The Drowning of Stephan Jones

by Bette Greene

As her mother battles a citizens' group that wants to ban all "anti-Christian" 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.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Banned Books, LGBT, Novels, High School, Gay

217 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Bette Greene’s award-winning classic novels will be celebrating 40 years in print!

As an award-winning author, screenwriter and news reporter, Bette Greene is read worldwide in over 16 languages. Bette continues her legacy of writing and speaking for the victimized. Within the heartbeat of her storytelling and the realism of her prose lies Bette’s demand that her readers feel what she feels and sees what she sees, taking us beyond our differences.

As the 20th century’s youngest professional news reporter, Bette published her first news story at age eight. Bette Greene’s first book, “Summer of My German Soldier”, won the first “Golden Kite” award. This same novel outsold Prince Charles’ book in his own country.

Bette Greene holds the honor of being the only author included in “Writers of Holocaust Literature”, without having been a victim of the Holocaust.

As a 21st century master author, Bette Greene uses the social media platforms to reach out and touch her readers, Generation - X, Y and Z. According to critics, Bette Greene has given a voice to the voiceless, changing the course of young adults’ literature in America.

For nearly 40 years, Bette Greene’s books have been banned, censored and challenged. The theme of Bette Greene’s award-winning library is always the same - Bullying!

Reviews

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" The Drowning of Stephan Jones is yet another thought-provoking book from Bette Greene. It focuses on the extreme bullying and eventual murder of a gay young man by a group of homophobic, supposedly Christian teens. Considering that this book was first published in 1991 when the environment for gays was still pretty hostile, I think it was not only a groundbreaking story, but also a very brave move on the part of the author. Not too surprisingly, it became one of the top 100 banned/challenged books of the 1990's. I can easily predict that many Christians would be off-put, if not outright offended, by the fact that the main perpetrators of the violence in the story are professing Christians. However, not all of of us are bothered by the book. I myself am a Christian, and I don't think that the author's intent was to bash Christianity, so much as it was to shed light on the problem of how certain Christian beliefs (or just ultra-conservatism in general) can lead to tragic consequences. She also explores the idea of responsibility and when it is our duty as citizens to speak up for what's right, as well as the very simple concept of treating every person equally, as a human being, no matter if they're different from us. Lastly, Ms. Greene touches on the importance of educating ourselves and our children, so tragedies like this don't happen in our own communities.

The primary character in this story is Carla, a high-school junior who isn't exactly the most popular girl in school. Her mother is the librarian of their small Southern town and pretty much the only liberal in a sea of conservatives. Carla's mom has always encouraged her to be open-minded, and Carla has learned a lot from books, which is where the idea of education as a way to prevent and combat prejudice and intolerance comes into play. Because of the way her mother raised her, Carla hates to see anyone being picked on, but at the same time, she has grown tired of being “different” because of the way that her mom always seems to be drawing negative attention to them with her activism. There is a part of me that could understand Carla's need to distance herself from her mother's “causes,” but I'm not sure it would have been quite as easy for me to identify with the conservative Harris family as it seemed to be for her. She was attracted to their son, Andy, and thrilled when he finally asked her out. I was very conflicted about her choice to go out with Andy, and more importantly, to then stay with him even after she found out about his bullying behavior toward the young gay couple in the next town. Part of me couldn't understand why she would even like a boy like that much less want to be his girlfriend, but I started thinking back to my own youth and some of the stupid things I did. Then it started to make sense. First of all bad boys often have an indescribable allure, especially for young girls, so in this respect, Carla was probably thinking more with her hormones than her head. Then there was the difficult to combat peer pressure, which made her feel like she had to go along with the crowd in order to be liked and fit in. Lastly, Carla seemed like a fairly shy girl. Deep down, she didn't really agree with Andy's position, but found it very hard to speak up, because Andy and the others pretty much overwhelmed her and steamrolled her whenever she tried. I may not have always agreed with Carla's choices, but when the chips were down and her friends actually attacked Stephan, she finally did do the right thing even though it ultimately wasn't enough to save him and also cost her dearly.

