors to persist. His journey is not just a quest for answers but also a confrontation with his own demons, making the memoir as much about personal healing as it is about exposing institutional corruption.
The book’s structure alternates between journalistic inquiry and raw, emotional reflection. Renner’s meticulous research is evident in his exploration of scouting history and interviews with survivors, while his candid accounts of his own struggles with trust, sexuality, and self-medication add a layer of vulnerability that makes the narrative profoundly human. This dual approach ensures that the book is both informative and deeply affecting.
"Scout Camp" is a tale told with unflinching honesty. Renner does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths about the Boy Scouts of America, nor does he sugarcoat his own flaws and failures. This transparency makes the memoir a powerful testament to the importance of confronting the past, no matter how painful, in order to pave the way for healing and change.
"Scout Camp" is a vital and courageous work that sheds light on the dark corners of an American institution while offering a deeply personal account of resilience and redemption. It is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime, memoirs, or the complexities of human nature. Renner’s story is a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, there is hope for justice and healing.
For readers who appreciate investigative memoirs that challenge societal norms and uncover hidden truths, "Scout Camp" is an unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness—and the resilience of the human spirit.
This is an important book, as only in exposing past historical wrongs and using that knowledge to avoid future failings can we grow positively as a society.
I rated this book 4 stars as I was captivated by the first half of the book, it went a bit down the rabbit hole regarding the authors personal journey and my mind started drifting when the author told of his "shrooms" experiences and other intricate personal details however this is a book that should be on everyone's shelves. I loved the investigative journalism aspect of this book as well as the historical backstory of this now defunct organization.
James Renner’s "Scout Camp" is a haunting exploration of the dark underbelly of an institution that has long been synonymous with American ideals of character-building and camaraderie. This deeply personal true crime memoir unearths the secrets of the Boy Scouts of America, revealing a pervasive culture of abuse and secrecy that has left indelible scars on countless lives.
Renner’s narrative is as gripping as it is unsettling. Renner bravely and honestly recounts his own experiences as a counselor at Seven Ranges Reservation in Ohio during the summer of 1995—a time in his life marked by tragedy and trauma. The death of a fellow counselor, Mike Klingler, under mysterious circumstances serves as the catalyst for Renner’s investigation into the camp’s hidden rituals and the systemic failures that allowed such horrors to persist. His journey is not just a quest for answers but also a confrontation with his own demons, making the memoir as much about personal healing as it is about exposing institutional corruption.
The book’s structure alternates between journalistic inquiry and raw, emotional reflection. Renner’s meticulous research is evident in his exploration of scouting history and interviews with survivors, while his candid accounts of his own struggles with trust, sexuality, and self-medication add a layer of vulnerability that makes the narrative profoundly human. This dual approach ensures that the book is both informative and deeply affecting.
"Scout Camp" is a tale told with unflinching honesty. Renner does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths about the Boy Scouts of America, nor does he sugarcoat his own flaws and failures. This transparency makes the memoir a powerful testament to the importance of confronting the past, no matter how painful, in order to pave the way for healing and change.
"Scout Camp" is a vital and courageous work that sheds light on the dark corners of an American institution while offering a deeply personal account of resilience and redemption. It is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime, memoirs, or the complexities of human nature. Renner’s story is a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, there is hope for justice and healing.
For readers who appreciate investigative memoirs that challenge societal norms and uncover hidden truths, "Scout Camp" is an unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness—and the resilience of the human spirit.
This is an important book, as only in exposing past historical wrongs and using that knowledge to avoid future failings can we grow positively as a society.
I rated this book 4 stars as I was captivated by the first half of the book, it went a bit down the rabbit hole regarding the authors personal journey and my mind started drifting when the author told of his "shrooms" experiences and other intricate personal details however this is a book that should be on everyone's shelves. I loved the investigative journalism aspect of this book as well as the historical backstory of this now defunct organization.
October 22, 2024
I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book and I approached it with trepidation for many reasons but also a need to know the truth about an organization I hold in the highest regard. I devoured the book in less than two days as it alternates between present day and the summer of 1995 when the author suffered through a horrific experience that has unfortunately been shared by tens of thousands of other boys and men who went through the Scout program. Books that jump between timelines can be disorienting but this one wasn't; it narrated the traumas that Renner is dealing with and healing from now while also detailing in an unflinching manner the crimes and abuses that were the origin of his current day demons. These abuses were part of a systematic flaw that allowed child sex predators to spend their summers with a fresh group of new young boys to victimize served up by an institution that was meant to teach values and beliefs that would help a young boy become a better man. This failure led to a sex abuse scandal that dwarfs the actions of the Catholic Church in the United States.
In the interests of full disclosure I was the Cubmaster for my stepson's Pack and worked with the same group of scouts and parents throughout Cub Scouts and into Scouts BSA. Many of the Scouts I mentored are now starting their Eagle Projects in an effort to earn the coveted Eagle Scout Rank. This was a rank denied to James Renner due to his experiences with the Boy Scouts at the Seven Ranges Scout Camp. I had to know how an organization that helped the Scouts I worked with flourish and grow in ways they never would without it could fail Renner and so many other so completely. This was an organization that saw first graders gladly eating pan grilled perch pulled right out of a lake hours earlier who would refuse a piece of pizza at home if it didn't "look right." An organization that taught them skills I see them use daily and that will be helpful for the rest of their lives.
Renner could be forgiven for condemning the entire institution of Scouting and honestly that is what I expected. In retrospect I owe him an apology. He approached what is clearly a personal and painful subject with his typical dogged investigative journalism that led him on a journey to several places across the country in search of the truth. I won't spoil the ending but as someone who revered the Scouts before picking up this book, Renner's investigation and analysis stick to the facts as we have come to expect with all his writing. But it is also layered with an honest and raw exploration of the pain he felt from suffering these abuses at the hands of an organization he clearly also loved at the time. This is a book everyone should read no matter if you've had a relationship with Scouting in your life or not. In addition to everything else it is a cautionary tale that we would all do well to heed.
In the interests of full disclosure I was the Cubmaster for my stepson's Pack and worked with the same group of scouts and parents throughout Cub Scouts and into Scouts BSA. Many of the Scouts I mentored are now starting their Eagle Projects in an effort to earn the coveted Eagle Scout Rank. This was a rank denied to James Renner due to his experiences with the Boy Scouts at the Seven Ranges Scout Camp. I had to know how an organization that helped the Scouts I worked with flourish and grow in ways they never would without it could fail Renner and so many other so completely. This was an organization that saw first graders gladly eating pan grilled perch pulled right out of a lake hours earlier who would refuse a piece of pizza at home if it didn't "look right." An organization that taught them skills I see them use daily and that will be helpful for the rest of their lives.
Renner could be forgiven for condemning the entire institution of Scouting and honestly that is what I expected. In retrospect I owe him an apology. He approached what is clearly a personal and painful subject with his typical dogged investigative journalism that led him on a journey to several places across the country in search of the truth. I won't spoil the ending but as someone who revered the Scouts before picking up this book, Renner's investigation and analysis stick to the facts as we have come to expect with all his writing. But it is also layered with an honest and raw exploration of the pain he felt from suffering these abuses at the hands of an organization he clearly also loved at the time. This is a book everyone should read no matter if you've had a relationship with Scouting in your life or not. In addition to everything else it is a cautionary tale that we would all do well to heed.
October 27, 2024
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.
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.
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