Tom Lynch

Shawn Decker was a normal 11-year-old kid who loved WWF wrestling (Ric Flair, to be specific) and fantasized about the female body. He was also a hemophiliac who learned, at that age, that he had contracted HIV from tainted blood. The year was 1987. He's 30 now, and his new memoir, "My Pet Virus," is one of the funniest, heartfelt and horrific books you'll read all year. Despite the illness, Decker doesn't become self-pitying, but instead develops a razor-sharp tongue and decrepitly perfect sense of humor, calling himself, instead of the slew of media-invented terms for those with AIDS, a "positoid." He goofs that his initials read "S.T.D." Augusten Burroughs blurbs his jacket, and he's an excellent choice to comment on the humor, the atrocity and the misunderstanding. Decker's book is special in that regard--it teaches and entertains simultaneously with stunning clarity and respect.

Shawn Decker reads from "My Pet Virus" October 4 at Borders 2817 North Clark, (312)573-1219, at 7:30pm. Free.

(2006-09-26)

Also by Tom Lynch

Brazen Bazan
Earlier this year, Seattle musician David Bazan, the Pacific Northwest's king of indie gloom, announced he was calling it quits with Pedro the Lion and going solo. An interesting surprise indeed, given that he primarily was Pedro the Lion
(2006-09-19)

Tip of the Week
Thurston Moore's baby has gotten all the unavoidable Yeah Yeah Yeahs comparisons, but the band's self-titled debut is much more than that, an explosive monster of a record that never, at any point, disappoints, combining elements of punk, riot grrl and straight-up rock `n' fucking roll
(2006-09-19)

Soundcheck
"To the Races" recalls Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" in tone and method--most of the songs feature only Bachmann's gravelly voice and nylon-stringed, acoustic guitar finger-picking, occasionally backed by a fiddle, a piano or some female vocals
(2006-09-12)

Author Visit
He's back with "The Boy Detective Fails," his take on the aftermath of being a boy detective--what could happen if one of the Hardy Boys grew up
(2006-09-12)

Only the Lonely
(2006-09-12)

Tip of the Week
(2006-09-12)

Tip of the Week
(2006-09-12)

The Moving City
(2006-09-05)

Tip of the Week
(2006-09-05)

Tip of the Week
(2006-09-05)

Tip of the Week
(2006-08-29)

Rusk Factor
(2006-08-29)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment