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

by Romaine Patterson and Patrick Hinds

Chronicles the life of Romaine Patterson, focusing on her work to fight discrimination against homosexuals, her friendship with Matthew Shepard, and her work combating the antigay demonstrators in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555839010
• ISBN13: 9781555839017
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Advocate Books
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Story

I didn't know who Romaine Patterson was until very recently and I didn't see the Laramie Project or anything. When "The Whole World was Watching"; I wasn't. I heard Derek and Romaine (Sirius OutQ 106) on the radio first. I knew about Mathew Sheppard, but didn't know much about it and certainly didn't know Romaine at all. SO - I found the book interesting on many levels. Romaine seems extremely earnest and honest in this book about herself, her family, Matt - everyone; no B.S., but that's her personality; she'll tell you like it is. Romaine's self reflection throughout the book is really captivating, maybe even now still having to explain her motivations to be in the media. Also, the book forces the reader to ask his or herself, "What would I have done?" Was it youthful idealism or naiveté or somehow was Romaine prepared for this `role' through her unusual wonderful family dynamic, own self possession and survival skills? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you really do realize that Romaine could have been me and Matt could have been my friend. As big a story as it became and as much as Matt is now a symbol of 'hate crime victim'; he was still a friend, a son and a brother - an ordinary person as beautiful and flawed as me or you. And Romaine was a good friend; a brave friend with interesting growing up stories of her own. Read the book.

The Whole World Was Watching

I received the book today and could not put it down. It really helped me understand the "real" story in Romaine's eyes and life. Thank you for bringing your story to mainstream. You are the best!

The Way Romaine Wanted It

As a listener of the Derek and Romaine Show on Sirius Satellite Radio I heard about this book for quite a while before it was acutally published. While I hear people describe the book as being depicted in thirds, that is correct and if you ask Romaine that is the way she wanted it. As far as those of you who are condeming her for telling it third person and for not getting into the Matthew Shepard life realize Romaine did this book with Judy Shepard's permission. I have heard Judy Speak on the radio show and know that there is a dynamite bond between Romaine and Judy. To those of you who feel this book ends abruptly without wrapping everything up in a neat package, grow up...realize Romaine is still living life and enjoying every minute of it, it would be dishonest to herself to wrap everthing up in a neat package, that is just NOT Romaine. Please know that Romaine worked hard on this book and those who are regular listeners to the show know that, she struggled more than most of us know to put this book out. By far I recommed it to any one who wants to know what it was like to be there and to deal with it.

Angels in America

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.

The Whole World Wears Blinders

This is an awesome personal story of someone tied up through friendship to the victim of a hate crime. It also details the further victimization of that friend through the media that so many of us rely on for the truth. This book is about Romaine Patterson from youth to adulthood and her experiences as a friend of Matthew Shepard's and the Shepard family. This book should not be mistaken as a personal account of Matthew's short life. Way to go Romaine, our community could use many more like you.