THE VOICES OF AIDS

In this hard-hitting but wholly compassionate book, Ford (One Hundred Questions & Answers About AIDS, 1992) interviews people personally affected by the AIDS crisis. Some are HIV-positive themselves, some have lost friends or family members to AIDS, and all are active in the fight to educate others about the virus. Interspersed with the conversations are ``Fast Facts'' that clearly define HIV and AIDS, explain how one can and cannot be infected, discuss safer sex, and dispel a lot of myths. The interviews are honest, intimate, and moving. Many of the participants are quite young, and the themes of self-esteem, self- respect, and respect for others surface repeatedly: The book's messages is that young people need the emotional support that enables them to value their own lives and the lives of others in order to act responsibly. Ford's book, despite the subject, is uplifting because of the energy and commitment the interviewees bring to the fight against the disease. (Nonfiction. 12+)