First published 2017
Jerry Walker is six years old in 1970, and his world centers on the Worldwide Church of God led by Herbert W. Armstrong. The church's teachings fill Jerry with confusion and terror as he learns that nonbelievers will die in flames during the Great Tribulation set to begin in 1972. His blind parents find solace in these prophecies, believing their sight will return in the divine future promised for 1975. Jerry lives in fear of the approaching end times, counting down to 1972 when the tribulation should start and 1975 when the new world will arrive. When 1972 passes without catastrophe, Jerry feels more relief than disappointment. When 1975 also comes and goes normally, something shifts inside him. He begins to doubt the certainties that have shaped his young life and starts to imagine that he might choose his own path forward.
Genres: family-life, abuse, 20th-century, coming-of-age, religion, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Period: 1970s, 1972, 1975
Audio CD · Dreamscape Media
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse