The House of Impossible Beauties

 

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara  400 pp.

In the 1970s Drag Ballrooms were created when Crystal and Lottie LaBeija created the first "House" of black and Latinx queer, gay, and trans people to hold their first ball in reaction to the drag beauty contests where non-white contestants were ignored. The phenomenon spread in Manhattan and more "houses" were created run by the house "Mother" and sometimes "Father" and the queens who came to live with them. This novel is a historical fiction version of those days and many of the more famous queens of the time are featured as characters. Focusing mainly on House Extravaganza and it's members, especially it's founder, Angel Extravaganza, and Venus Extravaganza. Their lives were gritty and dangerous as many worked as gay prostitutes on the streets of Manhattan. Others were purveyors of drugs and often used what they sold becoming addicts. Then, with the appearance of the HIV virus, death became even more prevalent than before. Many succumbed to violence, drugs or AIDS during that time and this book doesn't shy away from the horrors of the period even as many tried to keep putting their best face (and costumes) out there for the world to see. The real Venus Extravaganza was murdered, probably by a john, both in the story and real life. It is heart wrenching how the Houses came together out of the need for places to stay and became found families for so many that were estranged from their blood families. The film "Paris is Burning" is about this era and the balls and Queens who populated them.

Disasterama!

Disasterama! Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977 -1997 by Alvin Orloff (2019) 232 pages

Disasterama! is a simultaneously entertaining and sobering look behind the curtain at the lives of gays in San Francisco in the era beginning just before the AIDS epidemic took off. Chapter 1 shows author Alvin Orloff, just 16, getting off the bus in a gay ghetto area, wandering about, watching young gays primp as older men eye them and choose them. Fast forward over the next 20 years: Orloff's adventures include his friendships, love interests, earning a living as a stripper, and much more. AIDS has a large part in the story: Orloff indicates that if one hadn't seen a friend around for a time, it was more likely that the person had died from AIDS than that he had simply moved away.

Being deficient in gay culture, I'm sure I missed a number of references that would have meaning for others, but I have no complaints. This memoir provided me with a captivating education.

Taking Turns

Taking turns: stories from HIV/AIDS care unit 371 / MK Czerwiec, 231 pgs.

A wonderful example of non-fiction graphic lit which gives a history of Unit 371, a HIV/AIDS care unit that treated patients like family and made a difference in their lives and deaths.  M. K. Czerwiec started her nursing career on the unit and her experiences there informed everything else in her life.  This is a history of her experiences but deeper in that she interviewed surviving patients and coworkers to come up with a beautiful history of the unit and the time.

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of The Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of The Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives by Matt Richtel, 425 pages.

Richtel, a reporter who has written several novels and the nonfiction work, A Deadly Wandering, the account of fatal car crash, centers this work on the immune system and advances in immunology. He tells the stories of four people, a government attorney who contracted AIDS back in the mid-1980s, a professional golfer with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and two people who, for the love of god, I no longer recall (wait, I just remembered the main one--the author's high-school buddy who has developed a particularly aggressive cancer). He tells their stories, not only their lives, but the stories of their diagnosis and treatment.
With the four parallel stories and with the narrative history of immunology woven in there, Richtel does a good job of keeping the reader interested.
A decent introduction to immunology, written in an engaging and accessible style.

The Immortalists

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin  346 pp.

This book was not what I expected but I enjoyed it. The four Gold siblings, two boys and two girls, sneak out to visit a fortune teller and are told when they will die. Even though they think what they were told is all phony, those revelations go on to affect their lives. Only one was given the prediction of a long life. Simon, the youngest and sister Klara escape to the west coast for the party culture and show business, Daniel, the elder brother, becomes an army doctor, while older sister, Varya, does longevity research. The book explores the question "Are we the victims or the perpetrators of our own fate?" I listened to the downloadable audiobook which is well read by Maggie Hoffman.

Christodora

Christodora: a novel by Tim Murphy  432 pp.

At first I had trouble getting into this novel because the characters all seemed to be television stereotypes of New Yorkers of various socioeconomic classes and ethnicities. Eventually I was able to put that aside as the story evolved. The Christodora is a building in the East Village that, after becoming run down, was renovated into apartments and became the symbol of gentrification in the area. The novel encompasses the 1980s through to current times jumping back and forth in time to tell a fictionalized version based in reality of the early days of the AIDS crisis, those who fought for research into treatments, and others whose lives were directly impacted by the people involved. Everything connects back to the Christodora in some way. The main story revolves around Millie and Jared, a married couple, both artists, who adopt Mateo, a young boy whose activist mother died of AIDS complications. Their story is wrapped up in the stories of Hector, a gay Puerto Rican activist & drug addict, Millie's mother, a Health Department Official turned AIDS advocate, friends of Millie & Jared from the art world, and others who enter, leave, and return to their lives in a myriad of ways. In addition to the building, Mateo is a catalyst that draws many of them together throughout is life, first as a boy, then a teen trying to cope with the truth about his mother, his drug addiction, and his ultimate success as an artist. I cannot say that I liked this book but it has a memorable impact.

