In one book, Kurt Vonnegut Jr wrote “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” I first saw Kate Bornstein almost on a whim, without knowing what, exactly, I was getting into. I have never been so glad to follow an impulse.
This memoir – A Queer and Pleasant Danger – is a raw accounting of Auntie Kate’s life – including her time with Scientology. Auntie Kate leavens the often-painful story with so much compassion and kindess that I was able to understand and empathize (if not outright relate) to all parts of her life. In turns fascinating and inspiring, Ms. Bornstein managed to write a memoir that makes her unusual life path perfectly relatable.
And don’t forget that she’s a very funny lady. The full title of this book is “A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Joins the Church of Scientology and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She is Today”. If that title makes you smile, then don’t hesitate to pick up this book from a remarkable human being.