My Unexpected Life: An International Memoir of Two Pandemics, HIV and COVID-19

by Martina Clark

Overview

At age 28, the doctors told Martina Clark she had HIV and five years to live. With a sense of nothing to lose, she dove into activism. Then, fell into an international career, starting as the first openly HIV-positive person to work for UNAIDS in 1996. A mix of personal memoir, travel, humor and an up-close look at the squishy underbelly of the United Nations, My Unexpected Life follows her personal journey—emotional and physical—interwoven with her professional path. From diagnosis to starting treatment, surviving an abusive marriage and fostering a teenage daughter, Martina's memoir adds an insider's view to the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly as pertains to women. Throughout, she draws parallels to the COVID pandemic¬¬–including her own long-haul bout with COVID–reflecting on her experiences as she journeys through life with an incurable illness, a well-stamped passport, and a stubborn determination that keeps her alive to bear witness to the human condition in My Unexpected Life.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940162236825
Publisher:	Northampton House Press
Publication date:	09/20/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Martina Clark holds a BA in International Relations and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature. She worked for the United Nations system for two decades and now teaches writing, critical reading, and global politics at LaGuardia Community College for CUNY. She has been living with HIV for more than half her life – 29 years and counting – and survived COVID-19 in 2020.
She has written for The Southampton Review, The Manifest-Station, Lowestoft Chronicle, and Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel where she was a Triptych Editor. In 2014 she won Silver in the SOLAS Awards for Best Travel Writing, and was the Managing Editor of Travelati.

Editorial Reviews

"I've read several HIV/AIDS-related memoirs over the years, but this is the first time I've ever seen an inside day-to-day account of an activist's work -- with the UN, no less! It's a terrific read."

A&U, America's AIDS Magazine - Hank Trout, Senior Editor

"What's not to like about a book that features a wooden penis and a silicone vagina?"

Staff Writer, The New Yorker - Patricia Marx

"Martina Clark defied the odds and became a worldwide champion for those who struggle against the stigma of HIV. Her memoir, My Unexpected Life, arrives during an equally lethal pandemic, and offers incisive storytelling, the often-overlooked history of women with HIV, and a refreshing dose of hope."

Author of Going to Trinidad - Martin J. Smith