The Meaning of Matthew
My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
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Narrated by:
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Judy Shepard
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By:
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Judy Shepard
About this listen
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.
©2009 Judy Shepard (P)2009 PenguinListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“This book is beautiful: heartbreaking, honest, and written with a lovely open voice that makes the familiar story of the Shepard family's loss all the more devastating.” (Newsweek)
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A must read
- By Kevlar314 on 04-23-15
By: Michael Morton
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American Wife
- A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal
- By: Taya Kyle, Jim DeFelice
- Narrated by: Taya Kyle
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Though Chris and Taya Kyle's marriage had its difficult moments, it was always a love story. Together they'd endured military service, a best-selling book, unexpected fame, and a film deal starring a hot Hollywood actor. But just when Taya thought that she and Chris were finally going to live their dream together, her husband was murdered. In the wake of his death, a grieving Taya was left to raise her two young children and handle the many things Chris left behind.
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Amazing
- By John W. on 05-05-15
By: Taya Kyle, and others
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Wilde Lake
- A Novel
- By: Laura Lippman
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney, Nicole Poole
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Luisa "Lu" Brant is the newly elected - and first female - state's attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a job in which her widower father famously served. Fiercely intelligent and ambitious, she sees an opportunity to make her name by trying a mentally disturbed drifter accused of beating a woman to death in her home. It's not the kind of case that makes headlines, but peaceful Howard County doesn't see many homicides.
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In a word saccharine and boring
- By Rena on 05-12-16
By: Laura Lippman
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Exposed
- The Secret Life of Jodi Arias
- By: Jane Velez-Mitchell
- Narrated by: Elizabeth White
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 9, 2008, the butchered body of Travis Alexander was found in his Mesa, Arizona, home. The grisly nature of his death made instant headlines: With 29 knife wounds, his throat slit, and a gunshot to the head, Travis was left to die. The prime suspect in the case was Alexander's ex-girlfriend, the attractive and soft-spoken Jodi Arias. Though Arias initially said that she was nowhere near the scene of crime, little about this case was as it seemed, and before long she had been caught lying to police. As the investigation progressed, her lies evolved multiple times before finally resting on an appalling claim: She had killed Travis in self-defense.
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Great Narrator, Untrustworthy Writer
- By MaxMiniTV on 04-15-16
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A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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"A Rose for Her Grave" - the principal story of this collection - vividly recreates the cautionary tale of Randy Roth, a misogynistic sociopath from the Pacific Northwest whose rage was directed primarily at women and children. Addicted to his own greed, Roth exercised a powerful aura of control over his victims, using his ability to charm and boyish good looks to lower their defenses. By the time they saw the reality of the madness in his eyes, it was usually too late.
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I Think I Need A Break for Awhile
- By Susie Q on 09-30-17
By: Ann Rule
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When They Call You a Terrorist
- A Black Lives Matter Memoir
- By: Patrisse Cullors, asha bandele, Angela Davis - foreword
- Narrated by: Angela Davis - foreword, Angela Davis, Patrisse Cullors
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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When They Call You a Terrorist is the essential audiobook for every conscientious American. From one of the cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement comes a poetic audiobook memoir and reflection on humanity. Necessary and timely, Patrisse Cullors' story asks us to remember that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love.
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Everyone should listen!
- By Mary J. Bunker on 01-26-18
By: Patrisse Cullors, and others
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Truth Doesn't Have a Side
- My Alarming Discovery About the Danger of Contact Sports
- By: Dr. Bennet Omalu, Mark Tabb, Will Smith - foreword
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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One day in 2002 the 50-year old body of former Pittsburgh Steeler and hall of famer Mike Webster was laid on a cold table in front of pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. Webster's body looked to Omalu like the body of a much older man, and the circumstances of his behavior prior to his death were clouded in mystery. But when Omalu cut into Webster's brain, it appeared to be normal. Something didn't add up.
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Truly Enlightening
- By Marie on 01-31-20
By: Dr. Bennet Omalu, and others
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The Pact
- Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream
- By: Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt
- Narrated by: Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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All too often, we hear about the dangers of male friendships in which peer pressure prevails over common sense. But for George Jenkins, Sampson Davis, and Rameck Hunt, strong and supportive male friendship was a powerful antidote to the temptations and pitfalls of street life. It led three boys to make a vow to be there for one another, to encourage one another every step of the way, until they overcame the odds and became doctors.
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Very Inspirational
- By Heather on 04-10-09
By: Drs. Sampson Davis, and others
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American Fire
- Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
- By: Monica Hesse
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Shocked by a five-month arson spree that left rural Virginia reeling, Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse drove down to Accomack County to cover the trial of Charlie Smith, who pled guilty to 67 counts of arson. But Charlie wasn't lighting fires alone: he had an accomplice - his girlfriend, Tonya Bundick. Through her depiction of the dangerous shift that happened in their passionate relationship, Hesse brilliantly brings to life the once-thriving coastal community and its distressed inhabitants.
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Narration is horrible
- By Bryan Campbell on 08-17-17
By: Monica Hesse
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Bluegrass
- A True Story of Murder in Kentucky
- By: William Van Meter
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely published journalist William Van Meter returned to his hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky to research this harrowing account of a horrifying crime that occurred at Western Kentucky University. In 2003, attractive college student Katie Autry was found dead in her dorm room after being raped, stabbed, and set on fire. As Van Meter delves into the facts of the case, further disturbing information surfaces.
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Excellent!
