From the dust jacket- On the night of October 6,
1998, a gay twenty-one-year-old college student named Matthew Shepard was lured
from a Wyoming bar by two young men, savagely beaten, tied to a remote fence,
and left to die. Gay Awareness Week was beginning at the University of Wyoming,
and the keynote speaker was Lesléa Newman, discussing her book Heather Has Two
Mommies. Shaken, the author addressed the large audience that gathered, but she
remained haunted by Matthew’s murder. October Mourning, a novel in verse, is
her deeply felt response to the events of that tragic day. Using her poetic
imagination, the author creates fictitious monologues from various points of
view, including the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him,
the deer that kept him company, and Matthew himself. More than a decade later,
this stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers
too young to remember, and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard’s
life.
Review- I admit that I was jaded coming in to reading
this. The author’s information at the back was all about what awards she has
won, what books she has written, and at the bottom it says she works closely
with the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Yes I read author’s bios if I do not know
the author. I thought that she was just using a horrible tragedy to make more renown
for herself. I do not think that now. Newman was going to speak to Shepard’s
group the day before he was attacked. She walked into a storm of grief and
fear. I cried while reading this. I remember when this attack happened. The way
that Newman helps the reader connect with the fear, pain, grief, and loss of
Matthew is beautiful. The only thing I would change would be the author’s bio
because it feels that Newman is ringing her own bell. I understand that is
something that all authors (no matter what of) have to do but I, personally, do
not think that this book is the place to do it. Read this book and think about
your gay friends, co-workers, or family. I saw my close gay friends when Newman
talked about how Matthew was strung up to die alone. It broke my heart. There
is no resolution in this book but that is because there is no resolution in the
real world either.
I give this book Five out of Five. I get nothing for my
review and I was given this book to review for an assignment in graduate
school.
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