While on spring break this week, I finished reading the book Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son by Leroy Aarons. One of my SMSU students had recommended it to me last fall. At the time the news was filled with stories of gay teens taking their own lives as a consequence of brutal bullying and vicious harassment.
Here's the synopsis: "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."
Some of the resource information is dated (the book was written in 1995), but the message is still pertinent for gay and straight audiences.
Lifetime aired a movie version based on the book with Sigourney Weaver playing Bobby's mother, Mary Griffith. I haven't watched it, but it received good reviews. Here's the trailer (which made me cry, as the book did--a tough ride): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBVcTCpKx3g
As writers, we all know the power of telling our stories--no matter what struggles we face. Writing our stories--telling the full truth--takes courage, the courage to open our hearts and become vulnerable. But by doing so we feed others who are hungry for our words, for affirmation of their humanity. And in turn we receive a priceless gift--the sustenance we need for our journey.
Here's the synopsis: "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."
Some of the resource information is dated (the book was written in 1995), but the message is still pertinent for gay and straight audiences.
Lifetime aired a movie version based on the book with Sigourney Weaver playing Bobby's mother, Mary Griffith. I haven't watched it, but it received good reviews. Here's the trailer (which made me cry, as the book did--a tough ride): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBVcTCpKx3g
As writers, we all know the power of telling our stories--no matter what struggles we face. Writing our stories--telling the full truth--takes courage, the courage to open our hearts and become vulnerable. But by doing so we feed others who are hungry for our words, for affirmation of their humanity. And in turn we receive a priceless gift--the sustenance we need for our journey.
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