The Least of These My Brethren: A Doctor's Story of Hope and Miracles on an Inner-City AIDS Ward

Hector R., Rosa M., Yolanda J. These are the forgotten members of society - the homeless, the drug users, the poor - who are the most likely to come down with AIDS in today's America. These often invisible citizens with AIDS can nonetheless speak life-affirming messages of hope to all of us. The Least of These My Brethren is the AIDS story that no one has written about so far, told by the one who cares for these marginalized people in conditions that are symbolic of their station in life: the decrepit facilities of New York's largest designated AIDS center, the Spellman Center for HIV Related Disease in New York City's Hell's Kitchen. For three and a half years, Dr. Daniel Baxter served as attending physician of this facility and ran an under-supplied hospital ward, which was the last resort - and often the last stop - for these souls. In a matter-of-fact yet compelling tone, Dr. Baxter recounts in vivid detail a "typical" day on AIDS Unit 3A: the chaos, the squalor, the sorrow, yet also the small triumphs, the joy, and the profound lessons on life and living that these dying patients have to teach us. In Dr. Baxter's epic account, Unit 3A is transformed into an improbable crucible of despair and hope, where the fragility of the living, the invincibility of the dead, and the power of memory meld into one. While the stories are heartwrenching and graphic, Dr. Baxter's compassion and insight make reading this book a moving and inspirational experience.