Young Man's Journey with AIDS

Reese puts a face and a name on PWAs (persons with AIDS) through her brutally honest account of her late son Jonathan's long struggle with the disease. A songwriter in a rock band, Jonathan changed his name to Nick Trevor, ran away from home and experimented with sex and drugs; his experiences took him to a foster home, a juvenile hall and a psychiatric facility. Then, at the age of 19 when he was just starting to see a steady girlfriend and go back to school, Nick was diagnosed with AIDS. Readers will see glimmers of Nick's charismatic and magnetic personality via an article he wrote for Static, the newspaper he edited, the occasional song lyric and from quotes Reese recalls in dialogue, but the majority of the book is from his mother's perspective. The facts in themselves are compelling, but, unfortunately, the adult point of view may deter teens (e.g., when Nick wants to sleep with his girlfriend in his home, ""To Nick, it was a matter of trust and not of his parents' responsibility for his 14-year-old visitor""). This chronicle of Nick's daily struggles and background on various treatments for PWAs will likely be most informative for those seeking information on AIDS. Ages 14-17. (Mar.)