Five stars isn't a high enough rating: I give it 10 STARS.Libarary Journal Reviews This is an accessible, nonjudgmental guide for people dealing with an HIV diagnosis, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or needle/drug use status.
Grodeck, an online editor for the Rand Corporation who has been HIV-positive for 15 years, does not downplay the complexity of HIV, but his optimism about one's ability to live well with it is clear.
His book is broadly arranged by:
-- days (one through seven, from adjusting to the news through finding free services, considering a support group, and tracking one's health);
-- weeks (two through four, including dealing with the many aspects of HIV status disclosure); and
-- months (two through 12, including dating and sex, nutrition and exercise, managing medication -- and a very optimistic chapter on having children).
Given the constant changes in drug treatment, Grodeck does not focus on the latest in medications, gives short shrift to alternative medicines, and urges readers to find the best possible health provider, with many tips on how to do so. Experts are frequently quoted by both name and professional affiliation.
There are also sidebars on such issues as AIDS-defining opportunistic infections and 25 pages of resources -- all surprisingly lacking URLs. Libraries owning John Bartlett and Ann Finkbeiner's excellent -- though somewhat more densely written -- The Guide to Living with HIV Infection may consider this an optional purchase, but Grodeck's modestly priced and readable guide is suitable for both public libraries and for collections in HIV/AIDS or drug counseling agencies.
-- Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp. Lib., Boston (August 15, 2003)
I recommend this book be read cocurrently with The Guide to Living with HIV Infection by John G. Bartlett, M.D. and Ann K. Finkbeiner from John Hopkins AIDS Clinic. Both books compliment each other nicely. Grodeck's book is much more psychosocially based and the Hopkins Guide is very medically oriented.
Highly recommended without any reservation!
Dr. Dan Berger, a columnist for Positively Aware (see "The Buzz"), contributed greatly to the book and wrote the foreword. In addition to medical issues, the book covers topics such as disclosure, depression and where to go if you've been discriminated against.
--October issue of Positively Aware