Devout

Losing My Faith to Find Myself

By: David Archuleta, Paula Abdul - introduction

Narrated by: David Archuleta

Featuring three new songs from David Archuleta making their exclusive debut on this audiobook!

A raw and powerful coming-out story from the beloved American Idol finalist traces David Archuleta’s journey from closeted Mormon teen to global pop star to openly queer man, revealing the hidden pressures of fame, the weight of religious expectations, and the courage it takes to live authentically.

At just seventeen, David Archuleta rose to national fame as the runner-up on American Idol season seven, captivating millions with his angelic voice. Behind the scenes, however, he was struggling with a truth he feared would destroy everything: he was attracted to men—and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In Devout, David takes you inside his deeply personal journey as a closeted Mormon teen turned international pop star, torn between faith, fame, and identity. From dealing with the pressures of being on a hit television show to a domineering father who controlled every aspect of his career—even being banned from the show’s set—David reveals the emotional abuse and inner turmoil that he says plagued his childhood.

This searing memoir reflects on David’s ventures with American Idol, a tour with Demi Lovato, and a two year sabbatical as a missionary in South America, charting his path through heartbreak, estrangement, three engagements, thoughts of suicide, and finally, his courageous decision to leave the Mormon Church in order to live authentically as a queer man. Featuring never-before-seen photos, Devout is a must-read for fans of pop culture, American Idol, and anyone deconstructing their religious upbringing, or who’s ever wrestled with who they are versus who they’re told to be.

Narrated by the author, the audiobook features three new songs coinciding with themes from his memoir—"On Purpose," "Old and Young," and "Stay"—that David was inspired to cowrite along his journey and performs for the very first time only on the audiobook of Devout!

Such a lovely voice. Such an important story.

David Archuleta’s memoir, Devout, is a triumph and an important story. His voice, both singing and speaking, is lovely. I’m so proud of him and I’ve never met him.

Thank you David, for everything.

What an absolutely powerful book, I am so so so so so grateful for David and his courage to share his story. As a former Mormon myself and now out and proud gay man, his story resonates with me so deeply. It’s hard. It is sooooo hard….to grow up in environment that says the very thing you are is undesirable. The journey to rediscover one’s self and to build up that self love and self respect for yourself, to let the veil fall and see what’s beyond in this world. Holy cow, it is not a linear process by any means. David, thank you, so so much, for being who you are and sharing your story and your gift of music. These songs are powerful and I hope to listen to them when they are available to purchase, and I hope to share this book with my family members many who are in/out of the church.

So much better than I expected.

I’ve seen David on interviews about his coming out process and I think he is inspiring so many people to live authentically. Aside from the fuller version of his coming out process, this memoir goes deeply into some intense family dynamics that he had to overcome. It makes me even more proud and inspired by him than I already was. This is a remarkably honest and compelling story. (Also, please don’t speed up the narration. His emotions are palpable if you really listen to him describe his oppressive challenges.)

Raw, gave me compassion

I am the same age as David, and from the same religion he grew up in. It's been fun to see him grow up and even been to a few concerts & a musical of his. Big fan. I was distancing myself from him, not because he came out, but what direction he was focusing on. I didn't feel comfortable listening to his songs around my daughter, who is a fan. I saw Charlie Bird post about David's book. I felt compelled to get the audio version. I am so glad I did. I am beginning to be open minded on LGBTQ+, thanks to Charlie Bird, but still a DEVOUT LDS member. (Mormon) No one close to me is gay, that I know of, but still feel drawn to the topic. (I, myself have never felt drawn to the same sex. I am straight and happily married with 5 kids.) Anyway, I really appreciated his perspective. The stuff he went through. Knowing all that gave me so much compassion for him, that was lacking before. There were so many times I had the thought; "Well no wonder he couldn't stay in our church!" he had been a victim of religious manipulation, mostly from his Dad. His experience is valid, and real for him. It was a toxic religion for him. I now don't have disappointment in his choice. (which maybe I shouldn't have to begin with.)

I will say that even though I believe his feelings as valid, as his experience, I wish he would have left a little room for "this is how I viewed the church" instead of a hard line of "you see, Mormons think..." because there were a lot of times that what David finished that sentence with, wasn't something that was taught to me. It wasn't a belief that I had or had experienced, yet it was something I could see how someone WOULD take it that way. But it's not a hard line, like he suggested a lot. I wish he would have left some room for his opinion, feelings, or interpretation of stuff. Instead of "what the Mormons believe is...". I was raised by two parents with pretty open minds. They raised me, correcting a lot of cultural & doctrinal things that were going on in the church. (a lot of them were later changed) Which I am thankful for. My point being, we aren't all so close minded, as he suggests. That was his experience. Lots of others have different experiences, thus view it different.

Besides that, it was fantastically done. I will be recommending it to friends. It was fun to hear him reading it, with emotion, laughter, anger and frustration. Made it 100 times more enjoyable. Also, his songs at the end were incredible. THAT is the David I remember. Not a brash, party boy, but a raw and real individual that is kind hearted. 10/10 on the songs. Both the lyrics 👏 and his incredible voice. So good.

Thank you, David, for being vulnerable enough to write this. I am sure that was hard for you. I think it could save some lives. ♥️

For the record, I agree with you that the church needs to try to understand LGBTQ+ better and in doing so, policies might change. Dead on there. Thank you for your voice. (both musically and not)

Honest, Vulnerable, Heartbreaking Yet Uplifting

A real, raw, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting story of hopelessness and confusion turned into a tale of living as your authentic self and taking back the reigns from those who want to tell you how you should live. It goes deep into emotional abuse, religious dogma, and self hatred, and how to untangle yourself from those traumas after being forced to the brink of suicide. I laughed, I cried, and I rejoiced for this young man and his ultimate triumph. I would highly recommend it to his fans, the LGBTQ+ community, those with trauma in their past (which is probably all of us), and really anyone else. Excellent read.