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The Purple Culture

by Stephen L. Boehrer

     

Stephen Boehrer has tackled a very disturbing topic: Sexual abuse of children and teens by priests. He has chosen to present all sides of this topic in The Purple Culture, a novel about three bishops brought to trial for protecting priests known to be pedophiles and transferring them from parish to parish where they could offend again. Boehrer presents the inner workings of all of the participants in such a fashion that this small book could easily be translated to film. He presents point-of-view segments that could be voice-over thoughts or flashbacks, as well as a straight story line in this courtroom drama. The segments by some of the victims—now adults—and by some of the abusers are uncomfortable reads, though done with tact and taste. But it is the inner workings of the bishops and the prosecution and the defense attorneys that I found most interesting.

Since the bishops seem to clearly be guilty, the only defense that their attorney, James Kobs, can devise is one of mental deficiency because the bishops have become part of what he is calling the Purple Culture, a set of behaviors that espouses elitism, narcissism, and almost cult-like loyalty. It is a most interesting theory and could also apply to some corporate organizations and even the culture of the rich and powerful.

While all of this is theoretical, Stephen Boehrer seems to hope that this book would spark discussion about the problem of sexual abuse and other abuses within the Church. A former priest, Boehrer saw some of the frayed underside of the holy cloth and does write with some authority. In an interview on his website, he says, "I hope that Catholic readers will remain faithful, but take away a sense of what needs to change in our church, and begin a discussion on strategy to affect that change. I hope that readers from other religious persuasions will find a paradigm to evaluate their own leadership." That is my fervent hope, too. Open dialog is necessary for any change to happen, and this book is a good place to start that discussion. There is much here to think about.

The Book

Oceanview Publishing
May 1, 2009
Trade paperback
1933515244 / 978-1933515243
Fiction, literary
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!and co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book.
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