a'tris

Okay, so this isn’t a review so much as it is a recommendation. But I thought “My First Book Review” would be a catchier title so I went with that. I hope my intuition was right because I believe that everyone would benefit from reading Shawn Decker’s My Pet Virus [Official, Amazon, Barnes & Noble]

I discovered Shawn’s book a week or so ago over dinner with my good friend Bonnie and her super-cool husband William. Bonnie and I first met before I went off to college. She was studying photography in Boston and a mutual friend of ours named Jimmy suggested we get together while she was in town. I am still grateful to Jimmy for making that introduction as Bonnie not only helped me with the daunting task of transitioning from Charlottesville, VA to Boston, MA; she also helped me to get a’tris off the ground by bringing her friends out to our first shows and putting a photo shoot together for the front cover of our debut album, appeal [iTunes, Amazon]

Anyways, as Bonnie and I were discussing life and art she mentioned that her cousin, Shawn Decker, had written a book that she thought I’d really like. I told her his name sounded familiar to me and that I’d be sure to check it out. At the end of the night, she made sure that I did by handing me a copy. And that’s when it hit me. Shawn’s name sounded familiar and his face (on the front cover) looked familiar because I’d met him before.

When I was in high school my classmates and I were invited to attend a lecture given by Shawn and his partner/girlfriend/wife Gwenn [Official]. I’m not sure what their relationship status was at the time but I do remember that they were there to talk about Shawn’s HIV status and I recalled much of his story from that lecture. At age eleven Shawn contracted HIV from tainted blood. As a result, he was kicked out of school and alienated. Thankfully though he was far too driven to let other people’s ignorance about his pet virus get him down. Instead, he educated himself and landed a fellow educator in Miss Powhatan, Gwenn Barringer. Not bad for a self-described thin-blooded positoid huh? Shawn is a champion and I remembered being greatly inspired by the manner in which he and Gwenn answered my class’ questions with great candor and aplomb.

Shawn’s book was just as sincere as his lecture and it really hit home to me. Literally. As I read My Pet Virus I couldn’t help but smile when I realized that I owned Shawn’s first album, Tainted Goods, with his band Synthetic Division [Myspace]. (He’s a pretty awesome musician too.) I also am familiar with many of the places about which he wrote and even one of the persons whose names he mentions. While you probably won’t have the same experiences, I strongly believe that you will love his book. It is extremely genuine, well-written, and unputdownable. (I don’t think the last adjective there is really a word but you know what I mean). I’ve included a preview of the novel below thanks to Google reader and encourage you to check it out and leave your opinions in our comments section.

Hope this finds you feeling healthy!
-Mason

P.S. If you’d like to get to know more about Shawn Decker, be sure to check out his blog at ShawnandGwenn.com. It’s really informative and he updates it regularly. You can also find him on Twitter, Myspace, and Youtube. And, last but not least, you can sponsor Decker’s Daily Coffee [flickr] by sending Shawn $5 via PayPal to shawn@mypetvirus.com. If you ask him politely, he’ll plug your website or organization too. Be on the lookout for some a’tris love soon

Updated Friday 15 Jan:

How cool is that? Before the days of the wold wide web, I remember mailing one of my favorite authors, Piers Anthony [Official] a handwritten letter via his publisher and being overjoyed when a personal response arrived from him months later. Back then I could have never imagined how today’s social media would allow anyone with internet access and a Twitter or Facebook account the ability to directly connect with artists and content creators. I hope that my responses to your tweets and messages make you feel as good as I felt upon seeing this.

Looking forward to connecting with you!
-Mason