A New Review of “Against the Current” Asks the Right Questions
A new review of Against the Current is out, and it might be the most critical one we’ve had yet. Jason Steidl Jack published “New biography of Father Tom Oddo explores the forgotten history of LGBTQ ministry” on Outreach, raising questions about queer Catholic history and, as he puts it, “the ethics of ‘outing’ a priest after they’ve died.” Jason read the book closely and treats it as something worthy of argument, not just affirmation. That kind of engagement is a welcome gift.
READ THE BOOK REVIEW ON OUTREACH HERE
The review situates Against the Current within a larger conversation about institutional power and the costs of silence. Jason notes that “Bieber masterfully pieces together the relationships, networks, theologies and actions that laid the foundation for today’s LGBTQ ministries;” the book is a reflection of the era Oddo lived in and the limits of what archives, interviews, and institutional memory can reveal about a man who kept so much “close to the vest.”
For Unencumbered Press, it feels great that our books are finding the spaces where real intellectual debates happen. It means ATC readers—scholars, ministers, queer Catholics—are taking the work seriously enough to wrestle with it.
Against the Current was never meant to be the final word on Tom Oddo. Rather, it’s an entrance into LGBTQ Catholic history and an invitation to examine the systems that shaped a generation of priests—centering one man’s story: Father Tom. Jason’s review honors that intention.
Please do read the full review on Outreach and grab a copy of Against the Current: Father Tom Oddo and the New American Catholic by Tyler Bieber, available here and everywhere.
