The HIV Coalition

Up till now there hasn’t been an A-to-Z reference book to help a newly diagnosed person with HIV cope with all aspects of the illness. There Is Hope: Learning to Live With HIV is a well-organized, up to the minute resource that fills a long-standing need. Starting with a declaration of hope, the book follows a step-by-step approach in helping readers choose a doctor, understand their treatment options, know their legal rights, unearth financial resources, disclose their serostatus and find emotional support.

Make no mistake, this is not intended to be a treatment guide and it doesn’t cover medication or opportunistic infections in enough detail to help one make decisions about care. Plus, as it is written for the newly diagnosed, the HIV experienced may find the psychosocial stuff old hat.

Each section is filled with practical, reliable advice, first person accounts of people with HIV and many referrals to specialized resources. The book was prepared by HIVCO, a Chicago-based AIDS service provider, so some of the referrals are for people solely in that area. However, the scope of material is so comprehensive and the resource section so vast, this book is quite useful to anyone in the U.S.