No Wonder

Two nights ago I got maybe three hours of sleep. It was because I kept having nightmares. Like, I would have the dream, then wake up, think about it, and not be able to sleep. It was odd, my dreams are usually really weird, not really scary.

Anyways, I think I figured it out. I read a lot, and lately I've been reading a lot of depressing books. For example, this is some of what I am currently reading:

We Are All The Same: A Story of a Boy's Courage and a Mother's Love
By: Jim Wooten

This is the true story of a young boy named Nksoi in South Africa. That's him to the left. He was actually a bit of a celebrity, having inspired the South African government to require that children with AIDS be allowed to attend public schools. Born with AIDS, Nkosi is given to a white woman named Gail Johnson when he is only a few years old (not to be confused with my grandma Gayle, who used to have the surname Johnson). His mother, also infected with the virus, is too sick to care for him and dies not long after she gives Nkosi to Gail. I haven't quite finished the book yet, but I know that the kid dies in the end.


Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
By: Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire

Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire was the Force Commander for the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1993 and 1994. We all know what happened in Rwanda at that time, so I won't go there. And if you don't know what happened in Rwanda at that time, well... I guess you could read this book. I recommend paperback, as it's sorta thick.


AIDS in the Twenty-First Century: Disease and Globalization
By: Tony Barnett and Alan Whiteside

This is essentially a textbook on AIDS by two of the most renowned experts on the subject. Some of the numbers in here are blowing me away (this map is not from the book, but it shows infection rates by country... holy sheesh!).

Anyways. I know it's good to be educated, but maybe I should lower the intensity a little bit? Anyone know of any good books about, oh, I don't know, unicorns or rainbows?