by Pete Hautman
First published 2004
Jason Bock has had enough of his parents' traditional faith. The teenager decides to start fresh and declares the town water tower his new deity. He gathers followers for what becomes known as Chutengodian worship, watching as his invented religion attracts believers and develops its own momentum. Jason tries to maintain control over his creation, but the faith begins evolving beyond his intentions. The group plans their first major ritual atop the water tower's dome. What starts as teenage rebellion against conventional religion becomes something far more serious when the ceremony turns perilous. Jason must confront the consequences of the belief system he created as his followers face real danger high above the town.
Genres: contemporary, atheism, adolescence, religion
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Chutengodian
Period: 21st-century
240 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press