Prayers for Bobby Book

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 that there is a future for them. Coming out as gay for a child can be frightening because one never knows how his or her loved ones will react. Fear of losing a friend or the respect of a family member is terrifying, and the actual loss can be devastating. Future's can seem dark and unreachable.

Prayers for Bobby by Leroy Aarons gives hope that there is a future. It reassures children that there is a future, that the people you love will accept you for who you are, and there is nothing wrong with you.

This story was tear worthy. I cried often, and I cried hard, and i didn't care who saw me. Bobby Griffith was a beautiful person, placed in a time and life where his circumstances were unfortunate. Today, perhaps, Bobby would have survived his self-discovery, but his story, no matter how tragic, can be a lesson to us all.