Product Description

Draws on the diaries of Bobby Griffith, a gay youth who committed suicide, to trace his mother's struggle to face her son's sexuality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #260791 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Author
Thanks for response, and news about movie version of book
Thanks to those fans who submitted such insightful reviews of "Bobby" and here's a bit of news: Susan Sarandon has signed on to produce a major television film of "Prayers for Bobby." This exciting development leads us to hope that the story and its message may reach millions of people ---about a year from now. Thanks again. I welcome E-mail comments, too.

Customer Reviews

A book EVERYBODY should read!
I bought this book because, being a gay teenager and having thought about suicide (and tried to do it, actually), I wanted to read about another boy who had gone through what I was going through. I found it remarkable when I read the reaction of Mary Griffith. When I started reading it I thought to myself: "Oh my God, that's me! This is my story." I couldn't put it down at all and I had never in my life cried while reading a book. This was my first time. I really think that everybody should read this book. It's actually more than a story; it's life. I really wish this book would be adopted by high schools for reading. It was incredible.

A Remarkable Story
Out of the ashes of her gay son's tragic suicide, a mother finds her way to enlightenment. This is a powerful story. A deeply religious mother, with a limited education, is eventually able to reach a place of complete acceptance of her son as gay. We share the arduous three years she spent researching the bible, studying, learning, reading and asking questions. This very special lady ultimately emerges with a "reborn" faith in humanity. This book is a "must read" for any parent, family member of a gay child.

Poignant; painful; reflective: READ THIS BOOK!
This is one of those books that should appear on the shelves of every high school, college, and church library in the country.

The statistics about gay teen suicide are frightening; this true story about the suicide of Bobby Griffiths puts a human face on this tragic and avoidable phenomenon. As an gay adult, I cried in anguish as I read Bobby's journal entries; they touched too close to home for comfort. As an adult human being I cried tears of compassion for Bobby's mother, who wanted nothing more than for her son to be pleasing in God's eyes, but because of her fundamentalist understanding of God was blinded to the fact that Bobby was already the person God created him to be. Perhaps this book will help other mothers and other sons (and fathers and daughters and sisters and brothers) see through the veil of misinformation which so destroys a young person's self esteem that he or she gives up on life itself. And perhaps it will awaken the church to the truly destructive consequences of its outdated understanding of the human person.

As a minister I have given away copies of this book to youths struggling with their sexual identity, to their parents, and to their own ministers. And I have heard back words of thanks, especially from the young people, who have begun to realize that they are God's creation, and that they are good and acceptable in God's sight precisely because they are God's creatures.

Thank you, Mary Griffiths, for having the courage to share this very important story. God bless you!