Based on interviews of former minor seminarians, PREORDAINED focuses upon the experiences of adolescent males (conservatively, 100,000 of them; 39,000 in 1963 alone) swept into American Catholic minor seminaries between 1950 and 1980. Seminary construction and enrollment spiked wildly and then plummeted radically during the years in question. Few "future priests" remained for long in their seminaries; only a small percentage “persisted” into a major (adult) seminary, and very few of those eventually were ordained. How did schoolboys end up in these institutions? Pursuit of a vocation by definition involved the surrender of a boy to someone else’s control. How and why did parents let their young sons “choose” to enter seminaries at thirteen or fourteen years of age? And how did such surrender affect the boys? PREORDAINED discusses types of boys who entered the seminary, what life (including emotional and sexual development and, in some cases, abuse) was like in such institutions, how difficult it was to leave though the desire to do so often was immense, and, finally, how enduring was the experience for those who left. Ultimately and overall, though former seminarians point to positive elements of their experiences, few would argue that the concept of boys contained in a boarding school so that their potential as someday-adult priests would not be eroded is a healthy one. The book closes with a look at the few minor seminaries remaining in America today. PREORDAINED will probably be something of a "niche" book, interesting mostly to ex-seminarians, ex-priests, ex-Catholics, and ... Or maybe an "ex" book? But seriously, folks ... So maybe I'm trying to put a light touch to what is really a pretty heavy, dark subject: how the Catholic Church once exacted the price of one son (or sometimes more) per family, to be taken away as young as the age of thirteen, locked away in a regimented boarding school where their every waking moment was closely monitored, to be taught by priests, and subtly pressured to give their lives to God. Author Joseph Sheley was one of those boys, and so was I. But I "escaped" after just one year in one of those minor seminaries, while Sheley stayed for the full six years before "leaving" (a kinder word, he notes, than "quitting"). So yeah, I'm part of that target "niche" audience. And like Sheley, and tens of thousands of other "exes" who moved through that system between 1950 and 1980, the experience left an indelible mark. My own memories of the "sem" are mixed. Homesickness, loneliness, and a couple friendships. The sem also taught me good study habits and discipline too, which served me well not just in high school and college, but also in the military and other future endeavors. Sheley, however - and thousands of other exes - stayed much longer, often out of feelings of guilt, duty and maybe sometimes " just because." A college professor and administrator, trained in sociology and criminology, Sheley does not fail to see the similarities of minor seminaries to other "total institutions," like prisons. His descriptions of perimeter walks with friends around the school grounds brought back vivid memories of my own evening walks around St Joe's in Grand Rapids, and how we peered out between the evergreen trees and through the high chain link fence that surrounded the grounds, hoping to maybe glimpse some girls, knowing even that was "wrong," and could be an "occasion of sin. " Yeah, brainwashed. My personal reactions to PREORDAINED are just that though, personal. And I suspect any ex-seminarian will have their own flashbacks as they read this book. But this is also a very scholarly sort of work too, with all of its careful research, statistics and personal interviews very much in evidence. There are also more painful revelations about sexual predators in these schools, no surprise in light of all the Church scandals and lawsuits in the past forty years. The interviews and personal parts were of the most interest to me, however, and kept me reading - and remembering. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I will recommend it very highly, especially to anyone curious about those bygone days of the Catholic Church in its heyday. - Tim Bazzett LibraryThing.com 6/23/20