On My Honor: The Secret History of the Boy Scouts of America

Upon its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America established the longstanding tradition of building the skills and talents of young men and boys across the country. The late Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Christensen (1952–2024) argues that it also prioritized its own public reputation over the lives of boys destroyed by the alleged sexual predators who reportedly used the organization to gain access to them. His book indicates his assertion that protecting the former meant suppressing the latter, and that, he argues, is what led to what is now an irreparably damaged youth organization. Christensen tells this bifurcated history concisely yet unsparingly and dives deep into the secret side of the organization. The scale of the injustices done to these boys for generations is shattering to read, but Christensen does them a great service by shining a light on it in his final work.