DEER LAKE — Over 30 years after the first diagnosis, HIV is still rampant. In developed nations contracting HIV means a lifetime of prescription medication, but in developing nations it’s a death sentence and the shame and stigma of contraction is still there.
Bernard Schwartz is a retired Pentecostal pastor who took an interest in the emotional effect of HIV-AIDS on not just the individuals, but their families as well. His fictional book, “Unexpected News,” focuses on a woman who is diagnosed with HIV and follows her experiences in telling her family and friends. She also receives help from a minister, who tries to offer comfort.
“It looks at the attitudes of different sections of society,” said Schwartz. “There were quite a lot of negative views of people (upon diagnosis) and the book looks at what is the right attitude and how society should look at people with HIV.”
As a clergyman, Schwartz travelled around Newfoundland and Manitoba until he retired over 10 years ago. The book took him about two years to complete and he has received requests from Memorial University for copies, as well as information from his publisher, Publish America, that the book is for sale on Amazon.com.
His belief in a higher power has not been shaken in spite of all the pain and suffering he had to write about for the book, but he does not take a hard-line approach to the solutions. Some other religions, he said, are in what he called the “Dark ages” when it comes to sex education. Schwartz pointed out that studies have shown abstinence-only programs do not work, and the Catholic Church’s traditional stance against birth control and preventative measures, he said, are outdated.
The belief in a higher power, he said, comes from the support that his character, and actual victims of HIV/AIDS, receive from family and friends.
“The book deals with the dangers and consequences of not following sex education teaching and the sad part is the character wakes up too late to follow the sex education guidelines,” he said. “When she didn’t have the emotional strength to deal with her dilemma she had the support of family and friends. I still retain my faith because I realize there are a lot of good people out there, some of them have fallen through the cracks.”
“Unexpected News” is available at Amazon.com and at local booksellers.
