Self, Divided

by John Medeiros

Literary Nonfiction. LGBTQIA Studies. In 1995 John Medeiros and his identical twin brother participated in a gene therapy study in which the HIV-positive twin was infused with billions of genes from the HIV-negative twin. This memoir details, from a firsthand perspective, a time in our recent history when the world had to reckon with the emergence of a seemingly undefeatable virus. SELF, DIVIDED explores the dysfunctional yet enduring relationships that surround this pivotal moment in Medeiros's life and family, brilliantly capturing how we all are connected, in one way or another, to those around us.

208 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2021

About the author

John Medeiros is a poet and writer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of the poetry collection "couplets for a shrinking world," and his work has appeared in several journals and anthologies, including Sport Literate, Water~Stone Review; Gulf Coast; Talking Stick; Willow Springs; other words: a writer’s reader; Gents, Badboys and Barbarians: New Gay Male Poetry; Evergreen Chronicles; Second Run; Hot Metal Press; Big Toe Review; Swell and Christopher Street. He is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board grants; a Jerome Foundation Grant for Emerging Writers; Gulf Coast’s First Place Nonfiction Award; and the AWP Intro Journals Project Award. He received an MFA from Hamline University, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays of 2006. He is the curator of Queer Voices: A GLBT Reading Series, one of the country’s longest-running reading series for queer writers.

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Self, Divided" by John Medeiros is a hauntingly beautiful memoir of a man reconciling his identity which is inextricably linked to his twin brother and a pernicious medical diagnosis.
One of the benefits of reading is that it takes us to places we cannot travel to ourselves. Being the same age as the author, but female, Medeiros’ memoir reminded me of those fearful days when HIV AIDS was a death sentence and everywhere you turned, you worried about your gay friends. His stunning mixture of poetry and prose enabled me to viscerally imagine both what it might be like to be a young man coming to terms with one’s sexuality, the feelings of being an identical twin, and the scrutiny of growing up in a religion that deems your being an aberration. His writing, replete with powerful imagery, is raw and so very brave.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went with a 4 on this as it’s hard to be objective with an author who was a former co-worker! You can tell John is a poet; his writing is so lyrical and vivid. It was hard reading about some of his life experiences as of course we don’t want bad things to happen to people we know. I can see why this up for a Minnesota Book Award.