A heart-warming childhood memoir about the son of a Dutch Reformed preacher, Reformed sweeps us into a young boy's world of trials and redemption. Tornados, disabled siblings, death, guns, fears of losing his mother, and the mysteries of sex are challenges Karl faces before he is ten years old. He wrestles with the moral and theological puzzles that shape his world. Sometimes his conclusions challenge the status quo. When bad decisions lead to delinquency and crime, he must learn how to respond as flashes of truth and grace ignite in him the first flames of faith. Without self-pity, nostalgic sentiment, or indictment of his past, Petersen's stories--vivid, candid, and humorous--draw us into his quirky family of ten in a time before iPads.

Karl Petersen teaches English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Vancouver, Canada. He has two collections of poetry,Bellowing in the Common andUrban Fits, and a novel,The Kingdom of What Is. His new book,Reformed, is a non-fiction narrative. He was raised in rural Washington and now lives in Vancouver with his wife and two daughters.