Brilliant at the time, but we were not as inured to people dying. ( )

"Grief is a sword, or it is nothing."

A furious, sharp and heartbreaking memoir of the early days of the U.S. AIDS epidemic, and Monette's partner's diagnosis, illness and death. Fiercely sorrowful, unsparingly angry. This book has substantial gaps in its political insight; it is primarily a story of the ravages AIDS wreaked on white rich gay men's community in Los Angeles in the mid-80s. But it is still one of the best political memoirs I've ever read, for its sheer determination and clarity of vision. Love and rage, Monette's got it down. Beautifully written.

Be careful with this one, especially if you have major ghosts to mourn. It will break that grief open; it will rage through you and may break you apart. ( )

A beautiful and tear filled book about the writer's experience with AIDS ( )