Point Of Books Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son
Title | : | Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son |
Author | : | Leroy Aarons |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 271 pages |
Published | : | August 9th 1996 by HarperOne (first published 1995) |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. LGBT. Biography. Autobiography. Memoir |
Leroy Aarons
Paperback | Pages: 271 pages Rating: 4.27 | 1270 Users | 127 Reviews
Narrative During Books Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son
Bobby Griffith was an all-American boy ...and he was gay. Faced with an irresolvable conflict-for both his family and his religion taught him that being gay was "wrong"-Bobby chose to take his own life. Prayers for Bobby, nominated for a 1996 Lambda Literary Award, is the story of the emotional journey that led Bobby to this tragic conclusion. But it is also the story of Bobby's mother, a fearful churchgoer who first prayed that her son would be "healed," then anguished over his suicide, and ultimately transformed herself into a national crusader for gay and lesbian youth.As told through Bobby's poignant journal entries and his mother's reminiscences, Prayers for Bobby is at once a moving personal story, a true profile in courage, and a call to arms to parents everywhere.
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Original Title: | Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son |
ISBN: | 0062511238 (ISBN13: 9780062511232) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | Bobby Griffith, Mary Griffith |
Literary Awards: | Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Men's Biography/Autobiography (1996) |
Rating Of Books Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son
Ratings: 4.27 From 1270 Users | 127 ReviewsCritique Of Books Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son
I saw the move, Prayers for Bobby, and was so impressed by Mary Griffith's journey, I started reading the book that night.The book is a compilation of journal entries from Bobby, a gay young man who committed suicide at age 20, and his mother's thoughts. She was a fundamentalist Christian who called her gay son to repentance daily. He wrote daily of his hatred for himself and who he was. He vascilated between pleading with God to change him and cursing God for leaving him alone. He stoppedThe phrase "Only the good die young" is really suitable for this amazing and heartbreaking book. This book is the biggest of my must reads for everybody. Its filled with a powerful message that brings awareness to homosexuality and suicide and the connection between the two. I read this book and felt Bobby's pain even though I myself am not gay I could empathize with not feeling comfortable in your own skin.The most heartbreaking quote for me. I write this in hopes that one day, many years from
This is one book that every gay child, (and every parent to a gay child,) should read. It tells the story of Bobby Griffith, a son born into a nuclear family with strong Christian values, and the events that unfold after Bobby commits suicide shortly after coming out to his family as a gay man. The story weaves both Bobby's tale before his death, with his mother's tale of coming to terms with the role she played in his suicide. An extremely emotional read, I felt nearly moved to tears at
This was an incredibly impactful book not only because it brings into focus the horrible reality of rejection and discrimination that so many young gay people face, but also because it's a great example of self-imposed ignorance cured and turned into something that has and still does benefit gay people everywhere. I'm incredibly proud of Mary Griffith for not letting her grief swallow her up and for starting to ask questions and look for answers to things that were not tolerated by her church.
I remember at 18 praying "please, God, don't make me gay." My family wasn't particularly Jesus-focused and no one ever said anything bad about gays. I certainly wasn't told I was going to hell. But this was the 80s and I was surrounded by negative images, hateful rhetoric from the religious right, and AIDS as God's punishment for the gay lifestyle. I never contemplated killing myself but deep-seeded self-loathing prevented me from coming out until I was 30. Still, I could relate to Bobby's
This book was very good. I watched the movie first, and cried and cried my heart out, and I highly recommend watching the movie before you read this book, so you can more fully appreciate it. The book deals also with the history of gay and lesbian teens and advocating for their rights, and at points can be more dull than the movie, which simply covers the life of Bobby Griffith.It is a tragic story, but beautiful in a way. I think it can be a source of hope for gay and lesbian children, hope
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