October Mourning
Books | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Law & Crime
4.3
Lesléa Newman
WINNER OF A 2013 STONEWALL HONOR! A masterful poetic exploration of the impact of Matthew Shepard's murder on the world. 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.
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Author
Lesléa Newman
Pages
111
Publisher
Candlewick
Published Date
2012
ISBN
0763658073 9780763658076
Community ReviewsSee all
"I feel conflicted about this book. I think it is important to remember Matthew Shepard, and what happened to him. I think that this book is a good way to do that, and to help educate those too young to remember. <br/><br/>However, I felt at times that this took too many liberties with the people involved. It almost felt like it was trying to capitalize on this tragedy, even though I know that was not the intention. <br/><br/>Regardless, I enjoyed the poetry (though that's not always my thing), and as I said, it was a somber reminder of tragic events."
Laura Lamb