Bibliography
Newman,
Leslea. 2012. OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD. Somerville,
Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763658076
Brief Summary Plot
On
the night of October 6, 1998, twenty one year old Matthew Shepard, a college
student at the University of Wyoming, was enticed out of a bar by two men under
false pretenses. Matthew Shepard just happened to be gay and the two men who
coaxed him away just pretended. The two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell
Henderson, drove Matthew to an isolated area, brutally beat him, tied him to a
fence, and left him to suffer and die. Matthew was discovered eighteen hours
later by a cyclist who thought at first glance that Matthew was a scarecrow.
Matthew died five days later surrounded by his family. His murderers were
arrested, tried, and sentenced to double life sentences.
Author
Leslea Newman as written a collection of sixty-eight poems told from multiple
perspectives. In the beginning there is an introduction that briefly states the
occurrences of that tragic October night. The introduction also includes the
author’s own personal connection to Matthew Shepard as the keynote speaker for what
was the upcoming Gay Awareness Week at the Wyoming University campus the
following week. On the ten-year anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard,
Leslea Newman wrote a series of poems to gain a better understanding of that
tragic night. She states the “poems are not objective writing, rather my own
personal interpretation.”
Critical Analysis
Leslea Newman has written a deeply moving account of what
she has interpreted to be the events that led up to the murder of Matthew Shepard
and the consequences of those actions. Her unique perspective has been written
purposely in various styles of poetic form. She masterfully provides multiple viewpoints
including that of the fence that held the body of Matthew Shepard in his final
stages of consciousness, the tree, which would be the burial casket, and the
doe that rested near Matthew’s body as he clung to life tied to the fence.
In this Stonewall Honor book of 2013, the author has created
a story that is told in chronological order. Each poem tugs at the reader’s
heart and is meant to stimulate an emotional response. The fence is given voice
on three separate occasions. In the prologue, The Fence (before) takes center stage. It asks the question, “Will
I ever know why I was put on this earth?” Already having the details
surrounding Matthew’s death, the reader is hit with uneasiness. In The Fence (that night), the fence has
witnessed the beating taken by Matthew. It is given the responsibility of
holding Matthew’s body and “cradling him just like his mother.” The final poem
about the fence gives mention to the numerous encounters that have taken place
in its presence and its destruction, “ripped apart, ripped away, gone, but not
forgotten.”
The author holds nothing back emotionally as she recounts in
part one the opening poem, Outnumbered,
what could possibly be Matthew Shepard’s state of mind. Another example of
Matthew’s frame of mind is vividly detailed in the poem, Scared to Death, with lines like “After they laughed and spit in my
face, After they beat me and beat me and beat me.”
The author herself does not hold back her resentment and detest
she holds for the convicted. In the poem, Sorry
Boy, which is about the judge’s decision to reject the accuser of the
defense “Gay Panic”, the poet writes, “Forgive me for pointing out the obvious:
there was someone gay and panicked
that night but that someone wasn’t you.” Brilliant!
Infused throughout the book are factual quotes from various
parties including friends of Matthew’s, his father, mother, defense attorney,
police officers, girlfriends of the convicted, and many others. These quotes
offer authenticity to the events, even though the poetry created around them
was purely fictitious. Examples of poetry from statements made include, The Patrol Officer’s Report, which
recounts Officer Reggie Fluty’s recollection of Matthew Shepard’s blood stained
face. He said, “The only place that didn’t have any blood on him, on his face,
was what appeared to be where he’d been crying.” Heartbreaking. Another
example, in the poem, Mercy, shows
the depth of forgiveness one parent can have for another parent’s child. In a
court statement, Mr. Shepard, Matthew’s father, addresses Aaron McKinney by
declaring; “I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives.” How
eloquently expressed.
Personification is also heard throughout the book. One
example would be in the poem, Heartfelt Apology, a touching poem that expresses
the regret of Matthew’s heart in having to stop beating.
I have included the poem in its entirety because its words
are so affective.
Heartfelt Apology
This is just to say
I’m sorry
I kept beating
and beating
inside
your shattered chest
Forgive me
For keeping you
alive
so long
I knew it would kill me
to let you go.
How can one not be moved to tears by the poet’s words in
this poem?
