Saving Alex
 First edition | |
| Author | Alex Cooper Joanna Brooks |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Published | 2016 |
| Publisher | HarperOne |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 9780062374608 |
Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began is a 2016 memoir by Alex Cooper with Joanna Brooks.
Summary
Alex Cooper, a Mormon 16-year old, came out as a lesbian to her parents where she is in love with a girl named Yvette. They throw her out of the house. After Alex stayed with a sympathetic neighbor for a while, she was then taken by her parents to a conversion therapy program in Utah run by Johnny and Tiana Siale (who are good friends with Alex's grandparents whom Alex's parents stated that she was going to be staying with) where she was held for eight months against her will.
Cooper was forced to face a wall while wearing a backpack full of stones to "feel the burden of being gay," beaten by Johnny if any escape attempt happens, kept from school, and verbally abused. In addition if they went to church with the Siales, Alex and anyone in their program were told not to interact with them in any way. She attempted suicide by taking every pill in the house. Also at the house were two boys who Johnny made hit each other to be more manly where Johnny would join in on the hitting if they don't hit hard enough.
When Cooper was allowed to enroll in high school, she learned of a gay–straight alliance club that was overseen by her English teacher where they sympathized with her plight. With their help, she was connected with a Salt Lake City attorney named Paul Burke who agreed to represent her pro bono. When one of the teachers called to inform the Siales that she was late to their class, they pulled her out of school and had her face the wall in the usual manner. Once the Siales were sound asleep, Alex successfully escaped from the house, hid near a bus stop until the buses started running, and rode it to the school. Once the school opened, Alex told her English teacher what happened. This led to Alex living in a local youth crisis center for a while after being taken there by a friendly police officer.
When it came to the trial, Burke represented her, earning her the right to refuse conversion therapy. Afterwards, Alex opted not to press charges against the Siales as it would not help her move on with her life. Both of the Siales lost their jobs and had their kids taken away from them. In addition, Alex reconciled with her parents.[1][2]
Reception
![[icon]](/enwiki/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2020) |
The book was reviewed in Publishers Weekly,[3] Kirkus Reviews,[4] School Library Journal,[5] and Huffington Post.[6]
Adaptation
On September 18, 2019, Lifetime aired an adaption of this memoir called Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story as part of its "Ripped from the Headlines" feature film series. The film stars Addison Holley as Alex Cooper, Nicolette Pierce as Frankie Jackson (who is based on Yvette), Sara Booth as Tiana Simms (who is based on Tiana Siale), Ian Lake as Johnny Simms (who is based on Johnny Siale), Kate Drummond as Mrs. Cooper, Wilson Cruz as Paul C. Burke, Steven Cumyn as Mr. Cooper, and Elisa Mooncherry as Carol Lynn (who is based on the English teacher that helped Alex).[7]
References
- ^ Badash, David (2016-03-16). "Gay Mormon Teen Forced to Carry Backpack Full of Stones to Make Her Straight". The New Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ Garrett, Lynn (2016-03-04). "Teenager's Gay Conversion Therapy Ordeal Told in New Memoir". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began". Publishers Weekly. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ SAVING ALEX | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Hill, Sarah. "Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Wong, Curtis M. (2016-03-17). "Mormon Woman Exposes Barbaric And 'Humiliating' Treatment For Being Gay". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "'Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story' Lifetime Movie Premiere: Cast, Trailer, Date".