REVIEWED ON IG.
Loved this book. It was raw and unexpected and gorgeous and heartbreaking all at once. Bryce is an exceptional author and weaves together authorship of other parties in a beautiful way. Part memoir, part autobiography, it was absolutely breathtaking and I devoured it over a few days. It wasn’t the first time I’ve read it (though it was my first time annotating it - so many sticky tabs), and it won’t be the last. Be prepared to cry and laugh, sometimes at the same time.

About his son dying of AIDS - powerful, heartbreaking, worth reading more than once.

‘Trust Damon to die on April Fool’s Day.’

Damon Courtenay was born on 4 November 1966, and died on 1 April 1991. This is his story, written by his father and published in 1993. Damon was the third son of Bryce and Benita Courtenay and was born with classic haemophilia.

‘Its not a disease, so you must put the idea of a cure from your minds immediately. Haemophilia is caused by a factor missing in your child’s blood, the ingredient which causes it to clot.’
‘It’s not something we can ever fix.’

In 1983, the Courtenays were advised that Damon had become HIV positive – most likely because of the blood transfusions he had required to treat his haemophilia. In 1988, he experienced his first real AIDS-related crisis after undergoing surgery for the removal of his wisdom teeth.

‘I picked up the AIDS virus from the blood product that I use regularly for control of haemophilia. It seems such a bitter irony that the medicine that has saved my life became the poison that may soon end it.’

It was indeed a bitter irony, and Damon’s story is a heartbreaking one. But it is not bereft of joy or of love.

I have had this book on my bookshelf for 17 years: I knew, broadly, what the book was about but couldn’t bring myself to read it until recently. And now that I have read it, I am saddened by the medical circumstances: of haemophilia; of its treatment and of the fact that the source of Damon’s AIDS appears to have been a consequence of contaminated blood donations. A blood donation process – since changed - which did not exclude groups at high risks of AIDS infection from donating blood.

I found this book moving and upsetting. It describes both the best and the worst of the medical profession: many dedicated people helped Damon even though the medical system itself seemed to move very slowly in recognising the need for change to its processes and systems. Damon Courtenay may have lived a brief life, but one consequence of it is, as I discovered, a perpetual trust fund (the Damon Courtenay Memorial Endowment Fund administered by the Haemophilia Fund Australia) which provides grants that can be used for the care, treatment, education and welfare for people with bleeding disorders and (or) their families. This fund was established by Damon’s parents in 1993 in Damon’s memory.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

A long and pretty tough read, but very interesting personal account of the health system in Australia in the 80s and 90s and the impact of HIV/AIDs.
I couldn't look past the casual racism of Australia in this time due to the slurs offhandedly used in this book. While I try not to put a 2022 lens on the 1990s, it's pretty gross that it was so embedded in everyday Australian life that it is a bit shocking to read in this story which isn't at all about race. Additionally the descriptions of women comes across quite leery or judgemental.

I think it was great that Bryce was able to share his son's story, and highlight some very difficult times for a family caring for a medically complex loved one, and it also stands as a reminder of how far we've come in medical treatment for HIV, and hopefully reducing social stigma of the disease.

3.5★

A difficult one to rate and review. The story is certainly heart-breaking. I listened to the audiobook, and Humphrey Bower is, as always, wonderful. But I saw one review that mentioned that Bryce Courtenay "romanticised the characters" - and while they aren't "characters" since they are real people, I have to agree that it appears that Courtenay presented his people through rose-coloured lenses. And while I can understand it - he's writing about his family, after all, and it can be hard to be objective, and besides, hindsight is always 20/20 - life is rarely so black and white, and it gets a little tiresome for the reader at times.

But Damon Courtenay really had a rough life, with a big helping of bad luck thrown in. As I was reading it, I couldn't help wondering how things would have been different if they'd refused to use the AHF - was there another option, but they went with that because it was easier or most readily available? Although I think Bryce said at one point that this was all that was available at the time... What about if Damon had decided not to have his wisdom teeth out when he was advised to? Would that have held his AIDS off until there were better drugs available? I wonder whether it was one lot of pooled blood that had the HIV virus, or whether the pooled blood supply was frequently HIV positive in those years? If it was only the odd batch of pooled blood that was positive, it's even more unfortunate if the Courtenays put in an order for AHF right at the time when the batch was contaminated with HIV.

Bryce Courtenay slammed the medical profession for various things, but thankfully our blood supply is nowadays one of the cleanest in the world. They may have been slow to act, and possibly blinded by complacency, and that delay cost a number of families their loved ones, but I am thankful that they did eventually act before any more lives were lost from receiving a contaminated blood transfusion and that for anyone needing blood in Australia today, the procedure carries no more risk of contracting HIV than any other medical procedure.

This book, written by Bryce Courtney, is unusual because it is a non-fiction book. Sadly it is a true story about his young son who developed AID’s as a result of an infected blood transfusion, which he received because of his hemophiliac disease. The story is set in Australia, his native home. The narrative is told from different perspectives...Bryce, the father, the mother, the victim Damon and his girlfriend, Celeste. Each adds their own voice to the unfolding of this deadly disease.

