Heretic is billed as a memoir, but I'm not sure that quite covers it. Kadlec shares her very personal story of growing up as a fully believing evangelical Christian in the midwest, who gradually becomes disillusioned with the church and god she loved as she realizes that she is queer. But she also did copious amounts of research on the church, the history of evangelicalism, the evolution of the church's pet issues (anti-LGBTQ stance, anti-abortion) and how they're rooted in maintaining white supremacy, and the church's rise to political power. This information is sprinkled throughout her account of her own experiences and she references research in frequent footnotes.

Because we know from the jump how this ends - Kadlec leaving the church and coming out as queer, we can see the problems Kadlec faces long before she does as she follows the path set out for her. We can feel outraged when two women take Kadlec aside to tell her she shouldn't give the boys "ideas" by laughing at their jokes or that she needs to keep her shirt and shorts on when swimming because her body will tempt the boys. Kadlec, meanwhile, simply feels ashamed. 

I thought this book was a very powerful read, and served as a more serious complement to Cameron Esposito's Save Yourself. Both books are written by queer women who had to reckon with the religious upbringing they once loved. Heretic tells the protestant evangelical side to Esposito's Catholic version, but the tales are eerily similar. I loved how Kadlec infused her personal story with the research that she has undertaken as she went through this journey, in her attempt to make sense of her experiences. Definitely recommend.