Bethel Daze

Gary tells his true story of how he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) at the age of fifteen, and how he became a member of the JW Headquarters "family" in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1980s. The stories in Bethel Daze have mainly to do with his interactions with and impressions of 27 members of the Governing Body, the board of older men who govern Jehovah's Witnesses. Some of his associations with these men were quite close - working and socializing with them. Others somewhat less, and a few tangential. All characters in the book are reported honestly and factually. Gary thereby reveals some facts that may come as a surprise to current JWs, post-JWs, and even the world in general. Some of those surprises expose some shocking, even criminal behavior. Others might surprise the reader with their charm. In the end, all are compelling and worth reading.

Gary tells his true story of how he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) at the age of fifteen, and how he became a member of the JW Headquarters "family" in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1980s. The stories in Bethel Daze have mainly to do with his interactions with and impressions of 27 members of the Governing Body, the board of older men who govern Jehovah's Witnesses. Some of his associations with these men were quite close - working and socializing with them. Others somewhat less, and a few tangential. All characters in the book are reported honestly and factually. Gary thereby reveals some facts that may come as a surprise to current JWs, post-JWs, and even the world in general. Some of those surprises expose some shocking, even criminal behavior. Others might surprise the reader with their charm. In the end, all are compelling and worth reading.

Gary Alt aka Tan Swiftwater has written Force of Will, Song of Gil, and Bethel Daze. He has also contributed a story, "On the Upward Spiral" to a book of short stories called, "Fear To Freedom." When he's not writing prose, he's writing music. He has a number of CDs of his original music to his credit. He is also a life coach, and the owner of Open Path Life Coach.