It is a sad tale, written in memory of Damon, to be an expose on the lacking state of the medical system in Australia at the time. Although the medical system should have known better, they did not take adequate care by banning AID’s patients from donating blood, as other countries had already done. In addition, AID’s was almost treated like the plague, where you were an outcast. Courtney openly admits that it was still easier on Damon who contracted AID’s through medical treatment and not his sexual lifestyle. Nonetheless, Courtney manages to capture the blatant ostracism of anyone with AIDS.

I enjoyed reading the book and felt moved as a parent to bear witness to the life and struggles of Damon. His strength dealing with life as a childhood hemophiliac was inspiring. The unfairness of developing AIDS was heart-wrenching and sharing the journey with Damon’s girlfriend, siblings and parents was at times hard to read, but that was because the writing was so poignant that there was little left to the imagination as to their true feelings. Damon’s mother was openly honest as she admitted to being angry and totally raw with grief. Courtney was brave enough to admit that he may have put the writing of his current book ahead of flying home with the family when Damon was so sick.

I would recommend this book highly as creative non-fiction. It not only educates you on hemophilia and AID’s but also shares a powerful love story of not only the couple, but of Damon’s brother and parents. It is a sad story, but one that needed to be told. The writing compels you to keep turning the pages. I was already a fan of Bryce Courtney having read both the Power of One and the Potato Factory and look forward to reading his other novels.

This is a biography of Bryce and Bernita Courtenays’ son Damon. A promise that was garnered from his father as Damon was dying. He wanted to tell the story of living with AIDS—in his case, medically acquired through the Factor VIII IV treatments he had for his hemophilia. His uniqueness is contained in this, his will to live his life as fully as possible until there was no possibility left. In the end, the physical largeness of his heart expressed the metaphor of his life. You will know true life and death when you read this book.

Having enjoyed many of Bryce Courtenay's books I simply read this one without knowing anything about the plot. It is hard to critique a book that is really an invitation into the life of the Courtenay family as they share the struggles of their son, Damon, a haemophiliac who later develops AIDS as a result of a blood transfusion. I felt privileged to be brought into the journey as Bryce, (and other family members), shared their joys, sorrows, triumphs and griefs in the midst of a very difficult circumstance. The book is a challenge to greater understanding and compassion for people suffering with AIDS. I commend Courtenay for his raw honesty. Damon would have been an extroadinary person to meet.

Wow, wow, and ouch ouch ouch. This book is full of pain, it is heart wrenching. It is the story of Bryce Courtenay's son, Damon, that died at the age of 24, after 24 tough years. Damon was a hemophiliac, and to say the truth, I found out that I know almost nothing about hemophilia. What is a bleeding (well, you can't even see the blood), how it is treated (several blood transfusions every week), how limited is a child with hemophilia, and what are the "longer" affects on the body, that is deteriorating and losing even its limited freedom.
Now add to that HIV/AIDS, and you got more pain, that cannot be contained. And then, I found out that I don't know too much about AIDS either. So that was eye opening, in the most painful way possible. But it is so very important to know more about it. And at least we made some progress and some of the prejudices have improved.
But above all, it is a story about love and dedication. The true love between Damon and Celeste, his girlfriend, and her amazing dedication. And the Courtenays dedication, 24/7, since this is what hemophilia means. And love and dedication play a big role in terminal illness, and they helped the Mighty Damon in almost impossible states, not leaving him for a moment, even when it seems impossible to continue.

It is a hard book, but I believe it is the best book to allow somewhat to understand what a terminal ill person goes through. And Bryce Courtenay succeeds to bring it both from the point of view of the family and of the ill person. I can't even describe how I felt throughout some parts, especially when Damon was on the verge of death, in tough life risking states.

Heart wrenching, but so so important. You'll learn a lot about hemophilia and AIDS (and about irresponsible medical systems). I don't think that loved the book is a good description, but my heart was expanded (and shrunk at times) by reading it. I ached for the Courtenay family.
(4.5 stars but I'll go with the 5 here)

The content of this book is a deep and personal journey of the authors personal experience into the world of AIDS through his son. While one must sympathise with those involved the overly wordy literature detracts from readers experience. What was said in ten words could have been said in five.

It felt like a long book. I think it was to the detriment of the book that it was written in such a detached style. It felt like there was little emotion coming through the pages, and there was no connection to make you root for Damen, even though you know how it ends. That lack of connection makes you start waiting for him to be dead as you read. By the middle of the book I was asking and asking äre we there yet? is he dead yet? when he was it was a relief.

For a story such as Damon's, Someone afflicted with a hemophilia who was among the first to have medically acquired aids, particularly with such a shaming of government inaction, I really needed that connection. I felt it most in Benita's chapter.

very touching, i couldnt put it down