Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed the book
Review: I thought this book was a very powerful, very real example of the harassment that homosexuals face. This book was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to know more about homophobia.
Rating: 
Summary: The book was well written, but the story was sad.
Review: The book ' The Drowning of Stephan Jones" was a interesting book. I think this because of the story line. The story line is about agay kid at school, and how everyone harrasses him and make fun of him until the harrassment goes too far and they end up killing him by throwing him in the water and he drowns to death. One of the kids that killed him was named Andy and he had a girlfriend named Carla. Carla didn`t like the way Andy was harrassing Stephan just because he was gay. She tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn`t. Carla used to not have any friends and used to hang out with her mother. Then she met up with Andy and all his friends and became friends with them. Carla was happy to be accepted into the crowd of popular people and she did, whatever she had to do to fit in. She agreed with everything they said and did. Soon Carla decided that she didn`t want to be with all her new friends because of all the harrassing they did to Stephan Jones. Carla felt very bad that she was involved with these people and so, after they had killed Stephan Jones, she testified against them. Now Carla is aganist all her friends and she doesn`t mind because she now can think for her self instead of letting her friends think for her. I think that this book was alright but I wouldn`t recomend it to anyone if they were looking for a book to read just for fun. But, if you have to read it for school, then have fun with it.
Rating:
Summary: Well written
Review: The book was well written as is most of Bette Greene's works. I think it is good that she covered a touchy subject in today's society. However, I read the book and found it to be very depressing. I don't think I will read it again like I do most of my books.
Rating: 
Summary: Stereotyping While Trying to Teach Against Bias
Review: The majority of characters against the gay lifestyle in this story are screeching namecallers. This book just didn't work for me.
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Summary: Sarah`s review
Review: This book will always be one of the best books. The reason I chose this book was because of the muder and lessons. This book is about a boy who commites hate crimes against a gay cuple, and his girlfriend standing up for what she believes in. My favorite character is Clara because even if she loves Andy she wants to go against his believes. My favorite part of the book is in the court room.
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Summary: It could really happen
Review: This is a great story revolving around a very christian and church going young man and his blinded by love girlfriend. Andy is working a hate campaign towards the gentle and friendly gay couple Stephan Jones and Frank Montgomery for no reason other than the fact they are gay and the fact that Andy is using his religion as an excuse to do so. And then when Stephan drowns as a result of a vicious joke, the truth about Andy finally comes out. A very eye opening book. I did not realize that there are really people in this world that use religion as an excuse to act this way, but there really are.
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Summary: Here is a book that once read, can never be forgotten
Review: This is a truly beautiful and well writin story. Once this book was in my hands, it hardly left there until the end. The Drowning Of Stephen Jones is a story for everyone who cares about what is happening in the world today, and those who simply love to read good books. Don't miss this novel!
Rating:
Summary: The Drowning of Stephan Jones
Review: This was an excellent book. I read this book years ago, and it opened my eyes to prejudice. I had never really given any thought to problems facing homosexuals when I was younger. After reading this book, I became aware of the fear some people have of gays. I also noticed how people are very uncomfortable with anything that goes against their beliefs or values, and I feel this book was the building block which enabled me to open my eyes to such things. The main character in the story is Carla Wayland. Carla's mother Judith is the town librarian, and she is basically reviled and looked down upon by the majority of the close-minded townspeople for her "liberal viewpoints". Judith tries to instill in her daughter Carla how important it is to stand up for one's beliefs, but as the book unfolds, we realize how little value Carla places on her mother's teachings. Although the readers understand Judith is struggling in the small-minded, close-knit town, Carla is going through struggles of her own which are much more "important" in her mind than her mother's. Carla is fighting to fit in at the local high school. Her boyfriend, Andy Harris, embodies everything she wants to be--he is handsome, wealthy, and very popular. Carla, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the town, and her friends count her mother as being a strike against her. In a nearby town, Stephen Jones and his boyfriend Frank Montgomery are struggling, too. They