The Book of Queer Prophets

24 Writers on Sexuality and Religion

By: Ruth Hunt

Narrated by: Ruth Hunt, Raj Ghatak, Kristin Atherton, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Jarel Robinson-Brown, Michael Segalov, Jay Hulme, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Garry Rutter

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Is it possible to believe in God and be gay? How does it feel to be excluded from a religious community because of your sexuality? Why do some people still believe being LGBT is a sin?

The Book of Queer Prophets contains modern-day epistles from some of our most important thinkers, writers and activists: Jeanette Winterson tackles religious dogma, Amrou Al-Kadhi writes about trying to make it as a Muslim drag queen in London, John Bell writes about his decision to come out later in life, Tamsin Omond remembers getting married in the middle of a protest and Kate Bottley explains her journey to becoming an LGBT ally.

Essays from: Jeanette Winterson, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Rev. Winnie Varghese, Keith Jarrett, Jay Hulme, Lucy Knight, Tamsin Omond, Erin Clark, Michael Segalov, Jarel Robinson-Brown, John L. Bell, Mpho Tutu van Furth, Karl Rutlidge, Garry Rutter, Rev Rachel Mann, Judith Kotze, Jack Guiness, Dustin Lance Black, Ric Stott.

Afterword: Kate Bottley.

©2020 Ruth Hunt (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"This is a fine book. The Queer Prophet’s struggle is wet with tears and stiff with courage. I loved just being there with them, listening to their witness, their story. As a heterosexual man theirs is a world I barely know - to be invited in is a privilege and a joy." (Peter Owen-Jones)

"A fascinating and thoughtful exploration of faith in the modern world. If you’re wondering why it matters and how to make sense of it, read on." (Clare Balding)

"Listen to these voices. They remind us of the way God so often speaks from the edge, in the voices of the marginal, from the other side of any walls we build. I encourage all people - especially those of faith - to read this book. It will expand your understanding and your heart." (The Rt Revd Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool)

Lovely stories; poor audio mixing

As a queer person, I was really excited to get my hands (ears?) on this book. I loved the structure of it and the different perspectives/religions covered by its authors. It took me several months to listen to, however, because I could not get used to the audio quality. Some chapters are loud and clear and others are mixed in such a way where the speaker’s voice sounds fuzzy and you can literally hear pages turning in the background. The chapter breakup was strange too, as an intro to the following chapter would be tacked onto the end of a previous chapter.

Content-wise, beautiful. Performance-wise, could use some audio engineering.

Thank You

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for a while and I’m happy I finally picked it up. I’m so thankful for all those who contributed. I feel I connected with multiple aspects of the different experiences shared and it was nice to reflect and see a few things in a different light. A must read for all in my opinion.