The other main characters in this story are the victims and the perpetrators. Stephan and his partner Frank moved to Arkansas from Boston for a change of pace, and run a little antiques shop in a touristy type town. They love the area and just want to live peacefully, but their plans are disrupted by a bunch of bullies who hate them merely for loving one another. Stephan is a pretty reserved young man, while Frank is more outspoken, but other then them being a gay couple there is nothing that sets them apart from the crowd. Their attackers are led by Andy, another young man who seems to appoint himself as judge, jury and executioner to this couple. It was easy to see where Andy learned how to hate and bully. He was a teen who was himself bullied by his own father, although it certainly didn't make his actions right on any level. It is difficult to imagine or understand how anyone can twist the Bible to justify the kind of hatred and violence that Andy commits, but I know it does happen. We want to believe that we live in a more civilized society nowadays, but there are those among the population who still behave like animals. Andy and his friends just happened to be some of those people.

As a parent I think that this book contains a strong message for teens, not only about the importance of being tolerant of those who are different, but also about standing up for what's right by speaking out when you know someone is being bullied. Even though the entire responsibility for Stephan's death lies squarely on the perpetrators, it is possible that if Carla had told someone about what Andy was doing sooner, it might not have escalated as far as it did. As to content that might concern parents, the book does have a fair bit of strong language, including several uses of the “f-word” and a lot of hate speech. I didn't find it to be gratuitous though, as it fit the characters and situations. I also don't think the story would have had quite the same impact without these “bad” words. There is no sexual content per se, but Carla mentions Andy pressuring her for sex. She thought long and hard about her answer before it even came up between them, and her response was a very mature one which sends another positive message to teens, especially girls. Any teen who is being bullied or fears bullying might be upset by the scenes in which Stephan is bullied. The final scene right before his death is particularly intense, as three good size guys, as well as two girls, are beating up on, molesting, and otherwise menacing a much smaller, innocent man who is begging for his life. In spite of this, I still believe that most older teens could handle the mature subject matter. In my opinion, it is no worse than some PG-13 movies.

Overall, The Drowning of Stephan Jones is a book that leaves the reader with a lot of food for thought. There was a twist to the ending that some may find fitting, but which may not be satisfying to others. I'm kind of undecided myself, because I can see it both ways. After reading several of Bette Greene's books, I've come to realize that she has a tendency to leave her endings somewhat open, and I will say that it was realistic for the time period in which it was written. While we now have hate crimes laws which would help prevent endings like this in real life today, there were no such laws at the time this story was written. Not only the ending, but the entire story was pretty realistic. As I was reading it, I was eerily reminded of the real-life murder of Matthew Shepard which had some really bizarre similarities. Since this book was published seven years before Matt's murder, there couldn't possibly be a correlation, but it does make one wonder how many other gay individuals have experienced this kind of abuse that we never even hear about. All in all, I thought that The Drowning of Stephan Jones was a very good book that I would recommend to anyone, mature teens and up, who want to read more about LGBT motivated hate crimes or who might want to challenge themselves to see those in the LGBT community from a different point of view.

[Martac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banned in my local high school, I had to read it in middle school to find out what all the town meetings were about and why the English teacher was being fired.

Bette Greene is a great youth fiction writer--and the spookiness of the idea of hate comes through. As I read this book, I continually related what the students in the book did to what might actually happen in our town; a gay couple had just moved into an old neighbor's house.

Just as a Greek tragedy, when all already know the ending, the art of this book is in the process and the "how."

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bette Greene's YA novel of homophobic persecution in a small Arkansas town is a sobering read indeed, telling the tale of a gay couple from Boston who resettles in a small town in the Ozarks. From the very beginning, their openly expressed sexual preferences focus the unwelcome attention of bigoted high school senior Andy Harris on them, and before long a campaign of horrifying intensity is afoot, in the course of which the two newcomers, Frank Montgomery and Stephan Jones, are subjected to severe harassment. Stuck in he middle of it all, is Andy's girlfriend Carla, who loves him enough to mute the doubts she have about his treatment of Frank and Stephan -- at least at the start. As the story builds up to the event referred to in the title, allegiances will shift and courageous decisions taken.

