AWESOMEYvonne

I actually read this book in July of 2023. It was a pride month read, just a little late. At the time I gave it 4 stars. The fact that I randomly still think about this book leads me to believe that perhaps I should have rated it higher. You can that here.

This is a historical fiction book that takes place in both 1985 and 2015 and swaps back and forth between the time lines. The 1985 timeline is during the growth of the AIDS epidemic in Chicago. 

I adored the character Yale Tishman, a gay man living in Chicago in 1985. Adoring him was hard because well, the story is about the AIDS epidemic. There was bound to be tragedy but what was worse was reading about how he was forced to live his life, even prior to AIDS and all the misunderstandings that initially came with it. The awful prejudice, the unspoken rules to follow, the way inhumane treatment. People can be so kind and loving and people can be so awful and monstrous. And when you add fear in, you that monstrous streak turns into a living and breath ugly hate. 

So, obviously, the book is heavy but such a good thought-provoking story. I find myself thinking about the characters at random times or situations that came up in the book and have found myself emotional.