Cry Bloody Murder: A Tale of Tainted Blood

by Elaine DePrince

The poignant and shocking story of a mother whose hemophiliac sons contracted AIDS through blood transfusions, this work presents a scathing indictment of the blood-products industry. DePrince brings to her story the zeal of a superb investigative reporter and the rage of a grieving mother.

Genres: Nonfiction

210 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 1997

About the author

Elaine DePrince was an American author, hemophilia activist, teacher, and advocate of adoptive parenting. The mother of 11 children, she is best known as the adoptive mother of ballet star Michaela DePrince and the co-author of her memoir, Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina (2014). She was interviewed in the 2011 documentary First Position, discussing the racism they encountered as Michaela pursued training in classical ballet. She was also the author of Cry Bloody Murder: A Tale of Tainted Blood (1997), which tells the story of her family's ordeal after their three hemophiliac sons were infected with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. In the book, DePrince holds pharmaceutical companies, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Hemophilia Foundation responsible for failing to ensure the safety of blood plasma products.

Reviews

[Simon Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to give this book a full review, but nothing I say could ever be enough.
Simply amazing

[Cherish · Rating 4 out of 5]

very sad story- heartbreaking. there are a lot of references to laws and courts- that include people and companies that my mind couldn't keep straight, but anything to deal with the personal stories of her children and their lives were not diminished due to it. I don't want to even imagine having children that i would have to watch die- for any reason really. these circumstances of her innocent children falling victim to medical negligence (at no fault of their own) is especially upsetting and such a big loss.
I looked online for a bit more info and learned that Elaine deprince died in 2024 a day after her daughter Michaela. how very sad.

[Eve Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is heart wrenching, inspiring and devastating.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really devastating read. Along with a lot of material that made clear the utter failure of any commercial dealer in blood clotting factors to protect their customers from bloodborne diseases, the author explains what it was like to watch two of her sons die miserably of AIDS, with a third warming up in the bullpen as the book went to press.