Admittedly extremely harrowing in places, the novel unfortunately suffers from a curiously melodramatic tendency to over emphasize the gruesome aspects of the story. From time to time during the reading of this, I found myself asking, "Really? Will even misguided and narrow-minded people go this far in expressing their hate and fanaticism?" But undoubtedly the author must be congratulated in bringing this topical subject to the fore, and it is to be fervently hoped that her plea for tolerance will resonate with readers young and old and bring about much needed changes in the way people think about those among us who happen to be different.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

To sum up, we have a teenage girl, Carla, with a slightly rebellious librarian mother. She wants more than anything to belong, to have a normal family and just be accepted by the guy she thinks is cute. This is somewhat depressing given that her mother sacrificed everything and did all she could to be an outstanding role model for her daughter, so she'd have someone who was driven by what is right to look up to and her daughter doesn't want to be anything like her. In this very religious and morally upstanding community, there is a cry-out against homosexuality and their pursuit of rights. The leader of this movement is the Harris family, particularly Andy Harris, Carla's crush. Things come to a peak when Frank and Stephan, a homosexual couple come to town and live unapologetically. Andy is irrationally hateful toward them and harasses them. Carla, despite part of her knowing it's wrong, subtly supports Andy as she's still trying to seek acceptance. On prom night, her group of friends manage to corner Stephan, beat him, humiliate him and drown him. Carla finally stands up to them, but Stephan is killed when she runs for help. And as is typical in towns where ignorance is the standard, the punishment for their crime is nominal. But Carla has finally stood up to them, done the right thing and although she's not proud of her actions, she has made some growth.

This is not a happy book. It isn't even really that "good" of a book. It's alright, but the characters don't have much dimension or purpose. We don't really get at Andy's reasons for acting as he does...although it is hinted that his homophobia stems from his own homosexual tendencies. There is also the question of why his friends followed him in his hatred. Much of this book felt very dichotomized, with the exception of Carla who was evenly divided. Homosexuality was either accepted or it was demonized, nothing in between. Not one character other than her had a "grey area" opinion (and hers wasn't really a grey area so much as it was accepting what was being done so she'd feel like she belonged).

Despite that, the message of this book is what truly makes this book worth reading. Hate is ugly, that it is something to stand up to and fight against and that it ruins lives. I like what Frank Montgomery states, that there is not "gay grief" or "straight grief." That it has no preference of sexuality it guts you just the same no matter who you are. Because of hate Frank loses the man he loves and his emotion in this is palpable. Especially when he's searching for Stephan. I imagine that this book would be valuable to many readers out there, and the idea of banning a book like this appalls me.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. I just did not like this book. Published in 1991, probably written in the 80s. Set in the South. Although it feels dated, I know that much of the attitude still exists in parts of this country.

Greene tries her best to make Carla relatable, to make her attraction to gorgeous homophobe Andy believable "in spite of herself." She wants to be popular and normal and distance herself from her outspoken librarian mother. But I just didn't buy her ability to overlook/justify Andy's behavior because she wants to be liked. Good on Greene for having the mother speak her mind against bigotry and censorship.

I found it fascinating and again hard to believe that Stephan wants to badly for Frank to become a born again Christian and to join a church that has a literal interpretation of the bible.

Additional parts of the plot were weak to me, especially the trial. What happened to Stephan's trousers and underwear? That they were stripped off him (and left on the bridge presumably) shows that he had been assaulted and had not "jumped." Why did Greene have Harris's defense lawyer go into details about a glasses prescription and a love letter to "discredit the witness," but did nothing with having Frank on the stand and showing the letters from Andy to establish a history of assault and harassment? There was a lot there to prove that it wasn't just "foolishness gotten out of hand." I think the author could have done more with that, and still maintained the unjust outcome.

It was hard to read about a girl who wants to be "normal" and "liked" so much that she's willing to go along with such horrendous actions. And actually convince herself she loves such a hate-filled person. It's certainly not enjoyable to read about harassment. I feel that Greene could have written a story that dealt with the same homophobia/blind hatred and addressed more of the evolution of the main character. Without the murder. But WITH Carla being more outspoken when she realizes what she had been a part of.

With all that, there are still some good lines: "If there was, however, any single attribute that was shared by both the [Christian Decency] league and the [National Gay and Lesbian] task force, besides the not-so-obvious fact that they all belonged to the human race, it was that both groups were convinced beyond any quibble or question that God, honor, and beauty, and all things noble resided totally and solely within the confines of their own position" (200-201).

[Jean Marie Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the writing style and the content. The story takes place in a small southern town in the early 1990s and shows the tragic impact of homophobia and hatred. I have one quibble — some of the character motivations. I think the author could have come up with a more plausible reason for two gay men from Boston to move to Arkansas. Small point. Hate crimes against LGBT people are all too frequent and fatal.

