Eight Fought to Live
Eight Fought to Live was published by Austin Macauley publishers on February 2, 2024.
1988: 82,362 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.
1989: 100,000 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.
1990: 307,000 gay and bisexual men had AIDS.
These are the two years Dr. Rosiello led an AIDS therapy group at Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City. Within two years each man in her group passed away from AIDS complications. One of these men was Vito Russo, an AIDS activist and historian.
This is the story of eight gay men living with advanced AIDS and one inexperienced fresh out of training psychoanalyst. Each man’s intimate story is peppered with Dr. Rosiello’s anxiety and her growing awareness regarding the importance of emotional authenticity in psychotherapy. The group members had no spare moments for Dr. Rosiello to use her newly learned psychoanalytic techniques. There was only time to be real.
Early on these group members pledged to not die. They pledged emotional support for the life of the group. This pledge held true for over a year. Blood brothers in their fight to live.
Reading your book stirred up so many emotions for me, it is hard to know where to begin.
First let me say, 30 years to write a story like this is quite appropriate from my standpoint. I have been writing to him for 35 years but have failed to publish or share any of the work, it is hard to disseminate my truth from THE truth which is impossible to make any logical sense of. I have been trying to write about that time in my life for as long as you have, it is painful. Congratulations on completing it, recalling these memories breaks your heart all over again.
Reading, I began to understand your relationship to these eight amazing souls as they go through what no human being should have to go through. One of the difficulties is how to do justice to an absolutely unjust situation.
The AIDS situation during the timeframe you wrote about is the story of an injustice that should be textbook for what not to do in a crisis. From the government to the healthcare system, to the private sector and to our overall discourse as citizens we failed these and thousands of other human beings who were infected.
These eight men were not only dealing with their own sickness, but they were also dealing with watching their loved ones and communities die in an inhumane way. In addition, they were the ones on the front line trying to save not only themselves, but their entire community and loved ones. And they knew they would die fighting.In my humble opinion, you nailed it.You captured not only the characters but put a very human face on the people in the trenches. But I am biased, I bought and read this book for a very selfish reason, I just wanted to hear his voice again.
Your interpretation of Vito’s character was spot on. I felt like he called me on the phone and was describing these events, as he often did. I had to giggle when you mentioned the group going to see The Dead Poets Society, which I specifically remembered him telling me (EVERY) movie I have/had seen until his death ({he told it} (with his eyes) was to go see with my friends. We talked at length about it after I saw it. I have my very own, unique Vito Russo Test.
You captured his brilliance and sense of humor. You see, Vito was my uncle and my godfather way before he was an activist, author, tv personality, gay hero, trailblazer and all the other titles he has been awarded and given deservedly. But he was also an amazing human being, The world, along with those of us who were fortunate to have known him personally, is a less beautiful and just place since his passing.
Over the years of writing to him and the compilation of letters and memories, I have contemplated writing about my fairy godfather. Your publication reminded me, I am not done. But 30 years doesn’t erase the truth.
I am sincerely grateful for your sharing of the pain and beauty of having known these men. While I certainly would love for this chapter in my life to have had a very different outcome, the actual time I had to spend with him, especially during those years, are precious moments that I feel extremely fortunate to have experienced. I got the sense it was the same for you.
With great appreciation and respect,
V. R.
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