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Pedro and Me

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 1,046 ratings · 156 reviews

"You are eighteen years old. You get up in front of a thousand people--your classmates, your friends, basically the people who make up your entire existence--and announce, 'I'm HIV positive.'"

Told entirely in sequential art, here is the story of the life-changing friendship between the author, a cartoonist from Long Island, and Pedro Zamora, an HIV-positive AIDS activist,...more

Paperback, 192 pages

Published September 6th 2000 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (first published January 1st 2000)

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Feb 21, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, friendship, sequential-art-graphic, grief, memoir, relationships, ya-non-fiction, aids

A poignant, loving tribute to a friend whose courage and strength in dying was evident from day one. Judd Winick met Pedro Zamora on MTV's The Real World, a voyeuristic reality show which chronicled the lives of six roommates thrown together for six months. Pedro, HIV positive was Judd's roommate and eventually became a trusted friend along with another cast member, Pam Ling, a med student.

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned is much more than words, it is part education, part mem...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Erik rated it 4 of 5 stars

MTV’s The Real World was barely on my radar back in the 90s. While The Real World: San Francisco was being filmed and broadcast starting in 1994, not only was I finishing up my BA at the UW, but I also jumped ship after graduating when I high-tailed it to Europe for several months. All before jump-starting my own reality back here in the States. (Ah, the memories.) So for this very reason, I never become a fan of The Real World – or any mid-90s TV show, for that matter. But now, fifteen years af...more MTV’s The Real World was barely on my radar back in the 90s. While The Real World: San Francisco was being filmed and broadcast starting in 1994, not only was I finishing up my BA at the UW, but I also jumped ship after graduating when I high-tailed it to Europe for several months. All before jump-starting my own reality back here in the States. (Ah, the memories.) So for this very reason, I never become a fan of The Real World – or any mid-90s TV show, for that matter. But now, fifteen years after the fact, I’m finally following the incredibly emotional journey that Winick made. But this through his heart-wrenchingly honest recount of his friendship with Pedro Zamora, who later died of complications from AIDS.

The most surprising and refreshing thing about Winick’s narrative is that he doesn’t focus much at all on the actual experience of being on one of TV’s first popular reality series. Instead – and this to his credit – he instead artfully interweaves his own life and back-story with that of Pedro’s. In fact, his framing sequence of talking with a random taxi driver brings his narrative full circle by the end of his graphic novel.

At heart, Winick recalls in poetically powerful detail the pain of losing someone whom he loved dearly, even while he was falling deeply in love with another The Real World housemate, Pam. Well over a decade after these events, Winick can still bring tears to one’s eyes – as, I freely admit, it did mine.

Winick is a well-regarded comic book writer these days; one whose work I confess to not following. As an artist, his style is reminiscent of Alison Bechdel of Dykes to Watch Out for and Fun Home fame – both of which I have reviewed in these pages recently. But I don’t know how far that got him as he lacks a certain steroid-enhanced quality to his rendering of human anatomy that seems a virtual requirement of any artists working for the two big guns, DC and Marvel. As far as his prose, Winick shows signs of being a potential heavyweight in an industry that is getting more and more populated as the decades go by. And if Pedro and Me is any indication, I’m positive that we can expect great things from him in the coming years.
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Jan 27, 2013 Holly Kregel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pedro and Me is a graphic novel about friends from "The Real World" cast of 1994. The story is told from the point of view of Judd Winick, a cartoonist who finds that his life is going no where fast after his comic is rejected from a newspaper. Searching for something new, he tried out for the show, and got on it. Before they start filming, he finds out that one co-member is HIV positive, and he struggles with his feelings with this. The story covers the entire stay in the house, and how each m...more Pedro and Me is a graphic novel about friends from "The Real World" cast of 1994. The story is told from the point of view of Judd Winick, a cartoonist who finds that his life is going no where fast after his comic is rejected from a newspaper. Searching for something new, he tried out for the show, and got on it. Before they start filming, he finds out that one co-member is HIV positive, and he struggles with his feelings with this. The story covers the entire stay in the house, and how each member of the cast reacted to Pedro Zamora and HIV in general. As the story progresses, Pedro and Judd grow close, and Judd begins to travel with Pedro to see him speak out to teens across the nation about the truth behind HIV: what is is, how to prevent getting it, and why you shouldn't be afraid of people with it. The book changes as Judd grows comfortable with HIV and with the homosexual relationship Pedro starts with Sean. That's all I can divulge without ruining it, but the ending is the strangest happy-sad ending I've ever encountered.

