Living and loving in the age of AIDS : a memoir

This is the tale of a devastating pandemic, of lives cut painfully short; it's also a love letter. Derek, a distinguished designer and J, his husband, a pioneering entrepreneur and creator of both The Embassy Club, London’s answer to Studio 54, and iconic Heaven, Europe’s largest gay discotheque, met and fell in love more than 40 years ago. Their lives were high-octane, full of adventure, fun and fearless creativity. Suddenly their friends began to get sick and die – AIDS had arrived in their lives. When they got tested, J received what was then a death sentence: he was HIV Positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their personal crisis with courage, humour and an indomitable resolve to survive. J’s battle lasted six long years. Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature – and always to love – Derek describes a transformation of the spirit, how compassion and empathy rose phoenix-like from the flames of sickness and death. Out of this transformation also came Aids Ark, the charity they founded, which helped to save, amongst the world’s most marginalised people, more than 1,000 HIV Positive lives. This is a story of joy and triumph; about facing universal challenges; about the great rewards that come from giving back. Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many in society refused even to acknowledge. His is a powerful story chronicling this extraordinary time. This is the tale of a devastating pandemic, of lives cut painfully short its also a love story. Derek, a distinguished designer, and J, a pioneering entrepreneur and creator of Heaven, the iconic gay dance club, met and fell in love more than 40 years ago. In the early 1980s their friends began to get sick and die AIDS had arrived in their lives. When they got tested, J received what was then a death sentence: he was HIV Positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their crisis with courage, humour and an indomitable resolve to survive. Js battle lasted six long years. Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature and always to love Derek describes a transformation of the spirit, how compassion and empathy rose phoenix-like from the flames of sickness and death, and how he and J founded the charity Aids Ark, which has helped to save more than 1,000 HIV Positive lives. This is a story of joy and triumph, of facing universal challenges, of the great rewards that come from giving back. Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many at the time refused even to acknowledge. His is a powerful story chronicling this extraordinary era. A compelling, heart-rending and uplifting memoir about one couple's love story through the AIDS epidemic. - A timely chronicle of survival and transformation. In the upheaval and wake of the coronavirus pandemic, tales from a similarly devastating epidemic will have a resonance with many people. - The author will commit 100% of his royalties to AIDS-related charities, including Aids Ark. - Coverage expected in leading LGBT+ publications and author features in The Guardian, Observer and Sunday Times. - The success of publishing around the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riot in 2019 showed there is a keen appetite for books that speak to young queer people, both in the UK and the US. There is a desperate need for AIDS narratives that end in life not death. This memoir aims to speak in this positive way about what the previous generation lived through. - Derek Frost is a highly respected and successful designer with many high-profile connections within the London art scene. The book will be sold at 'pop-up' exhibitions and at his own events