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Summary: Beth Loffreda has nothing to say about Matt Shepard...
Review: ... and she takes nearly 200 pages to say it.Nearly three years after Matt Shepard's murder, only two questions have any enduring relevance: What went on the night he was killed, and what were the true motives for the crime? Loffreda has absolutely no idea, and neither do the dozens of people she interviewed. Their words now appear in her book as if they had some insight to share-about Matt's life, about his death, about homophobia, about violence against queer people, about capital punishment. They do not. In fact, one almost wonders whether Loffreda deliberately sought out the least articulate and least thoughtful people in Laramie and across the country and chose to quote them precisely for the numbing, repetitive effect of their words. Loffreda's appetite for the minutiae of political processes or of the history of long-dead legislation is similarly all but endless, and, in the end, the "aftermath" of Shepard's murder-at least as Loffreda describes it-is precisely nothing. Though she waxes grumpy, in a Quaker sort of way, about (what she considers) the inaccurate spins other journalists have put on what they found in Laramie, her lack of a political grounding (or, indeed, of any personal convictions at all) is maddening. She's no media or cultural critic; she doesn't "get" homophobia (except in the "can't we all just get along" way); and the only thing that really ticks her off is Fred Phelps, who is the easiest target in the world. There's no analysis here, the prose is plodding and tedious, Loffreda nearly gives herself a hernia trying to stay in the middle of the road, and you won't learn a single thing you didn't already know. Save your bucks. The great book on Matthew Shepard has yet to be written.
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Summary: SUPERB REPORTING
Review: After seeing Moises Kaufman's " The Laramie Project " I found this book. The author digs deeper and paints with a broader brush than the play. Her command of the English language is outstanding. She is non judgemental, but is consistently sympathetic to the problems of the Gay Community and of all minority groups. The book combines an overview of the facts with close scrutiny of the attitudes and opinions of the major players in this classic tragedy. She is careful to avoid sweeping conclusions vis a vis the final affect of Mathew's death. I may seem cynical but nothing changes in this arena. Hate survives. My advice to all minorities:
Be vigilant, stay strong, be prepared to retaliate, and stand tall. The Fred Phelps types are pitiful and beyong contempt. Incidentally, I am a straight grandfather; been around for 75 years.
Rating:
Summary: Direct, Honest, and Powerful
Review: Beth Loffreda has created a very clear picture of the events which occurred immediately following the death of Matthew Shepard, as well as the continuing struggle that both gay and straight individuals face when trying to create a community where everyone is accepted and comfortable. What she did not do, for which I am extremely greatful, was to write her book with any blatent prejudice toward either side. (NOTE: It is, however, written from a supportive and gay-positive view point). Her work was fair and honest, and I believe she truly tried to accurately represent the feelings of everyone who was affected by the events of October 1998. The book does not dwell on the death of Matthew, although there are some heart-wrenching discussions about it. Rather, Loffreda has focused her attention on the fallout of his death. She discusses the trials of the four "kids" involved in Matt's death, including specific legal issues and arguments raised by both sides in the trials. She discusses the feelings of members of the gay community in Laramie and Wyoming, as well as out-of-state visitors during that time. She discusses the continuing struggle over implementation of bias and hate crime legislation, both within Wyoming and at the Federal level. She discusses other issues such as race, economics, etc. which must also be considered in conjunction with the "gay issue." She also touches on the part played by religious organizations, from the antics of Fred Phelps to the support and love shown by local churches. Throughout every discussion, often based on conversations with Laramie residents, she tries to be fair to all and show the fact that there is no hard and fast answer to be found here. A good friend purchased this book for me as a gift, for which I am truly thankful. He warned me that it might make me angry (as I tend to get worked up about discrimination and bias issues), but that it was an excellent book. I agree 100%, and encourage everyone to take the chance and read it. You will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Powerful!
Review: Examining the murder of Matthew Shepard in closer detail than the media has ever provided, Beth Loffreda takes us back to October 1998 in Laramie, an oft-unnoticed town brought into the national spotlight overnight. While she does not attempt to recount the details of the murder in great detail, she meticulously analyzes the reaction to the murder from local townspeople, something that you'd certainly never see the media reporting. Loffreda especially focuses on reactions from local GLBT folk, members of a community shaken to its core by the hatred of Matthew's murderers. Tracking the course of events from the murder through the trials, Loffreda exposes a Laramie unlike the one we've seen in the media - a Laramie of compassion and empathy, not one of pure anti-gay hatred. Loffreda's work is sincere, genuine, and heartfelt; it allows the reader to get a first-hand look at what really went on in the hearts and minds of Wyoming citizens in the months following the murder. I must say that this is definitely one of the best and most emotional books that I have had the opportunity to read. The power and strong voice of the writing speaks loudly to those who oppose gay rights and hate crimes legislation, and Loffreda leaves us with a question: How many more Matthew Shepards will it take before society decides that it's finally time to do something?
