The Beatification of Shirley

The Beatification of Shirley chronicles the Whitford family's journey through decades of miscalculations and misguided intentions. At a time of society's access to an expanding base of knowledgeConrad Whitford will completely reject any new information and be very wary of anyone who embraces new ideas. Lorrainehis wifewill blindly second his every opinion because The Bible tells her to do so. Their children will have to navigate their way through a minefield of Biblical inperatives about which there can be no discussion. The oldestNormanwill struggle to survive in a world stacked against him. He is gay. The second sonRandywill conform as best he can to a value system he doesn't want to second guessbut will fall short. The oldest daughter Shirleywill be the weakest link in the fabric of the familyand an unfortunate victim of her parent's overprotection. She will be elevated to the status of a Saint. The youngestand adoptedBeverlywill not subscribe to anything without questioningcausing her parents unexpected grief. The familyand everyone who comes in contact with themwill plunge deeper into turmoil as Conrad's ever-growing distrust of anyone who may think they know more then he does and an unrelenting reliance on strictly literal interpretatiion of His Biblewill sweep the unsuspecting passengers toward an impending train wreck. There will be many casualties. All will be atributedby ConradLorraine and Shirleyto Devine Interventionkeeping them in a house that Shirley is convinced is her birthrightbut might just eat people for lunch.