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Jesus Land: A Memoir
by Julia Scheeres
Biographies & Memoirs
Community & Culture
Women
Memoirs
Report Poor Quality
Table of Contents
Top
Summary
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: The Heartland
Chapter 2: Friends & Neighbors
Chapter 3: Education
Chapter 4: Home
Chapter 5: Body Parts
Chapter 6: Virginity
Chapter 7: Sharp Objects
Chapter 8: Freedom
Chapter 9: The Island
Chapter 10: The Program
Chapter 11: Dead Babies
Chapter 12: New Girl
Chapter 13: Pro-gress
Chapter 14: Rapture
Chapter 15: Agua de Coco
Chapter 16: The Pastor
Chapter 17: Turkey
Chapter 18: Florida
Key Takeaways
The Power of Sibling Bonds
The Complexities of Transracial Adoption
The Dark Side of Faith-Based Reform Schools
The Crushing Weight of Institutional Control
The Pervasive Nature of Racism
The Complexities of Female Sexuality
The Hypocrisy of Religious Dogma
The Power of Music
The Scars of Parental Neglect
The Universal Search for Belonging
Questions
How does Julia's perception of her relationship with David affect her perception of herself?
What does it mean to be a family?
Why do you believe Julia's parents adopted Jerome and David?
Throughout *Jesus Land*, how do social appearances effect different characters' decisions?
Julia has a number of very different sexual encounters in her memoir. How does each of them shape her views about sex? Why do you think she doesn't tell David about Jerome?
What do they have faith in? How does their faith differ from that of the adults around them?
After David is publicly abused at Escuela Caribe, Julia says, 'It makes me wonder if he hates my whiteness and if I can be a true sister to him without sharing the trauma of his skin color, if we can ever be more than black and white, more than the surface of our skin.' How would you answer Julia? Across their story, how does skin color separate and unite them?
How is Christianity used to enforce the status quo in Indiana and Escuela Caribe? Does the rigidity of the Christian culture of Escuela Caribe ever make it easier to subvert?
What roles does religion and spirituality play in Julia's personal identity? Would you describe her as religious or spiritual?
Throughout the book, Julia describes and names the music she is hearing. How is music used by Julia, her mother, and the people at Escuela Caribe?
Summary
Chapter Summaries
Key Takeaways
Questions