| Description |
199 pages ; 23 cm |
| Contents |
Blood -- A man in hiding -- The regular -- Ana -- Sandwich interlude -- College -- Throwing hope away -- The split -- Summer 21 -- The pine cone did it -- Lungs -- Ears -- Yachts -- Sunset upon the heart -- The handbook to dating with HIV -- My Lolita -- Chase Manhattan owns me -- Ankles -- The depressing effect of numbers -- Loose lips -- The unicorn -- Winter is the cruelest season -- Cocktails -- Recovery -- The open door. |
| Summary |
When he turned 18 in his senior year of high school, Smoak's parents and doctors told him he had tested HIV-positive several years earlier, the result of a blood transfusion administered to treat his hemophilia. This remarkable first book from Smoak, an English teacher and writer, begins during his final year of high school in rural North Carolina. The narrative follows his student days at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and several years beyond. Unlike most HIV-inspired memoirs, this one is also a coming-of-age story, one that describes a transition that was sometimes excruciatingly difficult owing to Smoak's HIV and hemophilia. Without self-pity, the author recounts the trials of dating girls and working odd jobs in college, while simultaneously enduring the fear of disclosing his HIV to his friends. By the end of the book readers will cheer for Smoak, feeling an affinity sparked by his perseverance and humble humanity. |
| Subject |
Smoak, Shelby.
|
|
Hemophiliacs -- Virginia -- Biography.
|
| ISBN |
9781611860696 paperback alkaline paper |
|
1611860695 paperback alkaline paper |
|
