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A
2002 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
 A
2002 Independent Publisher
Book
Award
Finalist
Named "Book
of the Week" by
www.mensfuff.org for July 23-29, 2001
In
Fall 2002, Dr. Minor's Scared Straight: Why It's
So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It's So Hard to
Be Human was chosen by local Barnes and
Noble Booksellers to be included in the
"Close the Book on HATE. Open Your Mind and READ"
initiative. The promotion was to highlight books which
promoted understanding in the world, particularly of
groups that have suffered in the past from misunderstanding
and discrimination.
 Recommended
for teachers by Teaching
Tolerance magazine from the Southern Poverty
Law Center.
“Minor's
Scared Straight is a breath of fresh air in
our often smog-filled arguments about sexuality. Nobody
is let off the hook. Everyone stands to gain new clarity
and, one hopes, generosity of spirit. The only reader
who won't benefit from this book is the one who is determined
in advance not to."
-- L. William Countryman,
Sherman E. Johnson Professor in Biblical Studies, The
Church Divinity School of the Pacific and the Graduate
Theological Union, Berkeley, author of Dirt, Greed,
and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their
Implications for Today
"Dr. Minor's
Scared Straight has a touch of the subversive
about it. Chapter by chapter the author undermines the
false assumptions that prop up the roles society teaches
us to play "as man" or "as woman."
He urges us to throw out the old maps that caused us
to lose our way and suggests some very practical guidelines
for the journey towards discovering our own unique,
human gifts."
-- Rev. Mel White,
Founder Soulforce, author of Stranger at the Gate:
Being Gay and Christian in America
Scared
Straight's lessons should be taken to the polls
when voting on gay marriage amendents, Kansas
City Star columnist
says.
Scared Straight
insightfully explains
Republican criticisms in the 2004 Presidential race,
Kansas
City Star columnist writes.
Scared Straight explains the
fear used in wedge issues in politics, Kansas
City Star columnist explains.
"Scared
Straight is a courageous, unique, and necessary
book. I use it in both introductory and advanced-level
courses in Women's Studies and Sociology because Minor's
analysis of how gender  conditioning
and homophobia affect all of us is the most thorough,
engaging, and accurate rendering of these issues I have
found. Students of all backgrounds love reading it because
the writing is accessible, the ideas are meaningful
to them and sophisticated, and it resonates deeply with
their lived experiences. Finally, Minor offers much
more than explanations and analyses; he offers a practical
path to our full humanity, and that is the gift of hope
to all of us.
-- Christine M. Robinson, Sociology, James Madison
University
"Minor walks a challenging line in recognizing
the connection and systemic similarity between "isms"
without equating them. It is a message that we all must
hear, particularly any of us who are white and play
leadership roles. We must take the risk of addressing
racial and economic issues to have any credibility in
making change for the queer movement.
The book's success, in large part, is due to the 
concrete experiences that are related with comparatively
little abstract theory. As Minor
works in an institution rampant with abstract
theory, this grounding is particularly impressive.
Scholarly credibility is maintained without sacrificing
accessibility.
At the same time, Minor's acknowledgment of women who
have said much of this before is a step out of the expert
male gender role he has been taught to play. In process,
as well as content, this book models the kind of approach
that is needed on a moment-to-moment basis to eliminate
discrimination.
Because of sexism it is important that Robert Minor,
Ph.D., tenured faculty member, says this too. Minor
is, as Audre Lorde calls for us all to do, using the
power he has in the service of what he says he believes."
-- Jane Ralph, Human Resources Manager, Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation, New York City
Scared Straight
is a recommended reference.
-- Haven
Counseling & Consulting Services, Nashville
TN
Scared Straight
is recommended for "Gay Spirituality Books"
-- Listmania
by White Crane Journal
Scared Straight
is a recommended reference for "Gay & Lesbian,
Legal, Social, Psychological Issues."
-- Gay
Christian Online
Scared Straight
is a recommended reference for "Self-Acceptance
of a Gay Identity: Coming Out."
-- Seventh
Day Adventist Kinship
Scared Straight
is recommended for "Books to Make You a Better
Person "
-- Listmania
by Lysander18 - therapist, activist from Kent, OH
recommended Scared Straight for holiday gift-giving.
Advice columnist Enza said: "If you want to get
them thinking, try Robert Minor's Scared Straight,
on why it's so hard to accept gay people and why it's
so hard to be human."
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