- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son [NOOK Book]
( 33 )
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.
August 27, 1983
Portland, Oregon
Bobby Griffith left the Family Zoo lounge about midnight and walked northwest through downtown Portland, past office buildings and lofts that still bore the ornate imprint of another century. It was a warm but cloudy western night in late August 1983. Blond, green eyed, six feet tall, and muscular, he wore a light plaid shirt and green fatigue pants, and walked with a deliberate, loping gait. To a passerby he would have looked like any other young man on his way home after a night out.
He headed up a hill and onto a plateau through which sliced Interstate 405, the main north-south artery. From this vantage point one could see most of the city, aligned on either side of the Willamette River. Lights flickered in the foreground, yielding to patches of darkened residential neighborhoods where most of Portland slept. The steady roar of freeway traffic played counterpoint to the still night.
Bobby approached the Everett Street overpass. Once on the bridge he could see the 405 traffic rush by, then disappear beneath the concrete span. The fragrance of diesel and petroleum hung in the air.
What was he thinking? Perhaps he voiced the silent wish, often repeated in his Journals, to lift off, set sail to the heavens, forever drifting. Perhaps the familiar dark depression engulfed him, strangling hope.
"My life is over as far as I'm concerned," he wrote in his diary exactly one month before. "I hate living on this earth.... I think God must get a certain amount of self-satisfaction watching people deal with theobstacles he throws in their path.... I hate God for this and for my shitty existence."
He must have seen the large tractor trailer approaching from under the Couch Street overpass and timed the jump. Bobby executed a sudden and effortless back flip and disappeared over the railing. The driver tried to swerve, but there was no time.
Two witnesses later reported they at first thought it was a prank. They rushed to the railing expecting to see Bobby dangling. No. He had descended twenty-five feet directly into the path of the trailer, which tossed his body fourteen feet under the overpass.
The impact had ripped away most of his clothes and strewn them on the highway. Beneath his body paramedics found a two-dollar bill and seventy-seven cents in change.
The medical examiner said later that Robert Warren Griffith, age twenty years and two months, had died instantly of massive internal injuries.
Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2005
I think this book was so sad, but it was so good. It tells the story of a gay teenager who's family cant accept him because hes gay. And when they finally do accept him its too late.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 14, 2012
A touching and absolutely amazing book, i highly recommend it
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 23, 2011
I haven't read it yet, but have friends who highly recommended the book to me!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2011
I love this story i remminds people not to judge someone no matter what sex are race you should love them the way the are
Anonymous
Posted November 22, 2010
I read this story with interest and felt an overwhelming sadness for Mary and for Bobby and for what could have been. I didn't exactly buy into the alternate, modernized explanation for the Lot story in the bible. However, though I am a Christian, I have always seen bible stories as just that--stories that have been told through the ages, that get a little (or a lot) twisted in the retelling over and over through thousands of years. I mean-really?--does anyone think an ENTIRE TOWN would be inhabited only by violent homosexuals? And is there anyone out there that isn't appalled by the idea of Lot, a supposedly just man, offering to toss his daughters to the wolves? The story, like many in the bible, is just not plausible. The bible was written by man--and who is to say what words were inspired by God and what were inspired by men who think they were inspired by God? As sad as the story was, it was also uplifting. I hope Mary's efforts to reach out to others will give her comfort that Bobby had not died in vain.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a sad story but it is really worth the read for any parent who is struggling with their child being gay or with a sibling then you need to read this book. The gay thing is not all this book is about it is about a mother realizing that the love for a child goes farther than the surface but to the heart, this story is ultimately about a mothers love and sadly regret.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 30, 2009
As a young American and as a gay myself, I was inspired by the courage that Bobby held and the strength he developed through his life experiences and the obstacles that were thrown at him. It doesn't matter if you are straight, gay, black, white, short or tall, this book is one that you need to read to understand how the 'Fundamentals' of this American nation can go unobserved, or even forbidden. On the other hand this nation and it's people developed through struggle, it's just that it is now the time for the gay struggle... I hope you read this book not for its content, but for the story and the message Bobby and his family are sending to you.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bill_S
Posted February 16, 2009
And It truly is a keeper. The story, all of it, is just so heart-wrenching, yet heart warming at the same time. You go on a journey with a mother of a gay man who commits suicide, as she tries to find reconciliation, and eventually becomes a leading advocate for gay rights.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 11, 2007
Except for the suicide I am Bobby. He was born six months before me but our lives have run a parallel course. Fortunately, I have struggled to find meaning in all of it and am hopeful that my work in religious studies and philosophy will allow me to write a book that helps other gay people reconcile their faith with their sexuality. I wish I could meet and talk with Mary.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 29, 2006
This is an amazing book, and well written. It is extremely sad-I know I cried reading it-but as a lesbian from a conservative southern baptist family, I could relate and take strength from it. I think it would also be a good book for parents who discover their child is gay, and have religious problems with it--if they'll read it, it will show them a lot.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 30, 2005
Prayers for Bobby details the struggle that Mary Griffith and her son Bobby endured as they tried to come to terms with his sexuality. This story brings to light the devastating consequences that can result from a parent's inability or refusal to accept their loved one's sexual orientation.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 15, 2004
Words cannot discribe the pain Mary Griffith must have gone through, but this book does a good job conveying the message and the pride she must feel today at having had a gay son.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 17, 2004
Being a gay male, I picked this book up at Temecula Barnes & Noble, looking for something with a gay theme. It was by sheer luck that I chose this book. It was beyond amazing. I actually think I cried while reading this book. It shows how much society, and family has an affect on homosexual youth. I would reccomend this book to anybody. It is awesome.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 8, 2003
I read this book when I was 20. And it was really amazing how I could relate myself to Bobby, Too bad he couldn't end up as I did -or I am doing for that matter- Reading this book was greatly helpful.If you are a gay man striving for self acceptance, you really should read and own this book.It will change the way you see yourself, and It will help you understand that you are not alone -and have never been- It should also be read by all those who see us -gay people- as evil and who portray us at the Gates of Hell. They should know better... and they should know how much words can hurt, so they might try to consider who is doing wrong... Anyways, no matter how good this bood will do. it will keep you reading for hours.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 29, 2000
I stumbled across this book at the Barnes & Noble in San Mateo, and couldn't believe that this was about a family that I knew and grew up with. I have recently come out and live with my girlfriend. The story was heart wrenching, and I can't wait to pass this book onto my parents (who are nonetheless struggling with my announcement of being a lesbian). It was wonderful to read about the coming to terms spiritually, as this was a big struggle for me as well. Excellent book, and really well written.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 11, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 9, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 15, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted November 5, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 25, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
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 ...