Notes for a Memoir
Author: Janet Jeppson Asimov
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN-13: 9781591024057
ISBN -10: 1591024056
Rating: 8/10
With science fiction, there is always something new every day 
(or week, or year, or decade). Yet rarely do readers find out about the interior lives of their favorite novelists, especially when the person in question has been deceased for almost 20 years. Enter Janet Jeppson Asimov. As wife of novelist and bon vivant Isaac Asimov, Jeppson collaborated with–and had access to–one of the giants of the Golden Age of science fiction. In Notes for a Memoir, she shares the hopes, dreams, and tribulations she enjoyed with the creator of I, Robot and the Foundation trilogy–affording a special look into the mechanics of an extraordinary relationship.
True to the book’s title, the tome is a series of notes on her life with Asimov, meditating on everything from religion to philosophy to sex. Throughout it all, Jeppson sprinkles a little background about herself, from her childhood in New Rochelle (she lived on the same tract of land Thomas Paine did), to her years apprenticing under the greats of psychology in New York City, to a fateful meet with Asimov in 1970. There are the usual tidbits about Isaac Asimov’s writings, his memberships in the American Humanist Society, his fear of flying–and some Easter eggs as well. While we learn precious little about the author’s death from AIDS-related complications that we don’t already know, we learn volumes more about his rich and prolific life.
Notes is one of the shortest memoirs ever written–and that is saying a lot. Although fans of chronological narratives might find the jumping around bit off-putting, for those who want a introduction into the life and times of one of the 20th Century’s leading lights, they can do no worse than to skim the book.
A must have for Asimov fanatics.
John Winn – Staff Writer
Buzzy Multimedia- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Audio Books & Funny T-Shirts
Interesting. I did not know Asimov died with AIDS. I wonder how short the book is since you mention that it is unusually short of a book of its type.
Lomax,
Yep. Asimov died of AIDS–in 1991, when it was still stigmatized as a “gay disease”. Asimov and Jeppson wanted to go public w/ it ala Arthur Ashe, but the doctors warned them people would get the wrong idea about Asimov. Even if he got it from a blood transfusion, the perception still would’ve been that he got it from sex with another man–hence the secrecy.
Things have changed since then–we’ve watched Pedro Zamora struggle with AIDS on national TV and there are quite a few celebs who have “come out” about friends or relatives with the disease. But it’s still a shock to imagine that only 15 yrs ago people would not so much as hold hands with a patient for fear of catching HIV.
Oh, and to answer your question: the book is about 130 pages. I think.
Isaac Asimov contracted AIDS from a transfusion of tainted blood during his 1983 triple-bypass operation.
The book is 207 pages long and when you consider Issac Assimov’s life work it seems a bit on the short side. If you click on the cover of the book it will link you to the listing for it at Barnes and Noble
June,
Thanks for correcting me! And it’s true that the book is slim, but I don’t think Mrs. Jeppson Asimov wanted a thick memoir–she just stated the facts and left it at that (which I think is a lot more refreshing, IMO).
Well, 130 pages, 207 pages, it’s still a good book.
I woudda thought that after Elton John and that Ryan White kid folks would have been OK with the idea of getting AIDs via transfusion. Well, not OK as in “yes please” but rather OK as in “how sad.”
Lomax,
Elt and Ryan White were the beginning of the turnaround in public opinion. I remember that period very well. There was a kid in my…first grade? Second grade class in NC who was very “I don’t want to hold hands with anyone w/ HIV.” You have to remember that even five, six years after the virus was discovered, the general public still didn’t know how it was transmitted, much less how to protect themselves. It’s roughly parallel to the 1918 flu–a lot of fear and worry, except AIDS/HIV has killed more people in the last four decades (yep, four decades), and most of them before the virus was even discovered.
I also think the HIV=gay sentiment may have played into the Asimov family’s decision not to go public. The two aren’t necessarily mutually inclusive, but since a lot of the victims were homosexuals (mostly men, but some women), people kind of assumed anyone who contracted HIV got it from direct sexual contact with someone of the same sex, which is the case a lot of times but not always (see the “down-low” phenomenon w/ women in the black community).
It is entirely possible that the blood Asimov received during the bypass operation may have come from an infected person, as the Red Cross and hospitals etc did not screen for that in 1983-1984-1985 (just as people were finding out for the first time about AIDS). It wasn’t common compared to contracting it from male-male or female-female contact (or just unprotected sex in general), but enough people got sick for it to be an issue.
It does speak volumes about how far we’ve come, though.
I remember the Eton and Ryan White stories and John is right, they were the beginning of the change in public opinion. While it does show how far we’ve come in sentiment we still have miles to go in prevention, treatment and care. The epidemic in Africa today is a prime example.
Laura,
It’s interesting you mention Africa re: AIDS and Asimov. I find myself wondering what it would be like if a South African (or African sci-fi author period) of note announced they had AIDS/HIV (which wouldn’t be that far fetched, I’d imagine). Would the rest of the world, as in the US, care? Likely not.
And therein lies the issue. Asimov, by virtue of who he was and his nationality, wielded an immense amount of power that no author had before or since. By going public he could’ve (emphasis could’ve) put a face on the disease besides young/older gay man or gay woman. I don’t think a person with a similar background but a different nationality/ethnicity would have had the same impact beyond his/her own community.
The only author that I can think of right now who has been pretty outspoken about Africa is John LeCarre (The Constant Gardener, and I think of couple of other books), and he’s mostly an espionage guy. The rest of the literary community has mostly been silent, which is their right and privilege.
But you’re right, the early 90′s were the beginning of the shift in public opinion and Asimov at least had a chance to play a role in shaping it. Who right now has the same opportunity?