My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid Precis'

FIRST PRECISE

Precis- The affect of AIDS is extremely powerful in Antigua, how fast it is spread around, the amount of people that already have it, the lack of support to try and stop it, and the lack of medicine and doctors willing to treat people with it. So many people are contracting AIDS from not knowing enough or not listening to the advice given about the prevention of AIDS. My brother has been diagnosed with AIDS from the way that he looks to the way he acts and things he done have all changed. Having AIDS in Antigua, makes you close to death, people don't get treated when they have AIDS because it is seen as a waste. My brother has been hospitalized and might not be able to survive with the small amount of medical people addressing the point.

Thoughts-"He said that people who are not HIV=positive give up too soon on the people who are, but that he tried to keep everybody alive, because you never know when a cure might come along. He said that --you never knew when a cure might come along-- and I could not tell if, in that he as asserting native Antiguan foolishness or faith in science" (Page 35)

"Afterward two men asked him for a lift, and when they reached a certain part of town, a part of town where prostitutes live, they asked to be let out. Dr Ramsey asked them if they had condoms and they said no. He asked them if they had not listened to anything he had just told the, and they said to him yes, but they would rather die than leave the butter women alone." (Page 39)

"When I called Dr. Ramsey I asked him if he would meet me at the hospital and examine my brother and give us, his family, medical advice as to what we could do, what we could not do, what we could expect and, perhaps, when to expect it." (Page 32)

Thoughts- I have a hard time connecting to the ideas that are being brought up in this book. As for the way that the book is written I completely understand but that idea that someone with AIDS is almost forgotten about. Also the idea that people who know what AIDS is and have such a plentiful amount of AIDS still have people having unprotected sex. In the United States we have programs to teach kids about AIDS in the 6th and 7th grade, free condoms everywhere, and hospitals that make it their motto to never give up on people who have a disease such as AIDS. Apparently at this time in Antigua it was common for AIDS to be something that many people have but I would also guess if it was some sort of epidemic then many people would be more afraid of catching it there would be a high amount of medicine to make this easier to live with. Whereas in the United States people are taught at young ages about this there are still many people in Antigua (during the time of the book) where adults have to be educated.