have moved into the town hoping to make a new life together, and have opened a small shop. However, they are put into fierce conflict with Andy and his macho friends, who are intolerant and afraid of homosexuals. As you can imagine from the novel's title, the story is destined for something horrible to happen--and it does. After the incident between Andy's friends and Stephen, Carla is forced to decide once and for all what she will do. Should she take the easy road, close her eyes to everyone else's flaws, and keep fighting for her place as a popular, accepted student? Or should she acknowledge her mother is a brave woman in her own right, and it is better to fight for what one believes in? Her struggle was interesting to me, but I have to admit--sometimes I just wanted to grab Carla by the hair and give her a good shake. Reading the novel now that I'm older, I do see its shortcomings. I agree with some of the critics--it was perhaps not as streamlined and did not flow as well as it could've. But all in all, I still believe it is worth the read, especially for those in the recommended age limit--14 and up. It was a visceral novel with much truth in it, especially in light of such events as the murder of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year old college student who was killed senselessly in Wyoming in 1998 because he was gay. It certainly left me with a lot to think about.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, haunting book
Review: This was an excellent book. I read this book years ago, and it opened my eyes to prejudice. I had never really given any thought to problems facing homosexuals when I was younger. After reading this book, I became aware of the fear some people have of gays. I also noticed how people are very uncomfortable with anything that goes against their beliefs or values, and I feel this book was the building block which enabled me to open my eyes to such things. The main character in the story is Carla Wayland. Carla's mother Judith is the town librarian, and she is basically reviled and looked down upon by the majority of the close-minded townspeople for her "liberal viewpoints". Judith tries to instill in her daughter Carla how important it is to stand up for one's beliefs, but as the book unfolds, we realize how little value Carla places on her mother's teachings. Although the readers understand Judith is struggling in the small-minded, close-knit town, Carla is going through struggles of her own which are much more "important" in her mind than her mother's. Carla is fighting to fit in at the local high school. Her boyfriend, Andy Harris, embodies everything she wants to be--he is handsome, wealthy, and very popular. Carla, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the town, and her friends count her mother as being a strike against her. In a nearby town, Stephen Jones and his boyfriend Frank Montgomery are struggling, too. They have moved into the town hoping to make a new life together, and have opened a small shop. However, they are put into fierce conflict with Andy and his macho friends, who are intolerant and afraid of homosexuals. As you can imagine from the novel's title, the story is destined for something horrible to happen--and it does. After the incident between Andy's friends and Stephen, Carla is forced to decide once and for all what she will do. Should she take the easy road, close her eyes to everyone else's flaws, and keep fighting for her place as a popular, accepted student? Or should she acknowledge her mother is a brave woman in her own right, and it is better to fight for what one believes in? Her struggle was interesting to me, but I have to admit--sometimes I just wanted to grab Carla by the hair and give her a good shake. Reading the novel now that I'm older, I do see its shortcomings. I agree with some of the critics--it was perhaps not as streamlined and did not flow as well as it could've. But all in all, I still believe it is worth the read, especially for those in the recommended age limit--14 and up. It was a visceral novel with much truth in it, especially in light of such events as the murder of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year old college student who was killed senselessly in Wyoming in 1998 because he was gay. It certainly left me with a lot to think about.
Rating:
Summary: Impact on my life is an understatement!
Review: This was one of the first 'Gay' themed books that I read after coming out 8 years ago. This book was so powerful, I can still vividly remember the scene on the bridge in my mind. A scene that Bette Greene, the Author, described so well that the image, and the actions still haunt in the back of my mind today. I so recommend this book to all.. Gay and Straight.. Young and Old... This is a fantastic story of Prejudice and Hate directed towards a group (a couple in this case) of people that are no different from anyone else, except they happen to love someone of the same sex. A book MUST be just so incredible so as to still haunt your thoughts so many years after reading it. I nearly get driven to tears when I remember the scene with Steven on the bridge. I will not say anymore about it just incase you have not read the book yet. Please.. PLEASE! Get this book! You will NEVER be sorry!!!
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