Visions and Revisions

September 15, 2015

Activist, critic, and novelist Peck (Body Surfing) presents a collection of essays consisting of memoir and criticism covering the period 1987-96, the founding of ACT UP to the advent of lifesaving combination drug therapy for AIDS. The subject matter ranges from activist history to personal journals, from cultural criticism to journalistic coverage of serial killings of gay men. Peck is fearlessly and graphically self-revelatory in this portrait of an era shaped by fear and death that nonetheless created relationships and connections not otherwise possible. Narrator Jeff Woodman's frank reading creates a sense of intimacy. VERDICT Recommended for listeners interested in a vivid portrait of the time who are willing to mix some literary criticism with the memoir format. ["A powerful, gritty social commentary complemented by the author's coming-of-age story as a young adult during this tumultuous time. Recommended for progressive biography and memoir readers, human rights activists, and contemporary American history enthusiasts": LJ 3/15/15 review of the Soho hc.]--Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta

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