Living and Dying in 4/4 Time

Living and Dying in 4/4 Time

UpStart Press, 305 West 45th St., Ste. 3-I, New York, NY 10036. 198p. ISBN 0-9701274-8-0. $12.95.
Paul Gallotta. 2000.

Paul Gallotta states in the introduction "This was never meant to be a book. I began keeping a journal back in 1985 (Women keep diaries, men don't. I Keep a Journal.), because I kept witnessing things I couldn't explain, these had no pharmaceutical explanation." As a social worker, he brings a different view of how AIDS has affected individuals. All that he relates is 98 percent true. This is a fascinating book that gives us a glimpse of Gallotta's life from 1985 through 1999. He candid in telling his stories, making you want to read more and more. On August 25, 1987 he wrote: "Bayard Rustin died yesterday. Every obituary I read mentioned that he was instrumental in helping Martin Luther King with his Civil Rights campaign in the early to mid 60s. None mentioned he was gay. You know they'd have said something if he were a child molester." And on November 20, 1994-"A bunch of us attended memorial services for Pedro Zamora today. Most wouldn't have gone except that the Rev. Fred Phelps had bombarded Center One with faxes: 'The Westboro Baptist Church will picket funeral of Famous MTV Fag Zamora: Filthy Face of Fag Evil.' I have difficulty understanding why that man is still alive. He and about four of his family members did in fact show up, and they were shouted down by about 1,000 activists who were howling for his blood."

Gallotta provides us with a memoir that is sometimes irreverent and sometimes wickedly funny. He tells the truth as no one is able to tell it, interviewing the icons of the heavy metal music world to talking with people struggling with AIDS in South Florida. He comes from a closeted life dominated by alcohol and drugs to that of a proud 'out' gay man in a loving, healthy, committed relationship raising a child. It is a beautiful book that tells stories that are only alluded to in the newspapers. It is a highly recommended book for everyone to read.

Keywords: Social Aspects
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BK011091

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