[Andrea King · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the true story of what happens when a bunch of ignorant people raise their kids to hate people who are different. You know how it’s going to end (you saw the title of the book, right?), so it’s no surprise there, but what happens before and after is just as important.

The people in the novel were flat and only mildly interesting, although I assume Bette Green was limited in her ability to bring them to life, because these are real people and not fictional characters. Andy Harris and his posse (and in fact, the entire town) were your typical bible-thumping bigots who couldn’t see past their own view of the world. It was not made clear why they felt this way, though. Nor was it understood why Carla and her mother acted so different from the rest of the town. Carla seemed too naïve and trusting, even after seeing the things her friends were capable of.

The writing was stiff and the dialogue was halting and unbelievable. It reminded me of some of my earlier writing attempts when I thought everything had to be descriptive.

With a practiced hand, Carla brushed her auburn hair, which shone with an inbred luster reserved for the young, the healthy, and the beautiful. By the time she had slipped the saffron party dress over her head, she looked as though there were nothing she could possibly add or subtract that would make her look more radiantly beautiful than she looked right at this moment.

I did find the action tense and even knowing the title of the novel, I expected someone to come through and save the day. I thought surely this poor man wouldn’t die because of some idiots and their skewed religious beliefs. But alas, Stephan Jones did die, and it was sad, as was his partner’s reaction to his death.

I enjoyed reading about the trial and the town’s reaction to the death. It seemed that the flowery descriptors slowed and though the dialogue was still too formal to be believable, the writing made the trial interesting.

The cover is bland and though it is relevant to the story, it doesn’t capture your attention.

The sum up: An interesting story that suffers too much from uneven writing.

[Poofygoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this in seventh grade or so (I hid it from my very Catholic parents, who did not approve)I didn't actually like the prose, but it was the first book that I read that really brought home the idea of a hate crime and the persecution gays go through. It really opened a whole new world of ideas, tolerance and thinking. So, sucky writing, important book.

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really painful to read. I found the beginning engaging but it just got worse and sadder as the book went on which made it tough to finish. I get that the ending of the book, the drowning, was always going to happen but when it finally did, it was so much more awful than I thought it would be.

[Kit]

I forgot I read this when I was in high school and stumbled across it tonight. From what I can recall, it broke my heart. Read with tissues.

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is an important one; the writing is so poor that it feels pedantic and robs the narrative of its emotional impact. I still appreciate having read it, particularly since it was published in the early 1990s, when public opinion was still firmly anti-queer. ("Queer" was still a terrible slur.) It's a standout in that it was one of the first YA books by a popular author that made clear how important LGBTQ rights are. But Greene relies too heavily on stereotypes and one-dimensional characters; she as the author inserts herself by telling so much instead of allowing the actions and emotions of the characters to show. And the writing really is bad. It feels like the overwrought prose one would write as a precocious middle schooler. At one point the author literally describes the good smells of cooking as an "aromatic aroma." Yikes.

What's particularly striking is that the issues at the heart of the book (conservative religious communities labeling gay men as child molesters; book bans and campaigns to prevent diverse book collections at libraries) continue to be as relevant in the year of our lord 2024 as they were in 1991, when this book (which is often banned) was published.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that in one scene, the author has her protagonist, Carla, working on a report for school that is about the novel Summer of My German Soldier. Which this author also wrote. So she is promoting her own novel in another novel. I can't decide if that's unspeakably tacky or a stroke of genius. Maybe it's both.

[Zachary Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialogue is soap opera level, and the writing is often overwrought, sometimes downright purple, but there is much to like in Bette Greene's 1991 novel about a hate crime committed against a gay man. Particularly in the latter half, she displays a great deal of humility toward the LGBT community and gives Frank Montgomery plenty of dignity and paints his grief in ways that resonate as true-to-life. There are also some moments of moral complexity and good characters making bad decisions. Greene manages to portray the small-minded nature of bigotry and the strength and importance of compassion really well, especially considering the time The Drowning of Stephan Jones was written. I read this in high school, before I was thinking very hard about human rights, and I think it must have had a profound impact on me. Bette Greene was displaying a vital tolerance in a young adult novel written over 30 years ago. It's hard to fathom that some people still don't agree with her message.

[Drac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Upon sending passages of this book to a friend, she said, “Man, your tolerance for bad fiction is impressive to say the least.”