I didn't like this book as I was reading it, because it forced me to look hard at some of the assumptions I held and threw them on their faces. As the story unfolded, my heart opened, and I found myself loving the character, Pedro. *SPOILER ALERT HERE* The one thing that I really didn't like is that the book constantly reiterates that HIV isn't a death sentence. Pedro's mantra was that he was living with HIV, not dying. One begins to feel hopeful, and then Pedro dies, and the reader is left with his heartbroken family and friends. It undermined, for me, the idea that HIV isn't a death sentence, when every HIV positive character in the novel dies before the end; clearly, it is a death sentence, just not immediate death. *END SPOILER* It's not something I'd pick up by myself, but I would recommend it to others. I can honestly say I've never encountered a book like this one.

This book might not appeal to everyone, as I know first hand sometimes graphic novels and/or an emotionally charged topic such as HIV are not everyone's favorite things in a book. It would likely appeal to people who are familiar with the "The Real World," people who are fans of graphic novels, or people who appreciate LGBTQ literature/themes. I wouldn't give this graphic novel to children under 12, because it does have strong thematic material, but I'd recommend it to anyone over that age. I would actually love to see this book used as a classroom read because it speaks volumes about prejudices. I think there's a lot for people to learn from this book, particularly because HIV isn't something the general population is as knowledgable about as they should be. I learned a lot just by reading this, and I think middleschoolers and highschoolers would get a lot of myths dispelled by reading this book. (less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Sheeno Khoshaba rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pedro and me is a heartwarming, stongly worded book, where one freind could tribute so much for another. Judd Winick met Pedro on mtv's The Real World, a reality show which based of of the lives of six roommates thrown together for six months. Pedro was Hiv positive and Judes roommate and eventually became a trusted friend.

I gave this book 4 Stars because of the story line and how brave he was to tribute so much for his freind, also because it was a very easy read with alot of vivid pictures to...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Robert Kiehn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a very touching book which I first picked up
at a Christian thrift store in Crestwood, IL and read in
a few sittings over the course of a few days.

It is based on a true story of of Judd Winick and his friend
Pedro Zamora taking place in the early 1990's where the two
men meet and become close friends on MTV's The Real World:
San Francisco.

I think the review from Silver Bullet Comics sums it up best:

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews...

"Those people looking to read strictly about The...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Lbrignac rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 03, 2010 Liana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade

This book was Amazing, it was also really sad. Usually books don't get to me, but this one did.

YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER
WRITERS STEVIE WONDER, HENRY COSBY, SYLVIA MOY
COPYRIGHT 1969

Hey there miss fine
Sweet little clinging vine
Your actions kind of show me you love me truly, yeah
You're warmer than July, sweet as apple pie
I can't let you know you're getting to me

Yeah, 'cause you can't judge a book by it's cover
My papa used to say Ã¢€Å"look child, look beyond a tender smile
'Cause can't ju...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Patrice Sartor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, graphic-novel, health-illness-exercise, different-culture

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 14, 2009 Nathaniel Chattic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sibert-medal

Grades: 6th - 8th

This story spins out of the San Francisco "Real World" season (3). It chronicles the friendship between Pedro and Judd, both former castmates of the show. The story is extremely touching and well told. The material Judd explores is just mature enough that I would recommend the youngest a reader should check this out is around jr. high level/age. The artwork is cartoonish, following a graphic novel style, but serves the story well, because of the issues it touches on. The present...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not entirely certain this was a good book. The writing was a bit overwrought and cliche-ridden, and big chunks of it read more like an AIDS pamphlet than a story. The cartooning wasn't especially good or original, either -- I frequently had difficulty telling Judd and Pedro apart on the page. And I'm not entirely certain that I like Judd Winick, as a writer or as a character in the story. The book is incredibly well-meaning, and his affection for his friend certainly comes through, but I can...more I'm not entirely certain this was a good book. The writing was a bit overwrought and cliche-ridden, and big chunks of it read more like an AIDS pamphlet than a story. The cartooning wasn't especially good or original, either -- I frequently had difficulty telling Judd and Pedro apart on the page. And I'm not entirely certain that I like Judd Winick, as a writer or as a character in the story. The book is incredibly well-meaning, and his affection for his friend certainly comes through, but I can't quite shake the feeling that he's a bit overly self-absorbed, to the detriment of the story.

