The parent formally complained to barron high school and despite recommendations from a specially convened committee, the district administrator decided to ban two of the books immediately. The drowning of stephan jones, her new book, was recently published and is sure to be a great success. The murder is also the inspiration for a novel by bette greene titled the drowning of stephan jones. The drowning of stephan jones paperback july, 2012 by bette greene author visit amazons bette greene page. The drowning of stephan jones is an important book because it has the potential to develop sensitivity in young readers who might otherwise become one of the characters in the book, participating in such violence or standing by, watching it in silence. A girl named sarah is in a very tight spot where she has to decide whose side she will go on. Despite his unconventional upbringing and the horrific tragedy brought.
Drowning of stephan jones by bette bette greene overdrive. Buy the drowning of stephan jones by bette greene, in very good condition. The drowning of stephan jones by betty greene banned. The drowning of stephan jones was one of 4 books that drew complaints from a parent based on their lgbtq content. The victim, charlie howard, was thrown from a bridge and drowned in the river below. Feb 26, 2018 marceline and jim had one biological child together, and stephan jones appears in jonestown. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene librarything. What happened to the couple in this novel is something so. The drowning of stephan jones, by bette greene, is the story of the drowning of a gay man because of community intolerance.
All i need is a synopsis including whats significantly glbtq about the book so i know why i should include it here, a link to. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene, paperback. I first read this book as a young teenager and it has influenced the way i see the world ever since then. This incident was shown in the opening of the film adaption of the second part of the book of the same name. Its a story of what happens when we go along with the crowd without raising our voices for the sake of popularity, for the sake of safety.
Find books like the drowning of stephan jones from the worlds largest community of readers. Buy this book as in her first novel, the summer of my german. Drowning of stephan jones pima county public library. Unfortunately, greenes empathetic depiction of the gay couple and her powerful arguments concerning the role of religion in gay persecution are undermined by an awkward, florid style with abruptly shifting points of view and a tendency to tell rather than show. Buy a cheap copy of the drowning of stephan jones book by bette greene. The book is a work of fiction based on the actual murder of a young gay man by a group of juveniles in maine.
After finishing it, unfortunately i am left wanting. Mark doty wrote a poem about the tragedy called charlie howards descent. Jul 14, 2005 the drowning of stephan jones is about a girls boyfriend, andy, who hates the guy couple stephen jones and frank montgomery. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene fantastic fiction. In bette greenes the drowning of stephan jones, the author imparts tremendous hubris to some of the characters. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene the book. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene used. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay. Bette greene born june 28, 1934 is the author of several books for children and young adults, including summer of my german soldier, the drowning of stephan jones, and the newbery honor book philip hall likes me, i reckon maybe. While everyone says homosexuality is a sin, carla doesnt know what to think. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay young man by a group of homophobic.
The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene book cover, description, publication history. Carla waylands dream of being with the in crowd comes true when she starts dating the popular andy harrisa hateful, fearmonger who torments a recently arrived gay couple. A hardhitting exploration of prejudice from the author of summer of my german soldier. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay young man. What is the book the drowning of stephan jones about. The drowning of stephan jones bette greene shes probably. The drowning of stephan jones is a very emotional portrayal of the prejudices against the. Our cheap used books come with free delivery in the uk. A critical view superfluously speaking bette greene had the opportunity to develop a brilliantly complex theme. Buy this book the author of summer of my german soldier tackles the. After andy and his friends beat stephen jones up, they decide to throw him in the lake. Images courtesy of publishers, organizations, and sometimes their twitter handles. At the close, stephan jones surviving partner extracts a uniquely apt revenge. The drowning of stephan jones paperback july, 2012 by bette greene author.
Goodreads members who liked the drowning of stephan jones al. Greenes novel, inspired by a true event in which a group of high school students subject a gay couple to verbal and physical harassment, appears frequently in bibliographies for recommended reading that deal with issues involving gay and lesbian. Mar 20, 2009 i havent read it, but heres a summary from and the link is below, too gay couple stephan jones and frank montgomery, antique dealers, escape boston for a small town in arkansas, only to face the bigotry of its smallminded, fundamentalist, and ultraconservative population. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay young man by a group of homophobic, supposedly christian teens. May 16, 2010 the drowning of stephan jones by bette greene i came across this book in the library, as noted before, after putting it on the very long list of banned books i have yet to read. The drowning of stephan jones by betty greene banned books week day 6 in this novel, based on a true story, bette greene tells the story of carla wayland who is torn between her infatuation with the handsome homophobe, andy harris, and living the values taught to her by her super cool, liberal, librarian mother.
In the novel, the drowning of stephen jones, by bette greene, a lot of hardship and disrmination goes on in the state of iowa. Andy harris totally dislikes gay people, from who he takes after his father. Overall, the drowning of stephan jones is a book that leaves the reader with a lot of food for thought. After all, the underlying issues have led to the challenges of this book, and not the characters in the book. The drowning of stephan jones by bette greene goodreads. Aug 12, 2019 the drowning of stephan jones is an alltooreal novel of what happens when people listen without questioning what theyre carefully taught, as the rodgers and hammerstein song goes.
Im kind of undecided myself, because i can see it both ways. Dec 27, 2007 why has the book the drowning of stephan jones by bette greene been banned. Based on true events, the drowning of stephan jones tells the harrowing story of one small towns brush with homophobia sensitive carla wayland certainly doesnt know anyone who is gay, not in her small hometown of rachetville, arkansas. As her mother battles a citizens group that wants to ban all antichristian literature from the public library, carla faces her own battle of torn loyalties when her boyfriend starts persecuting the homosexual owners of an antiques shop. Carla waylands dream of being part of the in crowd comes true when. Hubris is the quality of having superior power, untouchable, or above the law. As her mother battles a citizens group that wants to ban all antichristian literature from the public library, carla faces her own battle of torn loyalties when. Based on true events, the drowning of stephan jones tells the harrowing story of one small towns brush with homophobia sensitive carla. A boling, texas school board member objected, alleging that the bookwhich was being used in a cultural diversity curriculumpromoted antichristian beliefs, contained objectionable language, and condoned illegal activity. The drowning of stephan jones is yet another thoughtprovoking book from bette greene. There was a twist to the ending that some may find fitting, but which may not be satisfying to others. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay young man by a group of homophobic, supposedly. Lgbtq book bans and challenges national coalition against. He was 19, and in georgetown with other basketball team members on.
608 208 1475 821 861 974 1421 1082 645 874 653 354 907 1460 1289 604 456 605 248 191 972 124 1081 1165 306 159 933 1371 1404 784 461 118 597 103 93 1495 1233 1323 601 1422 387 569 22 1090