And she’s right, this book is terrible. But everyone should read it. Holy hell, it’s camp in the extreme, and the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, totally ineffectual and inauthentic. The homophobic characters are painful caricatures — you can tell that, as an ally, Greene was afraid to humanize them too much, but her writing suffers as a result. Anyway, despite its flaws, it’s a well-intentioned book, at times sweet and insightful, at times cringe-inducing or even genuinely harrowing. I hated it. I loved it. Everyone should read it now.

[Juanita Jacome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book back in high school, and I remember mentally shouting at Carla to grow a spine, speak up. She couldn't want to turn a blind eye to this horrible act just to be with the popular kids.

Thankfully though Frank, Stephen's boyfriend, gets his revenge against Andy and his friends for the murder of Stephen. And it is spectacular!! My only disappointment with the ending is that, it just ends right there. I wanted to read about the aftermath, but that's just me.

[Rachel Mortenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book stunk. the writing is terrible, the characters are one-dimensional, and it is very shallowly written. the author even plugs her other book in this one. garbage. only gave it 2 stars bc i could tolerate reading it til the end

[Wendopolis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I requested this book from the library but it is unreadable. So very dated and full of stereotypes. Disappointing because Summer of My German Soldier is a favorite.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic story.

Not for the school library due to language.

[Tanyx · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about homophobia, but it is not a book about gay people.

[3Bridget! · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A censor is a man who thinks he knows more than you ought to." Laurence J. Peter thought that books should not be banned, and neither do I. Most people do not really think of the subject of banned books while they are reading. Some people find it hard to believe that some books could be banned because they seem so harmless. Would you allowed a book to be banned, put away so that no one could see it, that no one could ever experience the story it had to offer? Books were meant to be read, and people have the right to read them. No one should have the right to tell you what you can and cannot read. Stories open people up to different ideas and different ways of life. They teach some people that its okay to be different or unusual and perhaps you aren't that different after all. Some books even show you why you would not want to do something.

When you read a book about magic and fantasy, it can open you up to a whole new world. When you read a book about a Buddhist monk, it can show you a different way of life. Books can show you differences in religions and beliefs, and give you different options for what you believe yourself. Its extremely important to look at all walks of life, and to experience what each goes through. Books are wonderful at exposing different cultures to an individual. Bridge to Terabitha and Siddhartha are two examples of books that show exactly this.

Most of the time, a book is banned because people are afraid of what it teaches. A book that includes homosexuality, religion, abuse, or sexual content is often the first to be banned. Sometimes, a book teaches a young person that its okay to be different. A teenage boy can read a book like The Drowning of Stephan Jones and realize that he's not a freak because he is gay. It helps him to know that there are other people like him that are going through exactly what he is going through. The abuse, religion, and sexual content of the book help him to cope with the things he might be going though in his own life.

Drugs, alcohol, and sex are three major reasons why books are banned and is exactly why Go Ask Alice was banned. The character, Alice, has a downward spiral in her life because of a drug addiction. She has sex for drugs, runs away to get a hold of drugs, and dies in the end of a drug overdose. Reading this story has made me, as well as many other teenagers, not want to get caught up in drugs. Reading about Alice's experience makes one reevaluate the importance of staying away from drugs.

To ban a book is to ban the right to read and become informed. I would never want someone to tell me I could not read something because they did not think it was appropriate. Stories open up worlds of opportunity, and offer excellent stories. Whenever you are upset or caught up in something, a book is a good way to relax and escape. Reading is the best way to calm down. What will you say when a book is banned from you?