However, the reason this book still gets four stars, despite the fact that I don't think it was technically very good, is Pedro himself. What Winick achieves here is a presentation of his friend that makes readers -- even readers who, like me, never saw an episode of Real World: San Francisco -- fall in love with Pedro. I stayed up all night to finish this book, simply because I found him, and his struggle, so compelling. Tomorrow, I'll be 23 -- the first birthday Pedro didn't live to see. Trying to imagine living through, and accomplishing, what Pedro did in so few years is mind-blowing. It's a tragedy that the world had to lose him so soon, because he was capable of so much good. And because this book showcases Pedro's strength of character and amazing accomplishments, I can't even begin to begrudge its existence.

(On a side note, I wonder if Pedro, and his relationship with his husband Sean Sasser, influenced the casting of Collins and Angel in RENT. The timeline matches up, and I know for a fact that the races of both characters changed from the 1994 workshop production to the show's opening in 1996. With America already captivated by the story of a couple of gay men, one black and one Hispanic, dealing with HIV, I wouldn't be surprised if the RENT creators and producers consciously chose to mimic that dynamic. Either way, Pedro made me think of Angel, and it's comforting to know that real people can exist who are every bit as wonderful as that fictional character.)(less)

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Apr 22, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

A cast member of MTV's The Real World San Francisco, struggling comic strip cartoonist Judd Winick immediately clicks with Real World housemate Cuban-born immigrant Pedro Zamora and the two agree to share a room. Pedro reveals that his is HIV positive and in the next six months the two develop a close relationship. Pedro, who contracted HIV when he was just 17, is a well-known AIDS educator and Judd learns more than he ever thought he would know about AIDS. Judd develops feelings for fellow Real...more

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May 22, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book on the Siebert Medal Honor book list for 2001. That is all I knew about it. When I opened it up and found it was written in cartoon style, I almost put it back down. I am not a fan of anime or manga. I decided to give it a chance since it was "on the list". I was immediately hooked. The story begins in the mid 80's and the AIDS scare, panic, craziness, etc. that existed. I recognized myself from that time as the uneducated, homophobic person I was. I also recognized my growth a...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

MTV's The Real World: San Francisco is the only season I ever watched (with Pedro, Judd, et al). At the time, it was a great escape and yet I appreciated it for its ability to give us a glimpse into life's struggles much more realistically than what "reality tv" consists of today. I remember thinking back then about what an amazing guy Pedro Zamora must have been, and was touched early on by his story.

I am grateful to have learned more about him through this book. It's a candid look at friendsh...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: informational-books-bios

This graphic novel, for upper junior high and high school students, is the emotional, educational story of Pedro Zamora. Winick describes his and Pedro’s childhood and the experiences that brought them to apply for the MTV show – The Real World. He talks about their fears about moving into the house as someone with HIV and someone with no real knowledge about the disease. For people who are not familiar with the real world, they may not understand the importance of the information about how sick...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Raina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographical, gltbq, funny, graphic-memoir, graphicnovel, nonfic, ya

Dude - what took me so long*?

Pedro and Me is the true memoir of a guy who was on MTV's The Real World with a really cool person who happened to have AIDS.
It talks about Judd's life, it talks about Pedro's life, and it talks about their friendship and experiences on the show. It very personally chronicles a very historical event in a super touching way.

Yes, I cried too. But I've kinda been like that lately.

It feels like Judd is super honest and real about the whole experience. Yes, of course th...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Laura Noto rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, biographies-informational-books

Summary-
Pedro and Me is a graphic novel for older readers in jr. high and high school. It is about the lives of Judd and Pedro. The book talked about their different childhoods and their shared experience in the Real World 3 house in San Francisco. Pedro was HIV positive and he spent his time educating others about HIV and prevention. He taught Judd a lot about HIV and his outlook on life. Even though Pedro knew that he was going to die, he still worked hard to educate others and he fell in love...more

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May 03, 2011 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I just finished reading this book that won a Sibert Honor for outstanding non-fiction. Written and illustrated as a graphic novel, years before graphic novels really took off, I do wonder about the endurance of this title. It's based on an MTV reality TV show where the author Judd meets Pedro, a Cuban-American who is gay and HIV positive. There was some good information about AIDS and HIV that countered the stereotypes and fear that may have been more prevalent at the time. I think we are more a...more

