Mark

``Dad, I think it would be better if I just died. Then you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore.'' These heartbreaking words were spoken by the author's hemophiliac son Mark who contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. The boy died in 1986 at age 14. Hoyle, who teaches at a Catholic school, refused to believe that God would take his son. This mundane log of the family's and Mark's ordeal is nevertheless noteworthy not only because he was the first child with AIDS knowingly allowed to attend public school but also because the community of Swansea, Mass., ultimately rallied behind the junior-high-school student instead of banishing him. We read about the town's initial fear and anger, explosive school meetings and eventual widespread support for Mark's rights as a person with AIDS. His philosophy``A winner never quits and a quitter never wins''helped his family endure the tragedy. The diary interweaves transcripts of radio shows and school meetings, letters and snapshots. (August)