Cultural markers are not evident in this book, but there are
blasphemous slurs in regard to sexual orientation. These references include
faggot, queer, fags, homo, freakin’ fairy, lesbo, lezzie, dyke, queen, and
fruit. Signs and emails said, “God Hates Fags,” “Matt in Hell,” and
“Congratulations on the faggot being beaten to death there in Wyoming.” Other
offensive terms were used, but I have chosen not to include them in this
analysis. These words and signs were used by a fraternity at Colorado State
University for a homecoming parade and Westboro Baptist Church, which held up
signs at the funeral of Matthew Shepard.
The book concludes with an epilogue titled, Pilgrimage. The
poem consists of prayers taken from many spiritual paths. These include
biblical scripture, a traditional Navajo prayer, the Kaddish, the Jewish
mourners prayer, and the traditional Tibetan Buddhist prayer of compassion.
There are also notes and resources at the end of the book that give way to
explanations for quotes used and models for poetry titles.
Common themes throughout the book include bullying, respect,
diversity, bias, and tolerance.
Leslea Newman did not know Matthew Shepard, but she has
given readers the opportunity to delve into an event that still, to this day, is
reprehensible. A young man’s life was taken so brutally and senselessly. We
must all come to the realization that we are wonderfully made and our
differences are what make for the beauty of diversity. It is through fear of
the unknown that we choose to hate and act out violently. Leslea Newman wants
Matthew Shepard’s story to remain relevant, to inspire a generation “to make a
difference and honor his legacy by erasing hate and replacing it with
compassion, understanding, and love.” A worthy and lasting honor for a life
that really had not begun to live.
I dare anyone to read this book and not be touched by it. I
found myself unable to put it down, as difficult as it was to read. As a
parent, I could relate to the poem, How To Have The Worst Day of Your Life.
This book is a must read. It should be on the shelves of every school library
in the country. We all must learn to be tolerant. We can no longer sit back and
say this could never happen to me.
Awards
Stonewall Book Award, Honor
Book 2013
YALSA Best Book for Young
Adults American Library Association, 2013
Review Excerpts
Children’s Literature:
The
author of this collection of poems, inspired by Matthew s story, delivers
sixty-six poems that touch on Matthew and his family, the two men who killed
him, and the objects that witnessed his beating/torture and that watched over
him during the eighteen hours he was tied to a buck-rail fence. The poems use a
variety of forms but clearly highlight the individual voices of all involved
(although the poet does make the point that none of the words in her poem were
ever spoken publicly by anyone involved). Occasionally, the actual words of
someone involved in the incident or its aftermath are used at the beginning of
a poem; citations are found in the back of the book and the excerpts often add
a clarification or poignancy to the poem with which it is paired. The
collection is thoughtful and thought provoking. – Dr. Jean Boreen Ph.D
Publishers Weekly reviewed
July 30, 2012: Just days after 21-year-old
Matthew Shepard was killed in 1998, Newman (Heather Has Two Mommies) visited
his school, the University of Wyoming, as the keynote speaker for its Gay
Awareness Week. Writing from this personal viewpoint, Newman crafts 68 poems,
imagining the perspectives of Shepard, his convicted killers, the stars above,
the fence to which he was tied, a nearby deer, and many more. Despite the
variety of voices and poetic forms Newman uses (haiku, pantoum, villanelle, and
others), the poems read as a somewhat repetitive chorus of rage, shame, and
disgust ("I can take anything/ I'm tough as time/ But when I saw him/ between
the two of them/ trapped in that truck/ it made me want to heave," says
the road). It's a visceral, painful read, but it's difficult to say how
singsongy couplets from Shepard's cat ("Where is the boy? Will he ever be
back? / I'm cold and I'm lonely and I need a snack") or a punny offering
from the rope used to bind him ("They roped me in/ I was fit to be
tied") make this tragedy more real.
Connections
Students can discuss their feelings about the LBGT community
and the events of the book.
Questions to include can be:
What can be done to reach out to all members of our
community for inclusiveness?
What would you have done if you were a member of the jury?
Have you ever slander another person with an antigay term?
Have you ever witnessed another person being bullied for
their sexual orientation?
What is one thing you could do to end homophobia?
Research Matthew Shepard and the Matthew Shepard Act.
References
Publishers Weekly. “October Mourning.” Publishersweekly.com
(accessed November 22, 2015)
TWU Library Database – Books In Print
(accessed November 22, 2015)
TWU
Library Database - Children’ Literature Comprehensive Database
(accessed November 22, 2015)
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