I'm sure John Harvey has the best of intentions with this book and no doubt it has been received with praise by conservatives in the Catholic Church. However, as a practical guide for pastoral care it is at best misleading, and at worst potentially quite harmful.

Any person, Roman Catholic or not, that cares about the mental health of his/her client should disregard this book. Harvey goes to great lengths to perpetuate stereotypes and myths about gay men that have been overwhelmingly debunked through careful research through the years. Harvey's primary error is to view homosexuality as an illness or an addiction, similar to alcoholism or other drug abuse. Hence his group Courage was formed on the 12 step model to help people overcome their homosexuality. The problem is there is no illness and there is no addiction. Homosexuality was taken off the list of mental illnesses by the American Psychological Association 30 years ago.

If you're looking for a book that is consistent with Church teaching but will actually help very few people, this is the one for you. If you're looking for a book that actually helps gay people struggling with questions about their sexuality and faith, go elsewhere. I would recommend books by Jeanine Gramick or Robert Nugent or by John O'Neill.

Just to reiterate the comment from the other reviewer, the one positive about the book is its encouragement for gay people to talk to someone that can help.

This excellent book is an attempt to bring a catholic-holistic view on homosexuality. The book is divided into parts treating homosexuality as phenomenon from psychological, theological and practical pastoral point of view. The main psychology schools involved in treating this anomaly are sketched. Good arguments and explanations on the actual situation in the sectors of psychology and psychiatry concerning the present view on homosexuality are given - with many eye openers. Harvey comments, polemizes and refutes with very good arguments views of some five known catholic dissenter theologians. A balanced catholic magisterial view on homosexuality is given with comments on the 1985 Vatican note on homosexuality. All written in a sober,humble language without any unnecessary sensation or judgemental attitude against the homosexuals. Harvey shows breadth and profoundity of his knowledge and shares many good practical insights. But I still lack more practical guidelines. All in all the book is an excellent introduction. Father Harvey wrote 1996 yet another highly recommendable book on this topic. It is worth while to read both of them!

First I must say that I am very thankful to God Almighty for these two great priests and shepherds of the faithful for having the courage to write a great book that reveals the truth about the worst disease that has plagued this century. Father Harvey's and Father Goreschel's research has helped me and many others, especially those involved with the Courage and Encourage support groups, to understand homosexuality and to know that it can be treated, to know how to live chaste and thus fulfilling lives in the midst of contrary opinions and thinking, to know how to support others who are seeking help in dealing with their own tendencies or how to be healed from a life of homosexual practice, to know how to reach out and help families who are also dealing with loved ones who are suffering from homosexuality, and to give hope and true loving support to everyone faced with this problem, that one can be healed and live normal and faith-filled lives. I know these authors personally and I also know many people whose lives have been miraculously transformed by knowing the truth through their books,through personal counselling, and especially through the loving and dynamic community support of Courage and Encourage. This book and the other books by these two great priests can only help those who want to be helped and who have the courage to know, confront, and accept the truth because the TRUTH (which can never change) will set you FREE!

What we have here is a compilation of collected essays and excerpts from other sources on the sin of gluttony. Three of the contributions make the book worth owning.

Woody Allen's comedic essay, Russell Baker's 'tongue in cheek' food critique and John Kennedy O'Toole's excerpt from "A Confederacy of Dunces" are the strong and entertaining parts of the book. The rest...well, let's just say there is little left to read after the above mentioned...but they're not sooo bad that
you'll lose your appetite for Gluttony.