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madsmacmath's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a gorgeous and heartbreaking account of the murder of Matthew Shepard and the town of Laramie, WY. It’s written in such a way that you can hear the voices, see the rural sky, and feel the nuances of the small town on the page. You get a real sense of the circumstances in 1998 and then again, with what’s changed, in 2008.
Reading the script of the play made me initially nervous, but if you’ve powered through Shakespeare before, you can handle this.
A must-read.
Reading the script of the play made me initially nervous, but if you’ve powered through Shakespeare before, you can handle this.
A must-read.
pghbookfanatic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
discostell's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
friendofmarlowe's review against another edition
5.0
this was an emotional, impactful, but often times also intensely infuriating look at a community’s response to homophobic violence. (cw for homophobic violence and language throughout both plays)
liketheday's review against another edition
3.0
I watched the HBO version of The Laramie Project and I've seen it performed at a couple of theaters over the years, and it is an incredibly moving show. If you haven't seen it, do. I don't feel like I got quite the same experience out of reading it, but it was a good time to revisit Matt Shepard and especially his neighbors in the wake of all the civil unrest happening today. Especially interesting was reading the Ten Years Later follow-up, which was unsurprisingly upsetting in the way that history rewrites itself even in the face of actual facts but gave me a little hope for humanity as it collected the stories of the good that came out of everything. I'm holding out that hope that in our ever more contentious society we can continue to make good things happen.
thursday48's review against another edition
5.0
Another one off my popsugar list, Yay!!!
I saw a high school production of The Laramie Project last month. I used to live in Wyoming and it was strange to see a production of this play since I'd some how managed to miss it till now. Me being curious googled to try to find out what happened to the people in the play following it's release. That is how I found out about The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. Since I need to read a play for my popsugar reading challenge I picked up this set. I'm glad I had the original play to read because I missed some of it when I saw the play due to an unfortunate section of giggling and speech impediments. Even though I knew the case and had seen the play, I still cried reading TLP, it's sad and heartbreaking.
When I got to Ten Years Later, I was surprised that people denied it was a hate crime and believed that contrary to the evidence from the case. However, I'm also sadly not shocked by this. I think that the Tectonic Theater Project did a really good job at talking to the right people to explain why some of that happens. I also was really impressed that they talked to both of the murders and we got to hear from them ten years later and where they are with the crime and their lives. It was also really great to see how this case continued impact the lives of the people from TLP. Especially to hear from Romaine who was such a big part of the first play, I think she kinda hit the nail on the head in this play.
I saw a high school production of The Laramie Project last month. I used to live in Wyoming and it was strange to see a production of this play since I'd some how managed to miss it till now. Me being curious googled to try to find out what happened to the people in the play following it's release. That is how I found out about The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. Since I need to read a play for my popsugar reading challenge I picked up this set. I'm glad I had the original play to read because I missed some of it when I saw the play due to an unfortunate section of giggling and speech impediments. Even though I knew the case and had seen the play, I still cried reading TLP, it's sad and heartbreaking.
When I got to Ten Years Later, I was surprised that people denied it was a hate crime and believed that contrary to the evidence from the case. However, I'm also sadly not shocked by this. I think that the Tectonic Theater Project did a really good job at talking to the right people to explain why some of that happens. I also was really impressed that they talked to both of the murders and we got to hear from them ten years later and where they are with the crime and their lives. It was also really great to see how this case continued impact the lives of the people from TLP. Especially to hear from Romaine who was such a big part of the first play, I think she kinda hit the nail on the head in this play.
re_oanslay's review against another edition
4.0
My star rating is an average of the two plays, which seemed only fair because they’re separate works presented jointly.
The Laramie Project itself is a devastatingly beautiful piece that I needed to put down several times because my heart was clenched and tears were in my eyes. Because the dialogue is all direct quotes, it’s stark and simple but still contains multitudes. I would love to see this piece performed live. 5 stars, easily.
10 Years Later, in contrast, doesn’t inspire such a visceral reaction. As a concept, returning to Laramie and seeing how things have changed is wonderful but it falls flat in execution. Life doesn’t always create perfect narratives. People want to excuse Matthew Shepard’s murder, policy change is promised but falls flat, the new generation is apathetic if best. The only reason I finished 10 Years Later is because I enjoyed its predecessor so much. 2 stars, generously.
The Laramie Project itself is a devastatingly beautiful piece that I needed to put down several times because my heart was clenched and tears were in my eyes. Because the dialogue is all direct quotes, it’s stark and simple but still contains multitudes. I would love to see this piece performed live. 5 stars, easily.
10 Years Later, in contrast, doesn’t inspire such a visceral reaction. As a concept, returning to Laramie and seeing how things have changed is wonderful but it falls flat in execution. Life doesn’t always create perfect narratives. People want to excuse Matthew Shepard’s murder, policy change is promised but falls flat, the new generation is apathetic if best. The only reason I finished 10 Years Later is because I enjoyed its predecessor so much. 2 stars, generously.
robertgetch's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I thought the book was great, it's written as a screenplay though so be prepared for that but it makes a wonderful read anyway. I do at times wish they had explored Matthews life more but the point of the book is more about the community and how it reacted then Matthew himself and I think it works well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, and Murder
trekbicycles's review against another edition
5.0
A really real look into hate crimes in America and the slow pace of change (and too often, no change). Loved the ethnographic quotes that preserved the dignity, opinions, and reality of Wyoming citizens. Would love to see a response another 10 years down the line. Book 15 of quarantine.
alex1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder