Fade to Black
by Alex Flinn Clinton Cole's not happy when Alex Crusan moves to his town and enrolls at his school. Alex Crusan has HIV, and Clinton doesn't want to get sick, and he doesn't want any fags around either. Since Cole has been vocal in his objections to Flinn's presence, the authorities are eager to believe that Cole is responsible for smashing the windows of Crusan's car, with Crusan inside. The only witness is Daria Bickell, a girl with Down Syndrome who waits every Monday morning for Alex to come by with donuts. She knows she saw Clinton throw a rock through Crusan's window, and the blue jacket worn by Crusan's assailant is the same as the one Clinton was wearing, so she reports that she saw blue jacket break the windows of Alex Crusan's car.
The book opens with a memo to the principal, but continues with the narratives of Clinton, Alex, and Daria. Daria's narrative is given as poetry. Clinton and Alex grow from their experience. They learn about social interactions and about tolerance. Daria's narrative serves to provide the general information that Clinton and Alex aren't thinking about but which is important to the story. Clinton and Alex have happy endings, but Daria is worse off than when she started, because now she doesn't even have Alex. Strangely, the school does not seem to have any other retarded kids mainstreamed. The manner in which people with HIV are treated is important to the story. Alex's mother tells everyone that Alex got HIV through a transfusion, and while Alex is mad about the subterfuge, the manner in which he did contract HIV is still a cop-out.
Question: If you knew anyone with AIDS or HIV at your school or workplace, would it matter?
Happy reading.