Just Kids

Just Kids by Patti Smith  278 pp.

This is a beautifully written memoir of the author's life and relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe beginning with their meeting on a NY street in the '60s and pretty much ending with Mapplethorpe's death from AIDS in 1989. Having only known of Smith through her music and Mapplethorpe through the infamous photo exhibition that caused such an uproar, I was unaware that the two were lovers, friends, and cohorts, as well as supporters of each other's varied artistic endeavors. It was a magical time to live in New York City and this book shows why. Tales of the other denizens of the Chelsea Hotel, Smith's work at Brentano's and Scribner's book stores and her evolution from poet into performer are all described in a lyrical way. I fully understand why it was a National Book Award winner. The disappointment for me was in listening to the audiobook read by the author. Smith's delivery is almost in monotone and heavy with her New Jersey accent. Her incessant use of the word "drawling" for drawing is off-putting along with other mispronunciations that abound in the reading.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt  360 pp.

In 1987 AIDS was something to fear and be ashamed of. In fourteen year old June's family it isn't discussed even though her beloved Uncle Finn is dying of the disease. June's mother blames Finn's boyfriend, Toby, and won't allow him at the funeral. When Toby contacts June, they form a bond based on their sorrow over Finn's death. Each does not realize, Finn had given the other the task of taking care of one another. June's talented sister Greta was jealous of June's relationship with Finn and is equally jealous of her friendship with Toby. Greta is troubled in many ways and heading in a downward spiral. Soon the two girls seem to bond only through the portrait Finn made of them. In order for the lies to be revealed and the secrets to be told, the family must reveal their own emotions and weaknesses. But June still holds on to some of hers at the end. There is a lot happening in this story. While AIDS is the catalyst for the events, lies and secrets are the fuel. It's a well told tail about a scary era in recent history.

Linda's review.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen, 587 pages.

Science writer Quammen, author of 2003's excellent Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind, presents a well-researched, well-written, and decidedly even account of several serious, and sometimes deadly diseases that have made the leap from animal hosts to humans. From viral diseases like Hendra, Marburg, Ebola, AIDs, and influenza, to bacterial diseases such as Lyme, Q-fever, and Psittacosis, to the plasmodium parasites that cause the various types of malaria, Quammen traces significant outbreaks of the diseases in humans, and sifting through the written records and interviews with the researchers who were in the field, he recounts the backtracking of the disease to its animal host. Quammen patiently explains how doctors, veterinarians, and microbiologists attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding outbreaks around the globe. He explains the basics of virology, and touches on the basics of bacteriology. And he shows his readers the difference between a reservoir host and a species that is also experiencing an outbreak infection. Those that are reservoir hosts "carries the pathogen, harbors it chronically, while suffering little of no illness." Other animal hosts, suspected of being reservoirs, are often proved not to be so by their absence. Gorillas were suspected as a reservoir for Ebola, but their complete disappearance and suspected die-off prove that they were victims as well. Butchering the meat of an animal (specifically monkees, chimps, or gorillas) is, however, the suspected mode of initial transmission of both Ebola and HIV. A fascinating book told in a conversational and accessible style. I look forward to reading Quammen's classic Song of the Dodo.

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Wendel

The Complete Wendel by Howard Cruse  288 pp.

This is a compilation of all the Wendel cartoons that appeared in The Advocate magazine from 1983-89 and one stand-alone comic published in 1990. It is a look back on what was going on in the LGBT community during the era when AIDS was beginning its devastation and the Gay Pride parades were gaining status. In spite of the political commentary that appears in the cartoons, it is really the story of the day to day life of Wendel-an aspiring auther, his partner Ollie-an actor, Ollie's son from a brief marriage, and their many friends. There is a lot of nudity and sex in the cartoons as well as some stereotypical characters that remind me of some people I know. Cruse's portrayal of the meetings of a political organization where every person takes offense at something reminds me of some meetings I've been involved in. Cruse ends the book with a "Where are they now?" look at the main characters.