Reviews

As I read LaBelle became Sharpton became the next writer as each essay bled into the other to present a sobering and often prophetic picture of HIV/AIDS.In essence, the book presents an interesting picture-in-text of a beleaguered group, a picture taken through the lenses of hope and prayer in order to confront a common enemy that crept in as people slept, and continues its assault as they lie half-awake the book is guaranteed to make you think, and perhaps inspire you to do something. Though wet with tears, it is also full of love, compassion, and the kind of strength that, according to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., allows people to ..". go on anyhow." --Joseph P. Blake "Philadelphia Inquirer ""

Edited by journalist and media consultant Robertson, whose brother has HIV, this collection of 58 essays intends to "give voice to the multitude of experiences felt by the African-American community living in the age of HIV and AIDS." Essay after essay presents the grim statistics, but nearly all go beyond the numbers, featuring personal stories, advice, and calls to action. Contributors represent a variety of viewpoints and experiences and include preachers, entertainers, writers, activists, and patients and their families. Some are famous (e.g., Rev. Al Sharpton, former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders), while others are simply ordinary people whose lives have been touched by HIV/AIDS. Though the collection includes diverse perspectives on how to address the epidemic, information about HIV/AIDS is presented accurately; all of the essays approach the subject with compassion rather than judgment or intolerance. Taken together, these essays send a powerful message: take care of yourselves, take care of one another, and speak out. Appendixes include a glossary and lists of HIV/AIDS hotlines and testing facilities. Highly recommended.--Janet A. Crum "Library Journal "

I didn't get around to reading Gil's book until this past weekend. I should've started sooner. It's humbling to be confronted by the specter of one's own ignorance, especially when it is a subject as immense as AIDS and HIV. 'Not in My Family' is an eclectic collection of 50-plus essays, a poem, several rants and plenty of thoughtful meditations by notable, notorious and not-so-famous African Americans writing about AIDS.--Tony Norman "Pittsburg Post-Gazette "

Not in My Family is a must read, but not merely as a heart-wrenching collection of moving AIDS memoirs. For perhaps more significantly, this seminal work simultaneously serves as the means of kickstarting candid dialogue about an array of pressing, collateral topics, ranging from homophobia to incarceration to brothers on the down low to low self-esteem to the use of condoms to the role of the Church in combating this virtually-invisible genocide quietly claiming African-Americana.--Kam Williams "AALBC.com "