Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned Reviews

• 
  Julie Ehlers

  The San Francisco season of The Real World was the best of all time. Hyperbole? Just look at the facts. Sure, the first New York season was good, but it was short and unleashed Eric Nies onto the world. The L.A. season was good, but the people were all annoying, and not in an entertaining way. And obviously, the whole franchise started to go downhill after the third season.
  
  But it all came together with the San Francisco cast, which featured mostly intelligent people who could carry on a conversation about any number of topics, and who wouldn’t dream of engaging in on-camera naked hot-tub hookups for the purposes of furthering their “acting” careers (sorry, traumatic flashback to the Las Vegas season). You had the beautiful SF locale, the entertaining drama of Puck, and most importantly, the compelling presence of Pedro Zamora, whose charisma, integrity, and desire to create positive change were equaled only by the impact he had on middle America’s idea of what a person with AIDS, or even just a regular old out gay person, might be like. He was a trailblazer in more than one way.
  
  So when this book first came out in 2000, I naturally wanted to read it to learn more about the story—the things that happened off-camera, and after the cameras stopped rolling for good. Pedro and Me definitely delivered in this area. I don’t know why I decided to read it again now, but this time I was more curious about Judd Winick’s abilities as a comic-book artist—something I wasn’t really thinking about the first time around. I know Judd has had a lot of success in this area since the show ended, but since 2000 I’ve read a lot of graphic novels and wanted to know if his work stood up to some of the best of those.
  
  Somewhat surprisingly, it absolutely did. I was impressed by both his artistic ability and his skill at telling the story—he effectively conveyed both the fun and the immense sorrow of the situation, and the book is never less than riveting. I was most surprised at his ability to convey emotion through the characters’ faces, possibly some of the most effective work I’ve ever seen in that area. I was constantly studying the faces, trying to figure out exactly how he’d done it. Very, very affecting. Given that it’s been more than 20 years since the show ended, I was a little surprised at how sad the ending still made me (let’s be honest: I cried like a baby), but that’s a testament to both Pedro’s story and Judd’s skill in telling part of it.
  
  The copy I read this time was the second edition, released in 2008. In a new Foreword, Judd speculates about how Pedro would feel about the progress that’s been made against AIDS in the years since his death. In particular, Judd excoriates the useless “Abstinence-Only” programs that continue to exert influence in the U.S., despite the fact that they clearly don’t work. An unpleasant online search reminded me that one of their other housemates, Rachel Campos, has been using her platform as a former Real World star to push abstinence, among other aspects of her conservative agenda. How depressing that a person could live with someone like Pedro and yet refuse to learn anything from him. It there’s any justice in the world, Pedro’s message is the one that will continue to resonate across the years.
• 
  Mangrii

  ¿Conocéis The Real World? El famoso programa de telerrealidad creado por la MTV en 1992, inspiración para futuros Gran Hermano o Survivor, triunfaba a lo grande en su edición de 1994 situada en San Francisco. The Real World, al contrario que Gran Hermano, no encierra a sus concursantes ni los somete a fases de votaciones. Durante 6 meses hace convivir a sus concursantes seleccionados en una casa del mundo real, con sus trabajos, relaciones y digamos vida, en común. Una vez transcurrido el tiempo, el programa ya editado se va emitiendo en capítulos.
  
  ¿Y por que fue esa edición tan especial? Porque en esa edición participo un joven homosexual seropositivo llamado Pedro Zamora, un activista cubano comprometido con divulgar información sobre el SIDA. Y allí estuvo también el historietista Judd Winick, con el que compartió habitación. Y este último, inspirado por la vida de su amigo desaparecido y todo lo que aporto a su trayectoria vital -así como el programa-, dedica esta preciosa, conmovedora y emotiva oda a Pedro Zamora. Sin morbo y sin tapujos, somos testigos de una emotiva historia, que funciona tanto a niveles informativos sobre una peligrosa enfermedad como a niveles puramente narrativos.
  
  ‘Pedro y yo’ es un relato sobre la fugacidad de la misma vida, en una cronológica descomposición de meses y años que Winick plasma con su estilo de tira cómica. Todo fluye de forma natural, pudiendo el lector detenerse ante paginas repletas de vida. Caricatura por aquí, splash-page por allá. Por que Pedro y yo es una historia triste, claro que sí, pero también es un homenaje autobiográfico repleto de sentimientos hacia Pedro. Es una historia de la que aprender. Por que irse de este mundo dejando una huella tan grande en los demás como hizo Pedro, no es nada vacuo. Es un objetivo. Es un sentido. Y las páginas de Winick, lo demuestran.
• 
  Matthew

  I always find it important that when it comes to our identity, we need to learn about the history of the generations before you in order to learn the struggles and dilemma they suffered so that way our generation and future generations do not have to follow the same hardships. Sadly most people nowadays do not care about the past or do not bother learning whereas I found this comic book refreshing and important.
  