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Mar 02, 2010 L-Crystal Wlodek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winning-and-honor-books, info-bks-bios, chapter-books

Pedro and Me is a Sibert Honor book (2001) and is recommended for students ages 14 and up. This book is a cartoon memoir that tells the story of Pedro Zamora, a Cuban immigrant, aids educator, and star of MTV The Real World San Francisco. The author, who was Pedro’s roommate on the Real World, tells the story of their friendship, Pedro’s life, and the affect he had on many people around the world. This book is visually creative and appealing and serves as a vivid memorial of Pedro Zamora’s life....more

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Nov 10, 2009 Laura Rumohr rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: informational-books-biographies

Summary-
Pedro and Me is a fantastic graphic novel written for mature readers in junior high and high school. This story was written by Judd Winick about his dear friend of Pedro Zamora. Judd and Pedro were both selected to be on the third season of the Real World in San Francisco. Judd was a struggling artist who lived at home and Pedro had AIDS. He acquired it at age 17 and had been spending his time educating people about the disease and the prevention of it. In order to share his message with...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Christine Jensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-graphic-novels-picture-books, ya-informational-bios

Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Junior High/High School

Format: Graphic Novel

Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2001), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2001), Robert F. Sibert Information Book Honor (2001)

Reliving the experience from MTVs Real World San Francisco, cartoonist and author Judd Winick relates of his experience living with and losing his friend Pedro Zamora, AIDS activist, to AIDS in graphic novel format.

I remember watching Pedro and Judd on the MTV Real World San Fran...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, lgbt

I remember watching Pedro Zamora on The Real World in real time, back when I was an impressionable teenager, and I think that has something to do with why I never felt particularly drawn to this book. I clearly remember Pedro’s time as a proto-celebrity of reality television, his mission of AIDS education in a time where it was still a new and frightening disease, and his untimely death. I read this book as part of a comic book club at a local high school, alongside teens who weren’t yet born wh...more I remember watching Pedro Zamora on The Real World in real time, back when I was an impressionable teenager, and I think that has something to do with why I never felt particularly drawn to this book. I clearly remember Pedro’s time as a proto-celebrity of reality television, his mission of AIDS education in a time where it was still a new and frightening disease, and his untimely death. I read this book as part of a comic book club at a local high school, alongside teens who weren’t yet born when Pedro died, and I’m glad I came back to Pedro’s story. This book isn’t a retread of what television audiences saw; it’s a recollection of the man's life by a good friend.

Judd Winick, a fellow Real Word San Francisco cast member, considered Pedro one of his best friends, and this autobiographical comic follows Judd's own trajectory through his time on the show. He portrays himself as well-meaning but somewhat ignorant when he first meets Pedro, confident in his own tolerance but still irrationally nervous about sharing living space with an HIV-positive person. The book spends a little time on the show itself, mostly to explain its emotional effect on the cast members and to portray Judd's developing relationship with Pam Ling. Rather than focusing on what people have already seen or can find, though, the story takes place largely behind the scenes, focusing on how Pedro affected Judd's worldview and, ultimately, how much he came to love Pedro and how much he now misses him.

I’m not familiar with Judd Winick’s art in other comics, but the art here is phenomenal. It has the expressiveness of classic Crumb art with none of the abrasive, odd proportions. There’s just enough realism to connect the comic to photographs and videos of the events it recalls, but it’s still enough of a comic to have its own look and feel.

I suspect my enthusiasm for this book is colored by the fact that I'm familiar with all of the people involved, but I believe it's a good read for those that aren't. Winick's art and his ability to convey the powerful emotions that surrounded Pedro's life, work, and tragic decline make this a universal tale, regardless of when and where it was set.(less)

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Oct 30, 2012 Ahmer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pedro and Me, by Judd Winick, tells the amazing story of a friendship that although didn't last long, will be remembered for a lifetime. It is the true story of a Long Island cartoonist, Judd Winick, and Pedro Zamora, an HIV-positive, homosexual AIDS educator. The two become roomates when both are part of the Real World, a reality show on MTV. Over the course of the show, Winick and Zamora become the best of friends with Zamora opening up about his life and his struggle with a vastly misundersto...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Ms. D rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, non-fiction, graphic-texts

