I Have Something to Tell You

by Regan Hofmann

Book Overview

For ten years, Regan Hofmann lived a double life. To the world, she was a woman from Princeton who went to prep school, summered in the Hamptons and rode Thoroughbred horses. She had a great job, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416598596
• ISBN13: 9781416598596
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Uniquely Personal Insight to the Epidemic

Regan Hofmann's story is one that anyone impacted by the AIDS epidemic will find interesting, insightful and educational. She writes with an easy clarity and compelling courage, telling her story with frankness and humor. The book is a fast read, although some of the most emotionally intense parts demand a rereading to absorb fully the impact of what she has experienced. The narrative alternates stylistically between that of a diarist, an educator and a confessional; each contributes to creating a picture of a woman who lived with an intense secret that was itself a risk to her health, that when burst open was done so with a stylish exuberance and healing relief. Ultimately, she finds the power of service to others, as an AIDS educator and journalist, to become a necessary and fulfilling part of her HIV treatment. Hofmann's story is powerful, especially in its ability to reach women who may think themselves immune to the risk of HIV. Regan was once POZ's "Anonymous" columnist, secretly embedded in the society of New Jersey's horse country and reporting to POZ readers what others say about people with AIDS when they don't think any such person is within earshot. Today she is the magazine's editor-in-chief.

A Must-Read for Every Walk of Life

This is a truly readable and gripping account of one young person's struggle with a terrible, life-defining disease and the stigma that goes with it. It is an engaging view of a life before and after coming to terms with HIV, and the defining life's work that comes out of it. This is a book that every parent should read and require their children to read, and every adult who thinks AIDS is under control in this country should read and pass along to others. It is beautifully written, is eminently readable and is a keeper for any personal library. Kudos to a brave and admirable young woman.

Crucial To Understanding the Complexities of HIV/AIDS

This memoir of a young woman learning that she's HIV positive through heterosexual sex is wrenching, powerful, inspiring, and informative. The author writes with searing honesty about being given a death sentence when she was in her late 20's and how she has coped and wrestled with the disease and all its complex issues. In the years since that diagnosis she has faced the demons and become an eloquent and effective spokesperson for how imperative it is for all of us to become informed about HIV/AIDS and to learn to speak about it honestly and openly. I had to read this book in small sittings in order to absorb the roller coaster ride of her medical and emotional journey and to get a grip on the statistics and hard facts of this global epidemic. Read this book and pay it forward. Pamela Parsons

A Truly Inspiring Story

I loved this book. The author contracted HIV through an unprotected heterosexual encounter. She writes movingly of her initial diagnosis all the way through her role as a proud spokesperson who educates people about HIV/AIDS and fights the stigma associated with it. Be warned - the book pulls no punches about the physical and emotional trauma of living with HIV. Ms. Hofmann's refusal to accept her diagnosis as a death sentence makes this an inspirational story indeed!

This is an important book for everyone to read because it affects everyone

I hope everyone will read this touching and compelling memoir. It will affect you in many ways and remind all of us of how necessary it is to be informed, compassionate and active in helping to fight this major health issue everywhere and every way that we can - together. I especially hope all mothers will read this and start a dialogue with their children and with each other. I am very proud to be Regan's mother. Nancy Cosentino