A review by tracie
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman

4.0

I have to admit to not being a huge poetry lover. Generally I don't understand it and it just makes me frustrated. A couple of years ago I picked up this book for the Read Harder challenge about the murder of Matthew Shepard and it has stayed with me. The poems are from the viewpoint of Matthew and his murderers but also from his parents, the police, the doe, the fence and even his cat. It is a YA book so the narrative is simple and accessible which let me connect with it in a way I may not have otherwise. Packed a hell of a punch to my soul. Absolutely not a read in public book as I discovered on my bus ride home one night.