  Ever since I realized who I am truly am in my sexual orientation, it became my primary goal to research and learn about how the generation before mine were treated like 2nd class citizens, perverts, animals, and when AIDS became mainstream it became a social plague because at the time only gay people were catching the disease. Many people in our history looked the other way when they needed help and how to prevent HIV/AIDS.
  
  Then a few years ago, I had seen countless HIV/AIDS movies but this one was quite different and made it personally when it comes to my cultural and sexual identity. The movie was called Pedro, it was about a Cuban man named Pedro Zamora who got HIV when he was a teenager and made it his goal to teach every person he encountered what HIV/AIDS is and how to prevent catching it and the myths that society believes. I was completely in tears by the end of the movie and got to learn someone who lives in the same back yard as me.
  
  Now when I discovered this book in the library yesterday, I remember everything about him and thought that I should take a trip down memory lane even though his story ends on a sad note. This book is about Pedro but from the point of view of his friend Judd Winick who he met on The Real World: San Francisco.
  
  The first reason that I love about this book is Judd's illustration of these characters, they felt so real and did an absolutely wonderful job of drawing and storytelling Pedro's life. The 2nd reason why I believe this book was astounding is how they teach you about HIV/AIDS, how to prevent it, and most importantly that anyone can get the disease. This book is targeted mostly for Young Adults but I believe it fits for anyone who wants to know more about Pedro and the enthusiasm he brought to those who encountered him.
  
  What's cool is my high school P.E. teacher had met him in the 90s. For my teacher she was adamant at teaching us this disease because so many of her friends had passed away and since our school system cannot teach us about sex, she taught us how to prevent from getting any sexual diseases. She met him once and brought him to my school who all the kids fell in love with him and found it interesting the way he would talk and present himself. She said he was great guy and someone who you were instantly impressed and able to trust and love.
  
  I find it heart breaking how millions of people have dead from this disease. People who could have changed the world and instead were diminished to rubble. I find it important to keep these people in our hearts and memory especially Pedro and to never lose sight of how we only have one life on this earth and what we do with our life can effect the entire world.
• 
  B Schrodinger

  I know this looks like the cover to an after school special, and it is actually like an after school special. But don't judge me.
  
  I first came across Judd's work with the hilarious "Barry Ween" series which I do adore (I should write reviews for them). But I did not enjoy his collection of "Frumpy the Clown", which was unfunny newspaper type strips. So I picked this up a few years ago with no idea what it was about.
  
  Turns out it's an autobiographical comic on the author's relationship with his friend Pedro, who was an AIDS advocate in the 90's. They met by becoming roommates in a MTV reality show. There are no surprises here and it ticks all the boxes for being a heartfelt story with a message.
  
  But what really spoke to me reading it this time through is the message of acceptance of differences and the need to be exposed to diversity. In the final stages of the audition process for the show Judd was asked by the producers if he was comfortable to share a room with someone who is HIV positive. Being a liberal kind of guy he didn't even think before saying yes, but then later admits that he did have some prejudice based purely on ignorance of how the disease is transmitted and how would that impact on him sharing a room with Pedro. Of course everything turns out fine, but it took a little bit of time (not as much as what you may think) to get used to living with someone like this. I think it goes to show that no matter how liberal we may be in our views, until we are close to someone who is different we are probably just full of idealistic words. Here it was someone with HIV, but in our lives we need to expose ourselves to all kinds of different people.
  
  We have gained a multitude of sources for HIV education and this may be a great source to give to people who do not read novels or for teenagers. But I think the main strength is the message of equality and exposing yourself to different people. No, not in a trench-coat-wearing way.
• 
  Sooraya Evans

  A book that's hard to put down once you start reading.
  The cartoonish drawing style made it all the more sad.
  Without a doubt, Pedro truly inspired a lot of people in both life and death.
  That phone call from Bill Clinton was the best.
  As a remarkable communicator and motivator, PML took away his gift. How torturous :(
  
• 
  Justin

  I remember watching Pedro Zamora on The Real World in real time, back when I was an impressionable teenager, and I think that has something to do with why I never felt particularly drawn to this book. I clearly remember Pedro’s time as a proto-celebrity of reality television, his mission of AIDS education in a time where it was still a new and frightening disease, and his untimely death. I read this book as part of a comic book club at a local high school, alongside teens who weren’t yet born when Pedro died, and I’m glad I came back to Pedro’s story. This book isn’t a retread of what television audiences saw; it’s a recollection of the man's life by a good friend.
  
