The Whole World Was Watching: Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard [Hardcover]

Romaine Patterson (Author), Patrick Hinds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

On the evening of Thursday, October 8, 1998, 20-year-old Romaine Patterson received a phone call that her best friend, Matthew Shepard, had been beaten and left hanging on a split-rail fence outside Laramie, Wyoming. Romaine was then thrust to the center of the worldwide media frenzy that descended on Laramie, and she came face-to-face with twisted homophobia when Baptist minister Fred Phelps and his followers picketed Matthew’s funeral with signs reading, “Matt burns in hell.” Upon learning of Phelps’ plan to bring his ministry of hate to support Matt’s killers at their trial, Romaine went into action. Who can forget the image of Romaine and her friends donning seven-foot angel wings so they could encircle Phelps and his gang, leaving the picketers silent and invisible? From that moment forward, Romaine has become a spokesperson for tolerance, acceptance, and nonviolence around the globe, whether as a founder of Angel Action, as a consultant for The Laramie Project (the award-winning play that has been produced hundreds of times and became an acclaimed HBO film starring Christina Ricci as Romaine). In one of their last conversations, Matt told Romaine that he wanted to spend his life helping people realize that they as individuals could make a difference in the world. This is Romaine Patterson’s journey to realizing the truth of that statement.

Wyoming native Romaine Patterson got started in activism when her close friend Matthew Shepard was killed. In April of 1999, she founded Angel Action, an organization for peaceful demonstration. Angel Action is now used all over the world as a means of combating hate. She has also served as a regional media manager for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). She continues her work educating youth about hate crimes and has lectured at the University of Wyoming, Georgetown University, Penn State, and others. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Seven years ago, Matthew Shepard was murdered--and became the eye of a media hurricane in Laramie, Wyoming, that culminated in the arrival of Baptist minister Fred Phelps to picket the funeral with signs reading "Matt burns in hell" and "The Wages of Gay Sin is Death." Patterson, Shepard's best friend and a "tomboy" with three gay brothers in her large Irish family, marshaled support for foiling Phelps' espousal of the killers at their trial, thereby launching herself as global activist and spokeswoman for gay acceptance. She went on to become a consultant for The Laramie Project, an award-winning play later filmed by HBO, and reinvent herself to carry half of the Derek and Romaine Show on satellite radio. Her often-hilarious stories of budding-lesbian girlhood offset by summer vacations in Denver with a dying brother; of her undergraduate career as one of the Casper Queers (of Casper College, where she met Shepard); and of Shepard's funeral-turned-media-circus retrace this gutsy yet introspective woman's deeply moving personal journey into international political activism. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Romaine Patterson is the co-host of Sirius Radio's Derek and Romaine Show. She founded Angel Action and served as a consultant for The Laramie Project. She was formerly Regional Media Manager for GLAAD. She has lectured about hate crimes extensive

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Advocate Books (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555839010
• ISBN-13: 978-1555839017
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angels in America, November 22, 2005

By 

H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Whole World Was Watching: Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard (Hardcover)

When I first read that Romaine Patterson and others had done the number with the angels at Laramie, it sounded like just another passive gay event and not nearly confrontational enough. After having read and seen THE LARAMIE PROJECT and having read Ms. Patterson's account of what happened, I see that I was wrong and that this little bit of theatre did work. Anyone who could shut down Fred Phelps and his crowd is to be commended. The phrase that comes to mind about him is the banality of evil.

This book is certainly worth reading and needed to be done. Ms. Patterson was one of Matthew Shephard's closest friends, and his life and death captured the hearts of America, at least for a short time. I don't expect these kinds of narratives to be well-written; this one is. Ms. Patterson, in addition to discussing her friendship with Matthew Shepard and his effect on her life, also writes about growing up in rural Wyoming, as a teenager coming out as a lesbian with the accompanying problems and the deaths of both her brother from AIDS and her father from cancer.

Everyone who knows Ms. Patterson, including Judy Shepard who bears witness in her foreword, seems to think that the writer is above all else honest. I'm not sure that she isn't too honest. For example, she tells us that on two separate occasions she took a thousand dollars, one for an interview and the other for the sale of a photograph of Matthew. Additionally it appears that she was at times used by the media. Her account of being wired and going to the infamous fence with reporters in order that they could record her reactions has circus written all over it. On the other hand, she was what, 20, 21, and was emotionally fragile from a lot of events: Matthew's death, the death of her brother, her relationship with her girl friend. In short, let's not crucify her for trying to tell the truth.