In the beginning, before The Hills and Jersey Shore, there was quality reality TV. (Seems like an oxymoron now.) For instance, The Real World, San Francisco. (And no, Sade, the show wasn't in black and white, but it did air before you were born, in 1994.) This graphic novel is written by one of the "seven strangers" on that show, about his roommate and friend Pedro Zamora. Pedro was an AIDS activist and educator who probably did more to raise awareness than anyone at his time or since. As Presid...more

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Nov 21, 2009 (NS) Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: informational-books-and-biographies, graphic-novels

From Booklist
Gr. 8-12. Winick, part of the 1993 television cast of MTV's Real World, San Francisco, uses his cartoonist skills to take readers back to the house where the show was set and tell the story of his fellow cast mate Pedro Zamora, an AIDS educator who died in 1994 from complications related to HIV. Part lesson about AIDS, part biographical sketch, this book differs from the many graphic novels that rely on action drawings or high-octane plotting. It's facial expressions that count most...more From Booklist
Gr. 8-12. Winick, part of the 1993 television cast of MTV's Real World, San Francisco, uses his cartoonist skills to take readers back to the house where the show was set and tell the story of his fellow cast mate Pedro Zamora, an AIDS educator who died in 1994 from complications related to HIV. Part lesson about AIDS, part biographical sketch, this book differs from the many graphic novels that rely on action drawings or high-octane plotting. It's facial expressions that count most here, and they are Winick's forte as he briefly recalls how he came to the show, his evolving friendship with Zamora, whose background he describes, and his growing understanding of AIDS, which broadened the boundaries of his world. More about the show would have been useful: Winick assumes familiarity with the setup and cast, which some teens may not have. And the resemblance between Winick and Zamora in the artwork (a photo on the jacket does show some likeness in real life) is occasionally disconcerting. Most memorable is Winick's heartfelt description of Zamora's final days (he died at the age of 22), which are described with great tenderness and a keen sense of the loss of a friend.

Wow was not expecting a comic book! I was blown away with the graphics. I'm a huge fan of MTV's The Real World. Pedro and Me is a graphic novel that describes the friendship between two men who became friends while they were roommates on the MTV show The Real World. The author was one of the roommates to Pedro and wanted to create a comic book about his life. As I was watching Real World and first saw Pedro I thought he was a very interesting person to watch. During my "teen" years watching this show, I have heard of HIV/Aids and read about it but never understood until Pedro came along. I used to believe what every other person believe that you could catch it by touching someone. Also, I learned not to be afraid of people who have it. The book may help anyone who is living with someone who has Aids or may help someone suffering the death of a loved one.

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Apr 25, 2008 Isis FG rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-old-reads, favs-reread, reviewed, genre-nonfiction, stars-5

A wonderful memorial to the life of Pedro Zamora, probably best know for his role on MTV's "Real World - San Francisco."

Love the show or hate it, this book tells a touching tale about how one man affected so many lives. Judd Winick did a wonderful job putting his experience with his castmate and friend onto paper.

Pedro was a good man who died too soon.

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Nov 04, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-literature

"Pedro and Me:Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned" is a nonfiction novel. This book is intended for adults. The Real World cast of San Francisco met a spectacular man, Pedro. Pedro became a world wide avicate for HIV positive adults and teenagers. This book talks about how Judd and Pedro became extrememly close while filming The Real World and how they became life long friends and what Judd learned from Pedro.

I reviewed this book at a 5 star rating. This book tells alot about just how strong fr...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Kennisha Murray added it

This biography tells a story about a boy who meets one of his closes friends on a reality TV show called MTV'S Real World San Fransisco. However, it turned out that Pedro was HIV positive. This did not stop Judd from wanting to be his friend. He was with him every step of the way through his time on the show as well as after. This book is so real and I think it would be an awesome book for high school kids. Not only is it educational, but it teaches life long lessons like the importance of frien...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Pedro and Me” faces a very difficult topic: AIDS, and if this novel was told with actual pictures instead of drawings, it might have been too difficult for me to read. As an illustrator, Judd Winick did a marvelous job capturing facial expressions and emotions of the people in his life, maybe even better (in a more dramatic fashion) than a photograph could have. And at the same time, because they were illustrations and not photos, it made the story a more bearable one to read, and to connect wi...more

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Jul 05, 2009 Laissez Farrell rated it 3 of 5 stars

As far as AIDS memoirs (and, to a large extent, memoirs in general) go, Winick's recounting of his friendship with Pedro Zamora is touching and emotionally-grabbing, but is far from revelatory. Winick's narrative lacks, of course, the first-hand experience of living with the disease and he tends to gloss over some of the myriad societal ramifications. But he does paint a personal, wistful portrait of a lost friend and goes to great lengths to show how their friendship impacted his own life.

Mayb...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, graphic-novel

It’s odd to come around to this graphic biography by way of everything else Judd Winick has done. I remember “The Real World,” and I even remember seeing a few episodes from the season where he was a cast member (I remember Puck, but that’s about it), but I came to appreciate the writer/artist through Frumpy the Clown. And I wouldn’t even have discovered that strip had I not stumbled across a collection of the strips in a clearance book store.

Both Frumpy the Clown and Barry Ween, Boy Genius have...more It’s odd to come around to this graphic biography by way of everything else Judd Winick has done. I remember “The Real World,” and I even remember seeing a few episodes from the season where he was a cast member (I remember Puck, but that’s about it), but I came to appreciate the writer/artist through Frumpy the Clown. And I wouldn’t even have discovered that strip had I not stumbled across a collection of the strips in a clearance book store.

Both Frumpy the Clown and Barry Ween, Boy Genius have a sense of lunacy about them, so it was somewhat surprising to read something that was so deep and serious. There were moments where that lunacy came through, but only in the moments in the story where that emotion shone through. And let’s be frank: In the real world, those moments of lunacy are few and far between. But the difference in tone also wasn’t that surprising, because even in his other two major works, Winick manages to impart a real seriousness amid all the wacky antics that happen to his characters. It’s just that the story he tells about Pedro carries a certain weight that requires a more serious tone.

And what a story it is. The beauty of stories, fictional and otherwise, is that while the writer brings the story to the page, the reader is the one who brings the emotion and the perspective that can make it effective. Brilliant writers can draw that emotion out of their readers, but our own emotional response to a story depends on what we’ve experienced ourselves, and how that relates to the story that’s being told. Pedro’s story is inspiring on many different levels, but for me, it resonated because it talked about how we’re seen after we die. The last few lines of the story are, “But not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. I guess that’s his legacy. That we remember. We honor those we love by remembering them.” And the story suggests that the more good we do, the more we have to offer to other people, then the more we are remembered, and the more impact we have on others in our lives, even after death. It transcends ideas of faith and spirituality and reminds us that there are plenty of ways that we can make a difference in the world.

The story is one of courage and honesty, and for that alone, people should be reading this book. Winick’s artwork sometimes doesn’t seem appropriate for the subject matter (his style is more cartoony than anything else, and while that works perfectly for Frumpy and Barry Ween, it sometimes seems out of place in this serious story), but one can really see the difference in the way he approached the artwork in this story. It seems to have more gravity, but at the same time, it creates an odd dissonance between the story and the art. It’s a small gripe, and one that didn’t break my connection with the story (it still brought me to tears at the end), but it’s something to mention.

I understand that this book is now required reading for some high schools, and I’m very much in favor of that decision. While it tells Pedro’s story without flinching, it also tells the author’s story of how he dealt with the idea of having a friend with AIDS. He doesn’t shy away from admitting his initial reluctance, and I think that’s probably one of the crucial points in the story. We, as people, fear what we don’t understand, but once we have a reason to come to understand something as complex as AIDS, such as coming to be very close to someone who lives with it, we learn to have more patience and understanding about it.

I highly recommend this story to anyone. Like Markus Zusak and The Book Thief, Pedro and Me was the story that Judd Winick was born to write.(less)

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About Judd Winick

Born February 12th, 1970 and raised on Long Island in New York, Judd began cartooning professionally at 16 with a single-paneled strip called Nuts & Bolts. This ran weekly through Anton Publications, a newspaper publisher that produced town papers in the Tri state area. He was paid 10 dollars a week.

In August of 1988, Judd began attending the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor bringing Nuts &...more

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avg rating	preview: Pedro and Me Goodreads rating: 3.93 (1046 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/548934.Pedro_and_Me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312028063l/548934.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/548934.Pedro_and_Me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Pedro and Me by Judd Winick[/url]

Pedro and Me

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