AEGiS-BKREV: (UC) Way We Write Now: Short Stories from the AIDS Crisis

(UC) Way We Write Now: Short Stories from the AIDS Crisis

Citadel Press/Carol Publishing Group, 600 Madison Ave., 4th Fl., New York, NY 10022. 294p. ISBN 0-8065-1638-0. $14.95.
edited by Sharon Oard Warner. 1995. (Contributors to this volume: Allen Barnett, Beth Brant, Rebecca Brown, Alice Elliott Dark, Kent Gardien, David Leavitt, Dennis McFarland, Adam Mars-Jones, Susan Onthank Mates, Paul Monette, Lucia Neval, Achy Obejas, Richard Selzer, Susan Sontag, Abraham Verghese, Sharon Oard Warner)

"The short stories in this book were published between 1986 and 1994, a span of only eight years, less than a decade in the AIDS crisis, and yet the stories themselves reflect the changes our culture has witnessed in those years." The short stories are arranged in rough chronological order beginning with "The Way We Live Now," by Susan Sontag and ending with "These Days," by Susan Onthank Mates. Sontag's story is a moving story in which the acronym, AIDS, is never mentioned, yet the disease is known and the issues of the crisis are brought out. Each story is powerful and beautifully written with the intent, in some cases, to catch the reader off guard, causing one to re-read again and again. Monette's short story is part of a novel by the same name, about two brothers who have not seen each other for eight years, one dieing of AIDS. It is a jolting story that is about "confrontation between two brothers, about AIDS, ...self-pity,...a growing acceptance of death." Another excellent story is Obejas's "Above All, A Family Man," from her short story collection, We Came All the Way From Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?

The other short stories included in this highly recommended book are: "Slim," by Adam Mars-Jones; "Close," by Lucia Nevai; "Nothing to Ask For," by Dennis McFarland; "Gravity," by David Leavitt; "The Times As It Knows Us," by Allen Barnett; "Imagine a Woman," by Richard Selzer; "This Place," by Beth Brant; "A Simple Matter of Hunger," by Sharon Oard Warner; "BRU-ISER," by Kent Gardien; "The Agent of His Death is a White Woman," by Abraham Verghese; "In the Gloaming," by Alice Elliott Dark; and "The Gift of Hunger," by Rebecca Brown. These are stories that should be read by all, showing how we can express ourselves in a time of severe crisis. Highly recommended for all libraries.

Keywords: Patients, Fiction, Social Life and Customs, Gay Men, American Fiction, Short Stories)

960630
BK966551

Copyright © 1996 - The University of Illinois at Chicago. All materials in the journal are subject to copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting, redistribution, or translation, address requests to H. Robert Malinowsky, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, PO Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680 or electronically to hrm@uic.edu.

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .