The Book of Matt
Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard
by Stephen Jimenez
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 24 2013 | Archive Date Aug 24 2014
Steerforth Press | Steerforth
Description
A provocative and spellbinding examination of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard - unraveling for the first time the hidden complexities, motives, personalities and events surrounding this landmark American crime.
On a chilly October evening, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay college student, left a bar in Laramie, Wyoming with two alleged "strangers," Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, also 21. Eighteen hours later, Matthew was found tied to a log fence on the outskirts of town, unconscious and barely alive. He had been pistol-whipped so severely that the mountain biker who discovered his battered frame mistook him for a Halloween scarecrow.
Overnight, however, a politically expedient myth took the place of important facts in the case. By the time Matthew died a few days later, his name was synonymous with anti-gay hate. Vigils and protests were held in cities and towns across the nation. Hollywood celebrities, rock stars and Washington politicians eulogized Matthew and issued an urgent call for federal hate-crime legislation. But above all, it was the media that reduced the crime to a single, unblemished storyline: Matthew Shepard was randomly targeted, robbed and killed because he was gay.
The murder was a lightning rod that quickly became a cause, while its all-too-human victim was transformed into a martyr... an icon... a new American hero. But who was the real Matthew Shepard? And now that he was larger than life, did anyone care?
The book is sure to stir new controversy and dialogue as it re-frames this misconstrued crime and its cast of characters, proving irrefutably that Matthew Shepard was not killed for being gay but for reasons far more complicated - and daunting.
Advance Praise
"If you’re going to base a civil rights movement on one particular
incident, and the mythology about a particular incident, you’re asking
for trouble, because events are more complicated than most politicians
or most activists want them to be... No one should be afraid of the
truth. Least of all gay people... Shouldn’t we understand better why
and how?" — Journalist Andrew Sullivan
"In The Book of Matt, Stephen Jimenez steadfastly deconstructs one of modern America's more heinous, shocking, and despicable crimes. But as so often happens during great journeys of careful reporting, he discovers that the truth is far more complicated, and far more fascinating, than the headlines ever suggested. In the tradition of In Cold Blood and The Executioner's Song, this is a work of literary true crime that reaches far beyond the case itself to probe deep and troubling recesses of the American psyche." — Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Hellhound on His Trail
“Stephen Jimenez’s tireless investigation uncovers a shocking new perspective on the murder of Matthew Shepard. A sympathetic but fearless account of what happened on that terrible night outside Laramie, The Book of Matt provides us for the first time with the real story of an American tragedy.” —Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row
Marketing Plan
$100,000+ marketing budget
30-city author tour
National broadcast media campaign by Scott Manning and Associates
Cocial Media Marketing by Chatter LLC
$100,000+ marketing budget
30-city author tour
National broadcast media campaign by Scott Manning and Associates
Cocial Media Marketing by Chatter LLC
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781586422141 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
Average rating from 7 members
Featured Reviews
Whitney B, Reviewer
I was thirteen at the time of Matthew Shepard's murder thus this crime was not even on my radar.
That having been said, it took me several days to write this review if only to see it level-headed. There was so much to absorb. The one consistency throughout the book is how Matthew died, but the question I feel The Book of Matt asked was why.
While I was reading Stephen Jimenez's book I was reminded of Dave Cullen's Columbine. This is because in both books the author debunks certain myths of the assault. In Columbine, Cassie Bernell professed her belief in God seconds before she dies. Matthew Shepard's hate crime struck a sympathetic cord with people. Both became martyrs overnight. Couldn't we let it lie if only for their parent's sake? Then again, is it worse to let it fester? I think it is a matter of what people want to believe.
I think a prime example is a discussion I was having with my mother on books we were currently reading. All I had to say was "I'm reading a book on Matthew Shepard" and she immediately cut me off stating "the anti-gay hate crime." It is what the media has put out there, therefore it must be true.
Jimenez leads us to the conclusion that it was not a hate crime but rather a cover-up for a drug related crime. The first conclusion being a telephone game, shrinking in truth as it goes around the circle.
I was amazed by the vast amount of information the author laid out for the reader both leading up to and the aftermath of Matthew's killing. With multiple interviews brimming with information, it was enough to take me for a spin. Although, despite the plethora of knowledge several of the interviewees chose to remain anonymous, and while I realize that was their choice it sometimes had me question their reliability. In any event, it was all very eye-opening.
Another thing I noticed is that the author draws a picture of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson portraying them as people rather than the criminals they are. It was very Truman Capote style.
My conclusion? I feel that evidence was "misplaced" and methamphetamine did play a role. Perhaps a hate crime was easier to explain? Although I've never understood why you don't call a spade a spade.
The one truth I am certain of is that on October 6, 1998 Matthew Shepard was heinously killed, no matter what the motive that cannot be changed.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
