My Epidemic: An AIDS Memoir of One Man’s Struggle as Doctor, Patient and Survivor
Author Andrew M Faulk MD
Thank you so much to Dr Faulk for providing me with a copy of his memoir in exchange for this honest review.
My Epidemic is the memoir of Dr. Andrew M. Faulk, MD. He tells the story of his life as both doctor and patient through the beginning of the AIDS epidemic all the way up to his continuing survival today.
Dr Faulk has been HIV positive since the beginning of the most misunderstood epidemic in modern history. He was required to keep his HIV status, as well as sexual orientation, private in order to become a successful doctor through this time. Unfortunately, we haven’t come far enough as a society for it to be surprising that a gay man might be ridiculed (or much much worse) due to their identity.
But Dr. Faulk knew it was all for good reason. He was able to treat his friends and aquaintances when many others were refusing them at the hospital doors. He carries the unbelievably heavy burden of seeing so many of his loved ones die at the hands of this disease.
And yet, he stuck the course. He stayed healthy himself in order to care for others. My Epidemic radiates with compassion. Dr. Faulk comes off as absolutely magnificent, but not in a way that feels like he’s boasting. He simply writes his own story and the events speak for themselves.
Dr. Faulk is honest about how hard his journey has been. How exhausting caring for so many dying friends and brothers was. And honest about how difficult it was when it came time to stop.
He discusses many medical conditions and aspects of his life as a doctor using true medical jargon in a way that respects the reader. He doesn’t dumb down everything but doesn’t sound pretentious either. Since my last two attempts at reading memoirs written by doctors resulted in not finishing the first third of the pages this is extremely refreshing.
Dr. Faulk’s anecdotes are interesting, heartfelt, relatable, and relevent to the topic at hand. He ties everything together even when some of the individual stories are quite short. His stories about his late boyfriend Jack are heartbreaking. Being a primary caregiver is an impossibly difficult task to undertake, even for a full time doctor.
My Epidemic is a story that truly only Dr. Faulk can tell. His life experience is unique. The beauty of reading a good memoir is that you are able to see a whole new perspective and feel connected to someone, maybe even a whole population, just a little bit more. If you don’t sympathize with Dr. Faulk and want to give him a big huge hug at the end of this book then I can’t help you.
Please read My Epidemic. It’s a memoir that’s as important as it is emotionally moving.
5/5 doctors 👨⚕️👨⚕️👨⚕️👨⚕️👨⚕️
For another great LGBTQ memoir check out GenderQueer
For another memoir by an esteemed doctor check out The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles
Please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase this book, it’s at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thanks!
Buy it here: MY EPIDEMIC: An AIDS Memoir of One Man’s Struggle as Doctor, Patient and Survivor
Powerful stuff for sure