I did not learn a great deal about the life of Matthew Shepard from this book. His parents may be the ones to write the definitive story of his life if it needs to be written. On the other hand, it really doesn't matter who he was or whether or not he was depressed or used drugs or was HIV positive. What matters is that he was a decent young man who didn't deserve what happened to him. In a strange way, Matthew became everyone's kid brother and many of us were traumatized in a way we did not expect by his death. After all, homophobia is not a new evil. Anita Bryant is now ancient history, but Matthew's death-- and do I have a right to call him by his first name?-- went to the very soul of America-- and the whole world as well. Of course for the most part legislators did not rush to state capitols to pass hate crimes legislation. As Ms. Patterson writes, the citizens of Laramie would like to forget about this case and get on with their lives. Of course, this sort of violence toward gay people or anyone who is different from the perpetrators will happen again, not necessarily in Wyoming, but around the world.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughter, Tears, Reflections, October 31, 2005

By 

Faith "A Married, Bible Believing, Mama to 4 ... (Middle of Nowhere, Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Whole World Was Watching: Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard (Hardcover)

Romaine Patterson and Patrick Hinds use to the point language in this memoir of Romaine Patterson's life before and after the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. I am a self admited nosy person and I love reading about the lives of others. I picked up this book at the local library not knowing who Romaine Patterson was. When I read the cover I was intrigued, because I did know who Matthew Sheppard was from the blips I saw on the news years ago. The book stands on its own as a memoir of Romaine, without having to use or exploit Matthew Sheppard as a selling point. Romaine remains true to herself and her friendship with Matthew Sheppard as she shares her story. Romaine uses the written word to captivate the reader and I felt as if I really knew her and her family when she spoke of her childhood. I cried when I read about the Angels, as I didn't know that such a thing had occured. The book absolutely does not delve into persuading the reader to be "pro gay" and I appreciated that. It would have spoiled the message that I think Romaine wanted to get across- that it is about LOVE not HATE in our world. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would encourage others to read it. It brings the reader back to LIFE, to reality, and it gave me knowledge and and inside look at the tragic death of Matthew Sheppard- but focused on his life and those that he touched. Romaine you are an awesome writer and I hope that you are able to write more of your stories to share with us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting in many ways, April 1, 2006

By 

James Hiller (Beaverton, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Whole World Was Watching: Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard (Hardcover)

The world shall not easily forget the memory of Matthew Shepard. Wyoming college student, so senselessly murdered on a cold October night, left to die alongside a fence with prarie lights visible in the distance, so close to help, yet so far. Much has also been said about the people in Matthew's circle; Laramie residents, all affected whether they knew him or not, and his friends and family, who formed a net to catch this falling star, only, not in time. One of these friends speaks in her frank and earnest memoir, "The Whole World Was Watching" by Romaine Patterson.

It would be too easy to see Romaine just through the eyes of the Matthew Shepard story, although it's obvious she will forever be associated with him. Romaine works to expand her own self by allowing us to see her grow up first. With three other gay siblings in her family, a new life opens up to her when she discovers her own sexuality. She writes fondly yet honestly about her older brother Michael's fight with AIDS. By the time Matthew enters the story, she's our friend and ally, as well as his.

Then Matthew comes and goes in the story, almost too quick. Perhaps we want to hold on to him, to protect him, but life must go on. Romaine is thrown into the media melting pot of instant celebrity-hood, and successfully manages to learning the ropes rather quickly.

The heart of the story comes with Romaine's decision to protect Matthew's somewhat distant parents at the trial of Russell Henderson, when a "he-who-shall-not-be-named" preacher planned to visit and protest. In a moment of inspired brilliance, the Wyoming Angels are borne, and with a few feet of PVC pipe, a cross-section of people, and hearts of gold, one of the greatest acts of peace was born. Romaine tells the story, downplays her role in it, and realizes how it becomes a defining moment in her life.

The book then becomes a journal of what happens after "the end"; a somewhat surprising and honest journey that Romaine takes, still the celebrity, yet still just a normal girl trying to grow up. She realizes she must find her own feet, and walk her own path; and what twenty-something doesn't realize that at some point? Her journey I must say was interesting, if not all too honest.

Romaine's journey is far from over, and after reading this book, I only wish her a few years of contented peace. In the meantime, I think I'll start a letter writing campaign. It seems that at least one of the angel costumes should be in the Smithsonian. And maybe some people in Sweden ought to have considered the brave actions of this girl when awarding their little peace medal.