Alex Cooper was 15 when she told her Mormon parents she was gay. She knew that it would be difficult, but she couldn’t have expected what happened next. They sent her stay with a couple in St. George who promised to “save” Alex from homosexuality. What the “treatment program” relied on though was verbal, psychological and physical abuse. Thursday, our guest is scholar Joanna Brooks. She co-authored Alex’s memoir, and joins us to talk about how this happened and what it really took to save Alex.

Alex Cooper's memoir is called Saving Alex [Indiebound|Amazon|Audible]. It was co-authored with Joanna Brooks, scholar of religion in American life and professor of English at San Diego State University.