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Different strokes
Keith, a reporter has to interview the first person to be diagnosed with AIDS and write a “newsy” story. It was the beginning of a lesson on the social attitudes towards AIDS and its victims in this part of the world.
Written in 1993, this novella explores two victims’ pain and angst as well as the dilemmas faced by those who encounter them. The writer makes no attempt to moralise, but merely tell the story as it would have happened had it been real.
Written in 1993, this novella explores two victims’ pain and angst as well as the dilemmas faced by those who encounter them. The writer makes no attempt to moralise, but merely tell the story as it would have happened had it been real.
95 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
9 people want to read
About the author
David Leo
20 books2 followersDavid Leo is an accomplished writer with 11 books to his name. He has produced a wide repertoire of works that include poetry and prose. He was awarded the Publisher’s Prize for fiction (Ah... The Fragrance of Durians), NBDCS commendation (The Sins of the Fathers & Other Stories) and Singapore Literature Prize commendation (Wives, Lovers & Other Women). A fourth collection of short stories (News At Nine) is a recommended secondary school text.
Some of his short stories have been adapted for the stage and television. In 2003, two of his short stories, “Picnic” and “The Story of a Good Man” were adapted for MediaCorp TV12’s The Singapore Short Story Project.
Leo was also a judge in the nation’s prestigious NAC/SPH Golden Point Award competition for short stories in English in 2001. A compulsive writer who derives intense pleasure from thinking about stories and poems in his every spare moment, David Leo is never short of inspiration. His prose is sincere, engaging and always with a hint of nostalgia.
Some of his short stories have been adapted for the stage and television. In 2003, two of his short stories, “Picnic” and “The Story of a Good Man” were adapted for MediaCorp TV12’s The Singapore Short Story Project.
Leo was also a judge in the nation’s prestigious NAC/SPH Golden Point Award competition for short stories in English in 2001. A compulsive writer who derives intense pleasure from thinking about stories and poems in his every spare moment, David Leo is never short of inspiration. His prose is sincere, engaging and always with a hint of nostalgia.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 25, 2019
Curiosity level: Does talking about AIDS make you squirm? Would you rather avoid the topic? Then this is the book to read!
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“This isn’t a story about AIDS, but our attitude towards the disease and its victims.” - Preface
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“Different Strokes” for different folks indeed. Two men died of AIDS: one a celebrity and the other, an ordinary person. Each received profoundly different treatment.
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Keith, the main ‘protagonist’ in this book, is a reporter. His first journalistic encounter with Singapore’s first ‘full-blown’ AIDS patient, Sam, changes him, but he, for the first time, also notices how people shun and judge AIDS victims for ‘moral reasons’... until a second death comes along
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David Leo did wonderfully with this book. He painted with words, in both “big and little prose strokes”, the inside world of the victims of AIDS, their families, and the people who come into contact with them. Far from being a sob story, it was bold, unpredictable and moving. I loved how he “made no attempt to moralise, but merely [told] the story as it would have happened had it been real.”
•
I’m really glad I stumbled upon this gem of a book during one of Ethos Books book sales. I have no idea what’s it like to experience anything related to AIDS, and reading this opened my eyes (like the book’s eerily prophetic cover) to their world, as well as its social, emotional, and physical implications. David has said so himself, that “AIDS isn’t an easy subject to deal with in a literary venture,” and while this is true, he’d done a fine job in writing into being a sort of awareness-tribute to ‘different’ victims of AIDS.
•
“This isn’t a story about AIDS, but our attitude towards the disease and its victims.” - Preface
•
“Different Strokes” for different folks indeed. Two men died of AIDS: one a celebrity and the other, an ordinary person. Each received profoundly different treatment.
•
Keith, the main ‘protagonist’ in this book, is a reporter. His first journalistic encounter with Singapore’s first ‘full-blown’ AIDS patient, Sam, changes him, but he, for the first time, also notices how people shun and judge AIDS victims for ‘moral reasons’... until a second death comes along
•
David Leo did wonderfully with this book. He painted with words, in both “big and little prose strokes”, the inside world of the victims of AIDS, their families, and the people who come into contact with them. Far from being a sob story, it was bold, unpredictable and moving. I loved how he “made no attempt to moralise, but merely [told] the story as it would have happened had it been real.”
•
I’m really glad I stumbled upon this gem of a book during one of Ethos Books book sales. I have no idea what’s it like to experience anything related to AIDS, and reading this opened my eyes (like the book’s eerily prophetic cover) to their world, as well as its social, emotional, and physical implications. David has said so himself, that “AIDS isn’t an easy subject to deal with in a literary venture,” and while this is true, he’d done a fine job in writing into being a sort of awareness-tribute to ‘different’ victims of AIDS.
April 6, 2024
really enjoyed this one, although the writing style at first seemed jarring and very un-singaporean at the start. also something about this also felt fantastical. although an accurate reflection of attitudes towards aids in the 80s/90s, showing a singapore with a thriving journalism sector and a deep respect for the arts, where the famous dancer didn't get ridiculed for dying from aids, feels so different to the singapore i know, which apart from not having a thriving journalism sector, also treated its only olympic gold winner with so much scorn because he smoked a bit of weed
June 1, 2025
appreciate the representation and shedding light about AIDS in this story
how humane it was among the characters and their relationships presented
it shows the hard truth of career paths, trust between partners, grief of a family, two different endings despite coming from the same cause
how humane it was among the characters and their relationships presented
it shows the hard truth of career paths, trust between partners, grief of a family, two different endings despite coming from the same cause
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews