On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one-year-old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two young men, then savagely beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left to die. Five days later, Lesléa Newman arrived on campus to give the keynote speech for the University of Wyoming's Gay Awareness Week. October Mourning is Lesléa Newman's deeply personal response to the events of that tragic day and its brutal aftermath. This work of poetic imagination explores the impact of the vicious crime through fictitious monologues from various points of view, including the fence to which Matthew was tied, the deer that kept watch beside him, and even Matthew himself. This stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers too young to remember and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard's life and legacy.
Every morning in the Japanese town of Shibuya, Professor Ueno awakens and is greeted by his loyal Akita dog, Hachiko. They enjoy a breakfast together before the professor leaves to catch the train to the school where he teaches. And Hachiko sits at the station eagerly awaiting his master's return. Then one afternoon Professor Ueno does not return. And Hachiko waits. Days and weeks pass and still no one-not even the young boy Yasuo who comes to care for him-can persuade the faithful dog to leave his post. Years go by and yet still he waits. In time, Hachiko will come to be remembered and honored throughout Japan for his singular devotion. Poet, author, and animal advocate Leslea Newman earned an ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Honor and scores of other accolades for this touching tale based on a true story. Sprinkled throughout with Japanese vocabulary words, this audio production serves as an excellent introduction to a different culture while simultaneously illustrating the universality of human emotions.
