Book Review: Jesus Land

Over the last decade the slogan "What Would Jesus Do?" has become a motto of many Christians. Sadly, it preceded the time period covered in Jesus Land, a harrowing memoir by Julie Scheeres. But, then again, maybe it would have made no difference.

Jesus Land is a story of racism, religion and dysfunction in a family that had all the right appearances. In fact, most people probably thought the Scheeres family was a typical "good Christian family." They attended a Calvinist church every Sunday. Dad was a surgeon. Mom was active with church and supported church missionaries. Many in the church are impressed that Mom and Dad adopted some black children into their white bread home to give them a better life.

Yet as Scheeres makes plain, the surface was merely a veneer over spiritual and emotional rot. This was, in fact, a family whose children were swallowed up by dysfunction. Granted, there was plenty of the Bible, Christian music and religion in the house. What was missing was parental love and nurturing.

Roughly the first half of Jesus Land focuses on Julia and her adopted brother, David, as they go from a Christian school to a public high school in Lafayette, Indiana. Julia is white. David is one of the adopted black children, joining the family when both he and Julia were three. (Much of the back story is told in snippets at the end of each chapter). Yet there is even something malefic in the decision to adopt David and another black child, Jerome.

When the Scheeres went to adopt, there were basically black children available. From their standpoint, "God was testing them." Adopting David was merely a chance "to show the world that God was not prejudiced and neither were they." The rationale for later adopting Jerome undercuts that theory. Even though Julia truly saw David as her brother, Jerome is adopted because her parents believe David needed "one of his own kind."

Thus, at one level, the tale explores both overt and latent racism. The overt racism followed Julia and David throughout their lives in stares and racist comments. The situation worsens with high school as David and Jerome are the only minority students in the school. Julia also begins to realize the latent racism in the home. It finally dawns on her that she is treated differently than David and Jerome. They live in the basement, she upstairs with the parents. She avoids the whippings and beatings her father inflicts on the boys when they are perceived to misbehave. The difference also surfaces as all three children rebel against their situation.

Article Author: Tim Gebhart

Tim Gebhart lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he practices law in order to provide shelter for his family, his dogs, and his books. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and his blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie.

Visit Tim Gebhart's author page — Tim Gebhart's Blog