In this novel, it is very refreshing to see teenagers who are not only well informed about their choices but also standing up for their beliefs, however different they may be. But do we ever stop to think how children perceive themselves through a religious angle, how do they fit into all this?

With everything that’s going on in our world, religious intolerance is something that has been cause for concern for a long time now.

This is Katie Henry’s debut novel and I must admit that she has crafted a remarkable storyline. But underlying all that bravado you get the sense of boy flailing at his inability to stay rooted to a place, and therefore distraught by the constant disruption in his life. Michael’s wit and sarcasm will surely make you crack up at times. What started out as a hilarious book soon turns into a bit of a serious read and rightly so. But when Michael takes it all a step too far, he jeopardizes everything he has worked to build. Even within the austere boundaries of this school, there exists a group of students who choose to have differing beliefs and aren’t ready to get brainwashed by the system. His presumptions of everyone being uptight and religious are flung out the window, when he gets initiated into a secret club called Heretics Anonymous. Clare’s Catholic School, which isn’t exactly the best place to be for an atheist like him. Except she wants to be a priest.Just when Michael thought that they were done with the whole packing up and leaving, his parents announce otherwise. He’s surprised and chagrined to find out that Lucy is actually a devout Catholic. Michael, who hates that he’s been forced by his parents to attend a Catholic school, is relieved when Lucy speaks up in theology class to challenge the teacher, assuming that she’s an atheist like himself. Michael is an atheist, Lucy is a feminist Catholic, Avi is a gay Jew, Eden is a Celtic Reconstructionist Polytheist (basically, a pagan), and Max is a cape-wearing Unitarian. Katie Henry’s debut novel deftly handles differing spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof, by putting five very different characters together. I like to read gritty faith-related books, possibly because they make me feel less like a heretic myself. I was raised Protestant and attended a Catholic high school, but as an adult I’ve struggled with the faith of my youth.

A piece of burned toast, with the imprint of an open, light-emitting Bible in the center, framed by the words “ Heretics Anonymous.” When the book cover talked about an atheist kid starting at a Catholic school and a group of religious oddballs called Heretics Anonymous, I knew I had to read it. It was the cover that drew me to this book.

Heretics anonymous