- By brooke whitehead on 01-09-23
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Hate Crime
- The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas
- By: Joyce King
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 7, 1998, James Byrd, Jr., a 49-year-old black man, was dragged to his death while chained to the back of a pickup truck driven by three young white men. It happened just outside of Jasper, a sleepy East Texas logging town that, within 24 hours of the discovery of the murder, would be inextricably linked in the nation's imagination to an exceptionally brutal, modern-day lynching. In this superbly written examination of the murder and its aftermath, award-winning journalist Joyce King brings us on a journey that begins at the crime scene.
By: Joyce King
What listeners say about The Meaning of Matthew
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Marjorie Skeens
- 03-13-23
Heartbreaking
I would recommend this books to anyone that would like to hear their story as it happened through the eyes and ears of those who love Matthew
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- Kelley Winters
- 09-06-21
Good listen!!
Its a sad story and for his mom n dad to deal with it and stay strong, bless them!!
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- M
- 06-14-17
I cried
I started it on my bus rides to a semester final then finished it in the library after. Cried on the bus. Judy truly did a great job giving me information and emotion that paired with it.
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- sherry
- 08-10-12
Heart breaking story
Would you listen to The Meaning of Matthew again? Why?
I would listen to this book again and again. I found this story very sad, but the only way to change past mistakes is to find where we went wrong.
What other book might you compare The Meaning of Matthew to and why?
sadly to many.
What three words best describe Judy Shepard’s voice?
dry
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
there is a movie about this story already. After reading the book its not the same as the movie. The movies are hardly ever same as the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mrs. O
- 10-03-16
Sad read...
Would you consider the audio edition of The Meaning of Matthew to be better than the print version?
Yes.
Which scene was your favorite?
None
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Matthew's death
Any additional comments?
I remember the day Matthew was murdered and was devastated that someone could be murdered just because of hate.
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- Christian C Matagne
- 07-18-16
I love this book...
Such a beautiful yet heart-rending story and one that I can never forget. His life was so important to all of us.
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- Anshel Bomberger
- 06-17-23
Patience, Faith, Reward
I purchased this eBook, because I needed to hear Judy’s voice as she recalled her own words.
I too have a son and he is gay. I have lived as a lesbian and now as a trans masculine human ‘being.’
Judy, your words struck me throughout. I once lived in Casper and worked for a short time for KCWY-TV. I know of the winds you spoke of.
I live in the mountains of Colorado (Georgetown, CO).
I was struck that you shared you were a Job’s Daughter (Patience, Faith, Reward). What I learned from those words from the time I was twelve to the time of receiving my majority at eighteen have never left me.
During times of hate (yes, I have been called creepy by members of my synagogue and was Torah thumped by my own rabbi, has taught me to see the spark of the divine in everyone; including those whose cruelty toward made me feel like I needed a bag over my head. When I met with the rabbi and one woman that shamed me in front of the congregation, I was given the message that if I didn’t look the way I did, no one would make fun of me to my face. I asked them how a blind person would see me? Not for my tattoos or changing body; but for how I treated people. I have always looked someone in their eyes to see their soul, not their hairstyle, tattoos, style of dress, what kind of cars they drive or how big of a house they have.
Near the end of our meeting, I explained that how I dress, what bathroom I decide on, is about me; not to make anyone else feel better.
I explained that my tattoos were my form of cutting and it was either doing that, or taking my own life.
My adopted mom gave me one dollar and her contempt when she died. It was to write me out of her life and Will. The dollar was so I would not contest anything. I didn’t want money, I wanted her acceptance.
The last thing I said during my meeting with my rabbi and the one congregant was this, ‘This is exactly why I love dogs more than people. Dogs have never treated me the way people have.’
I have an identical twin. She is heterosexual and it pains her that I have never been prissy and had the desire to play house while growing up or wanting to do as she and our mom wanted. Our adult life have been bouts of her going away for decades at a time. She just couldn’t handle how I was living. In 2023 I had to go away. She lives in Florida and stated that what Gov. DeSantis was doing was not about me and what was happening in Florida would not affect me in Colorado. At the time, the Gov. Polard (a Governor that was also a gay man), made Colorado a sanctuary State for transgender people. I knew the ‘Don’t say Gay,’ the book bans, and Drag Queen laws would cause other States to do the same. Even if I wanted to go to Florida to see my twin ever again, I risked being arrested for whatever bathroom I used. I knew I risked being denighed treatment if I had a medical emergency.
The work you, your husband, and the Matthew Shepard Goundation is doing is saving lives.
A few years ago I went to a fundraising dinner in Denver for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. I met you and your husband. There were so many people. I thanked you for the work you are doing to repair the world one person and moment at a time.
G-d bless you for your strength, dedication, and abilities to do what you are doing for the LGBTQI+ communities. I know that during tough times you are saying, ‘Patience, Faith, Reward.’
Anshel Bomberger,
Georgetown, CO
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- JPTurtle
- 10-24-17
A compassionate take of a parent's pain
Judy Shepard walks us through the lead-up, the tragedy and the acceptance of an unbelievably painful point in time. We learn about the people, their actions, consequences and more as we relive details of life before, during and after one of the worst tragedies in the LGBT community. Compelling and whatever the equivalent could be in Audible-land for "page turning"!
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- Cody
- 05-16-16
Beautifully written
A must read. The message of Love’s triumph over hate is truly “The Meaning of Matthew”.
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- Billy Halling
- 04-05-17
Empowering
This is not so much a review of the book and story of Mathew. As I feel to review this as a "Typical" book does not do justice for the purpose and reason behind the publication of Mathews' story. But to hope that whom ever takes the time to read or listen to this account may walk away with a little more Exceptance, Compassion and Understanding. First and foremost to help Erase Hate. Thank you Shepard family for sharing your life and son Mathew with the world. Thank You Matthew for being just who you were. Not by your choices but by a greater power those things are put in place to make this a more tolerant place to live. Thank You!
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