Seriously, Read a Book!

I was reminded of this book after reading Nancy's beautiful review of [b:Two Boys Kissing|17237214|Two Boys Kissing|David Levithan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364194940s/17237214.jpg|23756923].

This is a picture book my mom gave me/had around circa 1991-'92, at the height of AIDS epidemic, and as two of her best friends, and favorite "uncles" of mine (life partners, though they would not live to formally declare their vows in the eyes of friends, family and the state, which was still years away) struggled through their last years of life.

Even today, the book makes me cry every time. When a daycare classmate, Nicholas, is ostracized by the uninformed group of four-year-olds after finding out he has AIDS, Karen (who is in Nicholas' class) asks her parents about why this might be. Of course, this is a framework for her parents to explain what AIDS is, how it's contagious, how it's not, and why other misinformed parents might encourage their kids to stay away from Nicholas.

Of course, Karen, her heart full of four-year-old compassion, and brain full of "new" facts, knowing that Nicholas needn't be treated as a pariah, invites him over with the titular words Come Sit by Me.