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    The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
    Unavailable
    The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
    Unavailable
    The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed

    Written by Judy Shepard

    Narrated by Judy Shepard

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son's death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.
    Today, the name Matthew Shepard is synonymous with gay rights, but before his grisly murder in 1998, Matthew was simply Judy Shepard's son. For the first time in book form, Judy Shepard speaks about her loss, sharing memories of Matthew, their life as a typical American family, and the pivotal event in the small college town that changed everything.


    The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family in the days immediately after the crime, when Judy and her husband traveled to see their incapacitated son, kept alive by life support machines; how the Shepards learned of the incredible response from strangers all across America who held candlelit vigils and memorial services for their child; and finally, how they struggled to navigate the legal system as Matthew's murderers were on trial. Heart-wrenchingly honest, Judy Shepard confides with readers about how she handled the crippling loss of her child, why she became a gay rights activist, and the challenges and rewards of raising a gay child in America today.

    The Meaning of Matthew not only captures the historical significance and complicated civil rights issues surrounding one young man's life and death, but it also chronicles one ordinary woman's struggle to cope with the unthinkable.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 20, 2009
    ISBN9781101079485
    Unavailable
    The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
    Author

    Judy Shepard

    Judy Shepard is the President of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and was instrumental in passing the anti-hate crime bill, The Matthew Shepard Act.

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    Reviews for The Meaning of Matthew

    4.5/5

    48 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      "It was-and still is-critical to me that people pay attention to Matt and what happened to him, but not to me."What I found so wonderful about this book was that Judy brought to us, the tale of a young man, who was flawed and still in a state of finding himself. Too often do we martyr people who are cast in this role of representing an ideal. Matthew Shepard was not an angel, or a saint. He had problems like we all do, and I personally think, it's more important to remember that he was a human being. He was Judy's son. It makes it more real, more tangible, and more heart-wrenching.I cannot imagine having to write about your son, who was murdered in the fashion that Matthew was. However, Judy does so beautifully and openly. My heart ached as she recounted her time in the hospital at his side, and how she had to be a rock in a time when she certainly deserved to fall apart. Judy's is a tale worth telling. She certainly could have disappeared after Matthew's funeral and lived her life in quiet solitude, remembering her son, but she chose to fight. She chose to champion a cause, and attempt to make some good out of her son's murder. That is admirable. This biography was insightful, and allowed us to see a boy through a mother's eyes that was struggling with sexuality and sense of self. It also allowed us to see into a woman who held strong for family and friends and who is by all accounts the hero of this story. She has effected change, and I am so glad she chose to write this account of hers and her son's life.I would love to read someday a biography of her time after his death in more detail. It would be great to read about all the change she has fought for, and the strides she has taken to continue his legacy. Maybe one day.
    • 4/5
      A heartbreaking memoir about a hate crime that should never have happened nor should never happen again. This book is heartbreaking to read but one every one should read. I found it interesting and pathetic that Westboro pops up in this story. I did not realize it had been around that long.
    • 3/5
      This was a well-written memoir, very touching and heartbreaking. I had not realized, when I heard Judy Shepard's interview on a local radio station, that she was living in Saudi Arabia at the time. I borrowed it from the library as I have borrowed other memoirs, so I do not actually own this book.

      Matthew's life was one of light and love, and how many of us have found ourselves with strangers, off on an adventure? The portrayals and descriptions of Matthew's killers after his murder were especially well-done. And the portrayal of Matthew was honest and heartfelt, too.
    • 5/5
      Written and read by Matthew's mother. She tells of his life and horrible murder. A very disturbing story to hear, one that I will never understand. A senseless murder stemming from intolerance and hate. A must read book in my opinion.
    • 5/5
      Without a doubt one of the most heart wrenching memoir I've ever read. I cried for Matthew and the people he loved the most. His life brutally cut short because of who he was. This is a clarion call for all of us. That hate needs to be replaced with love. EVERYONE should read this book!
    • 4/5
      I picked up this book at my local bookstore as I sat down with my tea to continue reading a book by Temple Grandin. The cover, with a picture of Matthew Shepard looking so young and innocent, caught my eye, and then I saw that the book was by his mother. Looking to occupy the time until I had to pick up my daughter, I opened the book to browse. Within minutes I flipped back to the beginning and began to read. A couple of hours later, I had purchased the book and was reflecting on how little we know about what we think we know based on media reporting.

      In October 1998 Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming and beaten to death for being gay. Few Americans could avoid the media coverage of the horrible hate crime, not long after the dragging death of a African American man in Jasper, Texas. But despite all the coverage, my impressions of Matthew were rather flat and one dimensional. Judy Shepard's memoir of her son changed that. As Matthew's mother reminds us, Matthew was a human, not a saint, and not a stereotype. His life was complex but loving, and in writing the book, Judy Shepard conveys that in an honest, unpitiying way that drew me in and wouldn't let me go.

      I would recommend this book to everyone as a reminder that we cannot let hate win, but must actively seek to counter it emphatically and with persistence.
    • 5/5
      a very touching, sad, yet inspiring story. You will feel angry and sad but experience some redemption by the end of the book. I read the library's copy.
    • 4/5
      The murder of Matthew Shepard gained worldwide attention in October, 1998 when two homophobic men tied Matthew to a tree, tortured and beat him, and left him for dead. Matt died 6 days later. His family has since become advocates for tolerance, and witnessed President Obama's signing of the Matthew Shepard Act, adding sexual orientation to federal hate crime law. Mrs. Shepard's book includes a brief introduction to Matt's life, the horrific story of their bedside vigil, and the maddening trial of the perpetrators of the murder. Shepard evokes the emotions extremely well, and presents an honest look at the complicated life and death of her son. Very difficult reading, but the work of the Matthew Shepard Foundation in educating young people and promoting acceptance of all differences adds a hopeful note to the end.