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Summary: A must read for everyone. Read, weep, and learn
Review: I have purchased more copies of this book than any other in the past 10 years. Beth Loffreda has done a remarkable amount of research, interviews into the murder of Matthew Shepard. When you read this book, try to remember that you live in the United States in the 21rst Century and not back in Germany in the 1930's. The treatment of gay people in parts of this country is absurd and this book should be a textbook in Sociology classes in campuses around the country. How can someting like this happen today? Loffreda tells the story from many points of view and as mentioned before did a masterful job. I was in tears while reading this book - I became angry, and also learned to love Matthew Shepard - a person I never met. Please read, weep, and learn
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Summary: Prissy, scolding tone
Review: I was disappointed. Having heard that the writer, an English professor, had approached her project like a reporter--that she had interviewed Laramie townspeople and M.S.'s fellow students and had quoted them extensively--I was hoping that the town and campus would come alive on the page, like they would in the hands of a good novelist. Doesn't happen. All the voices she quotes sound interchangeable (the quotes sound cleaned up), and the characterizations are watery, indistinct. She's no Janet Malcolm. The other weakness is the author's prissy, scolding tone, in which she appears, annoyingly, every few paragraphs, invariably announcing her appearance with "It seemed to me..." constructions, all of which end with her officiously correcting some misconception that has seized (a) the people of Laramie, or (b) the people outside of Laramie. All of which would be tolerable if she had anything genuinely original to say. But she didn't. It's the same tired postmodern, deconstructionist-era, gender/sexuality-is-a-social-construction rap you've heard a million times.
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Summary: Beth hit the nail on the head.
Review: I'm a student at the University of Wyoming and earlier this semester in my GLBT Lives and Film class, we read this book and Beth came to speak to our class. When she talked about the challenges she faced in writing this book, I was struck by the way she *didn't* try to structure the interviews and information. Instead of starting out with her personal sense of the way Laramie is and the ways it has changed since Matt's murder, she let the people she interviewed and the information she found create the sense for her. As someone who has lived in Laramie for a couple years now (during the school year, anyway. The rest of the time I live in Idaho) I think her book is a very honest portrayal of Laramie and the people in it. Unrelated note: Beth is a total sweetie and (I hear) a pretty awesome instructor. Just thought I'd mention that...
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Summary: Great!
Review: If your looking for a book that chronicles Matthews life then this is not the book for you. But if you want a book that gives you an indepth look at what was going on before and after his death then it is the book for you. It goes indepth on the trial and the towns reactions. There are even some interviews with real people from the Gay and Straight communities.
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Summary: Lives in the aftermath of tragedy
Review: In researching the death of Matt Shepard, one thing becomes abundantly clear. Members of the media were able to spin his death, and Laramie, to suit their needs. To get a clear picture, indeed ANY picture, it must come from those who lived it. Like the Tectonic Theatre Project's play "The Laramie Project", Beth Loffreda's book provides just that picture. Although she did not know Matt, she has open access to many of those who did. And, as a Laramie resident, she is able to relate, first hand, what really went on in the hearts and minds of of a townspeople wrongfully indicted by many as "redneck" and "backwater".
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Summary: Remembering Matt Shepard: Passion and Necessity
Review: In the two years since Matt Shepard's murder roiled our national consciousness, the shock and the emotion that spurred a thousand candlelight vigils have ebbed, leaving a space for thoughtful reflection on the lasting meaning of this tragedy in our common life. One of those reflective events is "The Laramie Project," a theatrical meditation on the people of Laramie and how Shepard's death has affected them. Those of us who can't get to New York City now have a similarly valuable reflective text in Beth Loffreda's thoughtful book, _Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder_. Loffreda writes from a unique perspective: she joined the faculty of the University of Wyoming just before Shepard's murder, and thus brings the insight of an outsider to her careful observations of the aftermath: the vigils, media coverage, and trials. But most importantly, she brings us the voices of Laramie's residents, both those who knew Matt and those who grew to know his life after it ended. Her focus is not on the private details of Shepard's life, but how his life and death affected and illuminated the political and human landscapes of this Wyoming town. Avoiding easy answers, Loffreda keeps before us the complexities of the lives and communities she documents. With elegant and careful prose, she sets before us the scenes and testimonies she has gathered, reflecting on these events with a clarity that does not preclude passion. In the end, Loffreda claims, the legacy of Matt Shepard (for those who did not know him personally, but were nonetheless affected by his death) is that he impelled such reflection and conversation: "When the town lost Matt, a stranger to most of its residents, it found someone to remember, and to remember turbulently, intimately, often unwillingly, and always with difficulty and disagreement. If Matt bequeathed Laramie anything, he bequeathed us the passion and necessity and freedom of dissent. And as the town continues to remember and forget, to speak the languages of tolerance and admonition both, we should all hold that inheritance close." Those who look for ways to remember Matt Shepard and to deepen their understanding of the meaning(s) of his life and death would do well to begin with a careful reading of this thoughtful and caring book.
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