Page 49 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October 2015

Freda Wagman 49

SNIPPETS FROM THE TRENCHES

a mother’s AIDs memoir

by Freda Wagman

The really extraordinary thing about this book is that it
tells the story of how one mother embarked on her
feverish course of involvement in the AIDS
community, in large part to help herself come to terms
with the possibility of her son's death. But all that
work really doesn't prepare her. She becomes
incredibly intimate with a series of strangers, yet she
and her son have more and more trouble talking about
HIS illness, which is the reason she is doing all this in
the first place. She becomes indispensable at the
bedsides of countless other people, but when Gary is
dying, she still feels helpless, disconnected and as if
she'd never set foot in an AIDS hospital room. What is
moving about this book is the fact that all this
preparation doesn't prepare, because NOTHING can
prepare her." Susan Choi, Pulitzer Prize finalist,
American Woman

Other Reviews Include:
This book will make you shake your head, laugh, cry
and ponder over what has happened during the last 20
years of the AIDS crisis. It is a story of a mother who
has to come to terms not only with her son's illness but
her fierce protection of his feelings. Beautifully
written, you learn how fragile and random life can be.
The strength that grows when you open your heart and
mind helps us heal from losses life deals all of us.
Revealed is a generous soul who has her prized
possession taken from her and can only deal with it by
giving back to others around her. - Peter Waterloo,
San Francisco

I was so very overwhelmed by this compelling
narrative of the scourge, AIDS epidemic. I was
reminded of the Bubonic Plague and what people suffered in those horrific years. What a wonderful and empathetic soul the
author is and so giving to others in desperate need of love and care. The account of the saddening travails of her own son, Gary,
brought me to tears. Perhaps only a mother can feel and understand what those people were (and are) going through and what
looms in their futures. This is truly an important true story. We have much to learn from Ms. Wagman's wide experiences with a
variety of young people who had one tragic thing in common -- a war with AIDS. - Bea and Woody, Michigan

As the father of an HIV positive gay man, this story had a huge impact on me. I realized that we have almost slipped into the
mindset that AIDS, with the current cocktails of medications, has become a "chronic" disease. Of course it's not. Even though we
now see many long-term survivors, 15 years or more, we know that the ultimate outcome of this incurable disease has not
changed. This story of passion and hard work for the AIDS cause and for those who became infected is the story of a volunteer
angel, doing her best in the face of knowing that the odds are all against her. Living through each individual tragedy and still being
able to help is a mental and physical challenge that few people could manage. This part of the story will give others the courage
to persist and assist. The other part of the story, the personal relationship with her son Gary, is simply inspiring. Freda's
description of her recognition, her adjustments, her life modifications is one that must have taken rare courage to put on paper. It
will cause many of us to review and revise our own relationships and our own lives. Her book will give us the insights that we
need for our life as family and friends of the AIDS community. - George, Texas

Available at Amazon.com and wikipublishinghouse.com and

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