Teaching Bobby

by Mark Butler

"There is no greater exercise of a man's talents than the upbringing of his son"

Breakout author M.D. Butler writes a powerful yet simple tale of crime, family, adolescence and fatherhood.
For Jason Greene, seven years in state prison was the easy part. The real challenges lay ahead as he assimilates back into society and attempts to become a true father to his estranged son, Bobby.
Spencer Williams life was supposed to get infinitely better. His brother-in-law was out of prison and would be taking the wild, 9-year old Bobby off of his hands. Unfortunately, the change in the family dynamic will lead Spencer to take a closer look at his flawed marriage and deeply troubled wife, Maureen.
The drama that unfolds for these two families intertwining lives will bring its readers to shock, tears and a jaw-dropping conclusion.
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133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Cindy Holdmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about a man reconnecting with his son after his release from prison. I thought it was very well written and engaging but, at times, the sub plot became the main plot and didn't focus as much as it should have on Jason and his relationship with Bobby. Toward the end, I didn't see what relevance some of the minor characters had toward Bobby. It was only then that Bobby seemed to be the major character. I wish the author would have concentrated more on Jason and his relationship with his son as the other parts seemed to have little to do with that. Despite that, I felt it was an engaging book.

[Linie Sherrod · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the main character is released from prison,
He promises himself to make up for time lost with his son,
Bobby. Bobby, now nine years old has developed his own
way of thinking and existing while living with relatives during
the past many years. What happens after that is what makes the
book intriguing and entertaining. Twists and turns abound. Good work!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free to read and review from Library Thing. This is a fairly good book for a new author. I think the book would have been better if the author had not had three subplots but had focused on the interaction between ex-con Jason and his young son Bobby. With different stories to focus on, the author had to constantly go back and forth, and I felt that he had to thus not spend enough time on major points/issues, and none was really well resolved because of this. The story is about ex-con Jason and his son Bobby and how Jason relates to and matures into being a parent once he is released from prison and begins life again with his young son. Because of their separation and because Bobby’s mother is dead, Jason has left Bobby with his brother Spenser, who himself has a very dysfunctional marriage, and his family. Bobby is formed by everyone and everything around him. Jason tries his best to be a good father and succeeds for the most part. I would have appreciated more of the book to focus on Jason’s interactions with Bobby and how they grow together and experience what any father son might across the years. I really couldn’t relate to Jason’s brother Spenser and all his problems, which because of space and length constraints also were not allowed as good development as they could/should have had. I think this author shows definite promise as a writer and can weave an interesting story. I just wish he would be more focused on one storyline than skipping around to cover other subplots. I will definitely be looking for more from him.