The Drowning of Stephan Jones [Paperback]

Bette Greene (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Bantam Starfire Book | Publication Date: October 1, 1992

Although ethical and judicious, Carla Wayland finds her infatuation with handsome and popular Andy Harris clouding her judgment when she becomes a silent partner in his hate campaign and harassment of a gay couple. Reprint. SLJ. VY. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of Summer of My German Soldier tackles the controversial topic of homophobia in her tale of a girl roused to action when her boyfriend persecutes a local gay couple. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12-- Gay couple Stephan Jones and Frank Montgomery, antique dealers, escape Boston for a small town in Arkansas, only to face the bigotry of its small-minded, fundamentalist, and ultraconservative population. Carla Wayland, 16, lives with her liberal, librarian mother, and dreams of being part of the "in" crowd; dating handsome, rich, and popular Andy Harris is her wish come true. Although raised to act on her ethical beliefs, Carla finds that her enchantment with Andy draws her as a silent partner into his hate campaign and harassment of the couple. As a direct result of the gay bashing, Stephan dies. Hatred, the power of mob psychology, put-downs of the weak to gain power, and the self-righteousness of self-serving religious groups are themes addressed in this thought-provoking novel. Unaddressed are the psychological abuse of Andy by his father, the absence of support for intellectual freedom and religious tolerance, and the lack of justice in the death of another human being. Stereotypes are rampant and include not only the gay couple but extend to fundamental Christianity, conservatives, liberals, attorneys, and small-town inhabitants. Greene has a polished writing style; powerful scenes of dialogue include strong language and street slang that add immediacy and realism to arguments and taunts. Descriptive passages plod, however, and character development is uneven. Greene has addressed volatile issues, albeit somewhat unrealistically. --Gail Richmond, Point Loma High School, San Diego
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Starfire (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553297937
• ISBN-13: 978-0553297935
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,529,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More 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, Gen-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!



AWARDS

* Summer of My German Soldier: Golden Kite Society Children's Book Writer's Award, New York Times Outstanding Book Award, ALA Notable Book Award, National Book Award Finalist, Massachusetts Children's Book Award.
* Them That Glitter and Them that Don't: Parent's Choice Award, Parent's Choice Foundation.

*Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe: New York Times Outstanding Book Award,
New York Times Outstanding Title Award, ALA Notable Children's Book Award, Child Study Association Children's Book Award, Kirkus Choice Award, Newbery Honor Award.

* Summer of My German Soldier, The Film: Emmy-Award & Humanitas Prize Award film promoting human dignity, meaning and freedom

Bette Greene's literary library includes: "Get On Out Of Here Philip Hall", "I've Already Forgotten Your Name, Philip Hall!", "The Drowning Of Stephan Jones".

____________________________________________________________________________

Website: http://www.bettegreene.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bette.greene

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, May 11, 2001

By 

Duane Simolke "author, The Acorn Stories, Deg... (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Drowning of Stephan Jones (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this novel several years ago and often think about it. The story is haunting in how it accurately portrays the nature of prejudice. Hate crimes against gays are common and are currently becoming even more common. Novels like this one might help some young people think about the results of hatred and prejudice. Bette Greene deserves all the praise and awards she has received for her books!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, haunting book, February 24, 2000

By 

Ashley (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Drowning of Stephan Jones (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hate and Prejudice, June 19, 2007

By 

A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Drowning of Stephan Jones (Mass Market Paperback)

Carla is a high school student who has never been very popular. Perhaps part of the reason is that she and her mother live in a very conservative and religious town in Arkansas. Her father left when she was a baby, and her mother is very outspoken about morality and consitutional rights. She is the head librarian at the local library and is constantly getting into fights with the ultra-religious people in town who think many of the library's books should be censored. Her mother's views have often made things difficult for Carla.



Now Carla is in love with Andy, a handsome and popular classmate and the son of the town's hardware store owner. Andy is perfect in Carla's eyes and so is his whole stable church-going family. When he finally asks her out and they become a couple, she couldn't be happier. But Andy has his dark side. When he finds out that there is a gay couple running an antique store nearby, he is furious and begins to harass them every opportunity he gets, going out of his way to deface their store and sending nasty and threatening letters. Carla knows that what he is doing is wrong, but now that she has the popularity and acceptance she's always wanted, will she be able to give it up in order to do the right thing?



I really liked Frank and Stephan. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but they were obviously very loving and devoted to each other. I liked that a gay relationship was portrayed so naturally. I also liked Carla's mom and the reason she gave for being so outspoken all of the time. The ending was excellent, too.



However, I'm not sure if this was a realistic portrayal of an entire town. I found it hard to believe that everyone would be so consumed by hate. The religious people in this book were a bit cliched, too.