I was not prepared for how humorous this book was. A couple of times it even made me laugh out loud. That made for a very enjoyable read, notwithstanding the serious issues that the book deals with. The book is famous for its discussion of sexuality (or at least that is why I first heard of it, years ago), but actually the central theme is the way that small religious groups are very controlling in the way they determine what and how their members think, and the struggle that some people have to escape from that. With the rise of the religious right in the US, this discussion is very timely, even though the book was written 25 years ago. However, I doubt that many Americans reading it will fully grasp the Northern English humour (but perhaps I do them an injustice there). Anyway, an entertaining and thought-provoking read, and my main criticism is that it is too short.