Wolf in the fold

Former alt-weekly investigative reporter (Phoenix New Times, SF Weekly) and current Northern California journalism prof Lisa Davis reports on the civil case that broke the wall of silence surrounding child molesters in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Sins of Brother Curtis: A Story of Betrayal, Conviction, and the Mormon Church is Davis’s in-depth look at the case of Frank Curtis, a gangster and con man turned Mormon elder and Boy Scout leader who molested a string of young boys—and a few girls—in several church wards across the United States, was excommunicated, forgiven and rebaptized by LDS leaders, and went on to molest again. The legal battle to gain access to LDS records revealed a pattern similar to that of other religious pedophile scandals: Church leadership knew there was a pedophile preying on the flock, but neither warned their congregants nor notified law enforcement. Davis’ reporting makes for compelling—if infuriating—reading.