[Tim Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the novel, The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene, a lot of hardship and disrmination goes on in the state of Iowa. A girl named Sarah is in a very tight spot where she has to decide whose side she will go on. She has to choose whether to defend two homosexual teenagers at her school that always get picked on, or to side with her boyfriend and the rest of the town who believe that it is "unhuman" to be gay. She really thinks that Stephan and John are two nice guys and think its wrong that they get picked on, but also agree with the town about how the bible says that it is wrong. Sarah goes through a lot of emotional pain in order to make her decision.
The theme of this book would mostly be summed up as "stand up for your beliefs, no matter who tries to tear it down". I think that this describes this book very well because Sarah is scared to make a decision due to worrying about what the rest of the town will think. The Author, Bette Greene, really characterizes Stephen and John a lot. She tells the story from inside their lives and what it is like being prejudice against. I would aware readers that there are some words used that may affend people in which the way they are used.
One thing that I really liked about Bette Greene and her writing style, is the way she wrote the story from other characters point of views, as opposed to just one mauin characters view on a situation. I reccommend this book to people that reall enjoy conflicts within large groups of people, that need to be resolved. I have this book a rating of *** (3 stars) because I thought that it was an alright book overall, but the topic was somewhat odd, and I didnt really enjoy that.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was 12 because it was worth a lot of points in our school's "Accelerated Reader" program. It was certainly shocking in its depiction of violence compared to most other books I had access to in the school library and it's the first book I remember reading that focused on a gay relationship. It wasn't so much that I liked it when I first read it but I have remembered the story as a standout for more than 20 years among countless stories and books I have read. I recently have been re-reading books I read when I was young now that I'm in my 30s and it's been interesting to see them in a new light with much more life experience as a frame of reference. This is not a great book. I find the characters to be more caricature than well-rounded people I can care much about. Their convictions and the dialogue seem forced and awkward and the entire story lacks subtlety. These things mattered less when I was 12 and worried about accruing arbitrary points in competition with myself but they do matter now. Still, though, I am glad young me had this book available to read, I'm glad a YA author took on such challenging subject matter, and I'm glad that it wasn't a perfectly happy ending, rather a disturbing conclusion with a small amount of vindication. I wouldn't recommend this book to any adults but it will always be one that opened me up to new ideas and ultimately broadened my perspective. I appreciate it for that, and my school for not banning material that many would find unpalatable.

[Elizabeth Ditty]

First, I always like to point out that I use Goodreads mouse-over text for my ratings, so two stars = "it was OK."

As for the book, I appreciated the story, but I was disappointed in how two-dimensional and stereotypical the characters were. The conservative religious characters especially had no depth, no explanation as to why they hated so fiercely. None of them ever showed any doubt or psychological complexity at all. Granted, there are some people in the world who fall into the moral black & white, but the vast majority of folks inhabit some sort of gray, and I didn't feel like any of the characters in this book represented any level of middle ground.

Also, Carla reminded me a little bit of Twilight's Bella, which is, to put it briefly, not good. I believe she was supposed to be 17 in the book, but her behaviors reminded me of someone much younger, probably 13 or 14. The villains came across as caricatures, and the supposed heroes and victims weren't all that sympathetic either.

In short, I think my main issue with this book is it made conclusions for the reader rather than laying out an authentic, complex situation and letting the reader draw his or her own conclusions. This is an especially important developmental skill for young readers, at whom this book is probably targeted.

[Lisa Houlihan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Going by the first chapter, which is as far as I've read, this book's tone is laughably dated. The protagonist ogles at a color TV in a shop window. It's 1991, Ms. Greene. Also I can't quite believe that a small town in Arkansas in 1991 had a viable independent hardware store. Right now I'm reading it to see how Greene juggles her dated tone with her subject.

Wow. I'm sorry to say that a book with such important subject matter is execrably, egregiously, hideously bad. The characters are one-dimensional stereotypes, a committed couple are portrayed as if little more than casual acquaintances, the language is dated and ineffectual.

It was published in 1991 and inspired by a murder in 1984 but the teenagers sound more like those in Summer of Fear or Seventeenth Summer than anyone from the Reagan or Bush 41 administration.

[Scott Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on reality, this book deals with the sequence of events that led to the death of one man at the hands of those filled with ignorance and hatred. Perhaps, more appalling is the adults who justify the actions of the teenagers responsible for the death. An event filled with so much contempt and misunderstanding that the author was physically assaulted for even attempting to uncover information necessary to produce the book.

[Katrina Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very stereotypical. The book is badly written. I was expecting a lot better from Bette Green. The two gay men in this book are described using every gay stereotype out there. I read it for banned books week, but I cannot stand when a book stereotypes a gay couple.

[Gili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every gay book I read as a child was super traumatic. What gives?

[Ali C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good!

[Angelica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wonderful topic, but I could barely get past the horrible writing and unrealistic dialogue. If I didn't have to read it for my book project, I would not have picked it up.

[Michelle White]

I didn't like this book. It was strange. I got it from the IUS Library.

[Delilah Trenaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very powerful book. I feel that everyone should read this book and then maybe the world wouldn't be so prejudice. It was very well written and teaches lots of lessons.