William Collins
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by William Collins
First published in the United States by HarperOne in 2018
Copyright © Victoria Beeching
Victoria Beeching asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Designed by Yvonne Chan
Front cover Design by Matthias Roberts
Photos by Nicholas Dawkes
“Above All Else” here by Vicky Beeching, copyright © 2001 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (PRS) admin. in North America by Music Services.
“Undivided Heart” here and here by Vicky Beeching, copyright © 2010 Thankyou Music (PRS) (adm. worldwide at CapitalCMGPublishing.com excluding Europe which is adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C. Cook family. [email protected]) / Integrity Worship Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Source ISBN: 9780008182144
Ebook Edition © June 2018 ISBN: 9780008182151
Version: 2018-07-18
This book is dedicated to the memory of Lizzie Lowe, a fourteen-year-old British girl who tragically took her own life in 2014 because she feared telling her Christian community that she was gay.
Research statistics show that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) young people are far more likely to self-harm, suffer from mental-health issues, and contemplate suicide than their heterosexual peers.
For Lizzie and the countless other LGBTQ+ young people who have ended their lives out of fear and shame: We will remember you. Your stories matter. We carry you in our hearts.
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
PART I: BEGINNINGS
PART II: OXFORD
PART III: AMERICA
PART IV: RETURNING HOME
PART V: INTO THE UNKNOWN