Heretics Anonymous

By Katie Henry

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!

Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition. The Breakfast Club meets Saved! in debut author Katie Henry’s hilarious novel about a band of misfits who set out to challenge their school, one nun at a time. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Robyn Schneider.

When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can’t get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn’t just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest.

Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism.

Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies one stunt at a time. But when Michael takes one mission too far—putting the other Heretics at risk—he must decide whether to fight for his own freedom or rely on faith, whatever that means, in God, his friends, or himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062698896

Katie Henry

Katie Henry, author of Heretics Anonymous, Let’s Call It a Doomsday, and This Will Be Funny Someday, is a writer living and working in New York City. She received her BFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is a published playwright, specializing in theater for young audiences. Her plays have been performed by high schools and community organizations in over thirty states. You can find her online at www.katiehenrywrites.com.

Reviews for Heretics Anonymous

[deslivres5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You'll be cheering for the Heretics Anonymous group in this YA novel about the friendships between a group of outsiders (for various reasons) in a Catholic high school. Lots of understandable teen angst from the main character with respect to his father, but it all comes together in the end.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Having grown up with Nancy Drew mysteries, I am continually surprised and pleased with Young Adult books that require some thinking while reading. Questioning the rules is not the norm in expensive private schools, but yet that’s what happens in the Heretics Anonymous Club. I loved how even a good Catholic like Lucy questioned beliefs and used those beliefs to question aspects of her faith. The juxtaposition of Teresa, the good Catholic girl, with Lucy was a great comparison. I was surprised at how understanding the administrator of the school was so understanding. I might even recommend this book to a YA Sunday School class for discussion, from atheism, the Jewish faith, the Catholic faith and Celtic beliefs.

[untitled841 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review: 16 year old Michael is and atheist made to attend a strict Catholic school. And all hell breaks loose.

Quotes, notes and snippets:
Part 1, Chapter 1: ".....in middle school I put together a list of religions from most plausible to least plausible and shared my findings at Christmas dinner, which caused my great grandmother to reroute my Christmas money to the church offering plate."
Part 1, Chapter 2: "....Sister, Father, it's like getting a whole other family I don't want to spend time with."

[Joel Michael Herbert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love love love. Helping me process my own religious trauma, parental relationships, and broken adolescence. Well done, Katie! ❤️

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Heretics Anonymous is about a boy who is an atheist but attends a Catholic high school. He meets a group of students who, like him, don't quite fit the mold, and they decide to challenge the rules. It's all good until the boy, Michael, goes too far in a fit of rage at his father. Well written. Kept me reading. Definitely for teens, not middle schoolers. Would be most relevant to students who attend, or who have attended Catholic school.

[jennynau10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story about Michael, an atheist, who transfers to a Catholic school had me giggling from page one on. So many inside Catholic jokes- his teacher is Sr. Joseph and he think Sr stands for Sir not sister. Maybe you had to be there. But belly laughs galore as I am also familiar with UU and the joke there is spot on as well.

Anyhow, getting past religion the bigger theme here is how Michael has been moved around for his entire childhood and pretty much hates it. He doesn't understand why his Dad works so much and why they are always moving. Facing a new school again has him feeling angsty and out of place. To his credit, he makes a sincere effort and makes a good group of friends calling themselves Heretics Anonymous. They meet secretly in the school basement to debate religion and school policies.

Their activism gets out of hand and eventually, an innocent schoolmate is accused of taking part in their actions. The kids all step up and do the right thing. Michael has a "come to Jesus" moment with his Dad and discovers why their family has made these choices. It all wraps up in a happy ending for all involved. There is alcohol, drug use and sex in this one so older YA readers would be my recommendation.

Please note that I received a free advance E ARC of this book from Edelweiss without a review requirement or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that, I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

Verdict- buy

[acargile-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've had this novel on my phone for at least a year, maybe more? It was released with Audiobooksync one year. I finally listened to it. Michael harbors anger. His father moves him around a lot and, once again, he's where he doesn't want to be. He blames his father for everything and lets anger rule their relationship. There's little character development of the father. He's presented as any teenager would--a man who appears some and tries to "rule" the house and him in the few moments he is home. There's a solid point, but it shows lack of understanding for each other because of a lack of communication. The father's absenteeism and Michael's anger lead to the only conclusion: fights. Michael really wishes they still had a relationship like they used to. What increases his anger is attending a private Catholic school. Michael is atheist.Michael worries he will not make friends in a place where people worship something he cannot fathom. He hears a girl present in class and thinks that he's found a fellow disbeliever--so to speak--and follows her. This choice leads Michael to a group of misfits. Lucy presents as a misfit because she wants to be a priest, but women can't be priests. Avi is Jewish and gay while Max wants clothing choice freedom, and last, Eden, practices paganism. Michael somehow seems to become the leader of the group. They take on what appears to be injustices in the school. Michael happily enjoys his new group and is drawn romantically to Lucy. Problems occur when Michael can't control his anger and he makes a decision the group doesn't condone, causing Michael to possibly lose a life he's discovered he really likes. Of course, he can't tell his dad.Overall, it's an adequate book. I found Michael to be a non-thinker until he finally reads what Lucy gives him and he actually engages his brain. He doesn't change his beliefs, but he does open his mind and recognize ideas that cause him to make different decisions not based on anger.

[amandanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. I definitely LOLed at several parts, but the characters are hollow and cookie cutter. Those of you who went to catholic school should relate better to this than I did.