Goodbye Tomorrow - Hardcover

Grade 7 Up Like many of Miklowitz' teen-problem novels, this one is right out of the headlines. Alex, popular athlete and the lover of beautiful blonde Shannon, begins to have problems with his immune system a year after he had blood transfusions following a car crash. He tests positive for antibodies to the AIDS virus and is diagnosed as having AIDS-related complex. His life begins to fall apart as the community's fear of the disease forces him to quit his pizza parlor job; stand up to the other members of the swim team, who want him to quit; and face ostracization by his schoolmates. Many of the stereotyped social attitudes about AIDS are touched on. His loving family and stalwart friends stand by him, but the big questions are whether or not Shannon will leave him out of fear and whether or not she will contract the disease herself. Characterization is slim, although school life and language ring true. The story takes place in Pasadena beginning in January, and details about parade floats are worked in. As research continues and public knowledge spreads, this book will seem dated and far-fetched. For now, it is a factually accurate, average medical romance suitable especially for fans of Miklowitz' previous books, but not as good as The Love Bombers (Delacorte, 1980) .Anne Osborn, Riverside Public Library, Calif.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Miklowitz (Secrets Not Meant to Be Kept, etc.) continues to write novels with stories right out of the headlines. Here her subject is AIDS, and she tells a compelling story while presenting the facts about the fatal illness. High school junior Alex has everything going for him: he's on the swim team, a good student, handsome and has a loving girlfriend, Shannon. Following a car crash, his life was saved by blood transfusions; ironically, those transfusions have given him AIDS-Related Complex. And suddenly, every aspect of his life changes: he and Shannon break up, he's temporarily suspended from school, his friends shun him, and even his sister doesn't want to touch his dinner dishes. Alex feels like a time bomb and doesn't know what plans to make for his futureor whether he even has one. This riveting book well deserves to be put on students' required reading lists. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.