  Judd Winick, a fellow Real Word San Francisco cast member, considered Pedro one of his best friends, and this autobiographical comic follows Judd's own trajectory through his time on the show. He portrays himself as well-meaning but somewhat ignorant when he first meets Pedro, confident in his own tolerance but still irrationally nervous about sharing living space with an HIV-positive person. The book spends a little time on the show itself, mostly to explain its emotional effect on the cast members and to portray Judd's developing relationship with Pam Ling. Rather than focusing on what people have already seen or can find, though, the story takes place largely behind the scenes, focusing on how Pedro affected Judd's worldview and, ultimately, how much he came to love Pedro and how much he now misses him.
  
  I’m not familiar with Judd Winick’s art in other comics, but the art here is phenomenal. It has the expressiveness of classic Crumb art with none of the abrasive, odd proportions. There’s just enough realism to connect the comic to photographs and videos of the events it recalls, but it’s still enough of a comic to have its own look and feel.
  
  I suspect my enthusiasm for this book is colored by the fact that I'm familiar with all of the people involved, but I believe it's a good read for those that aren't. Winick's art and his ability to convey the powerful emotions that surrounded Pedro's life, work, and tragic decline make this a universal tale, regardless of when and where it was set.
• 
  Samantha

  This graphic novel, for upper junior high and high school students, is the emotional, educational story of Pedro Zamora. Winick describes his and Pedro’s childhood and the experiences that brought them to apply for the MTV show – The Real World. He talks about their fears about moving into the house as someone with HIV and someone with no real knowledge about the disease. For people who are not familiar with the real world, they may not understand the importance of the information about how sick Pedro was during taping. The story shows how Pedro tried to put his own needs aside in order to change ideas about HIV and people with it. He used his life and the show to educate people, knowing his had limited time left. The story is an emotional account of friendships and the impact of HIV. Winick’s illustrations are personal and honest. They carry the emotions of his story very well.
  
  I enjoyed this book for multiple reasons. This is one of the first casts of The Real World that I really knew. I met them through reruns I would sneak during the summer some year during junior high. Even though the show was missing the critical information about how sick he was – I haven’t seen a cast since that had such strong connections. I feel like their secrets concerning Pedro’s health might have caused that. I would suggest this book to any students, but use it in a health class, history, or literature class. Students could learn more about HIV, health scares in America, ways to present powerful personal experiences through graphic novels or other storytelling methods.
  
• 
  Christine Jensen

  Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Junior High/High School
  
  Format: Graphic Novel
  
  Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2001), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2001), Robert F. Sibert Information Book Honor (2001)
  
  Reliving the experience from MTVs Real World San Francisco, cartoonist and author Judd Winick relates of his experience living with and losing his friend Pedro Zamora, AIDS activist, to AIDS in graphic novel format.
  
  I remember watching Pedro and Judd on the MTV Real World San Francisco series. I have never personally known anyone with AIDS so watching the series was the closest experience I have ever had to knowing a real person with AIDS. Pedro was a kindhearted and intelligent person with a very dynamic personality. By appearance, he was very attractive, physically fit, and socially successful, which definitely challenged the pretenses of someone who acquired AIDS at the time. The world definitely felt a loss when he died. I kind of remember him being the first “individual” to die with AIDS. Before that, the reporting seemed to be all statistics.
  
  Pedro’s story is truly powerful. This book would be great to use in health classes.
• 
  Dawn

  I learned about this book from a Nerdy Book Club blog post.
  
  This is a true story. It's about a man who is HIV +. The author meets him when they make it through the auditions for an MTV series and become roommates in the house where the show is filmed. The story talks about prejudisms and misunderstandings around the disease.
  
  I knew someone that died of HIV/AIDs about the same time. When I think of the sadness and the shame around that time, it breaks my heart. Society, in general, was not willing to talk about this issue. Frankly, people still have a hard time talking about it. Instead they run on assumptions and misunderstandings. I'm glad there are some people making efforts to make those kinds of things change.
  
  I'm coming a bigger fan of graphic novels all the time. They express a story in a way that is different than just print. The pictures mixed with the words can be very moving.
  
• 
  Jackie

  A poignant, loving tribute to a friend whose courage and strength in dying was evident from day one. Judd Winick met Pedro Zamora on MTV's The Real World, a voyeuristic reality show which chronicled the lives of six roommates thrown together for six months. Pedro, HIV positive was Judd's roommate and eventually became a trusted friend along with another cast member, Pam Ling, a med student.
  
  Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned is much more than words, it is part education, part memorial, and part divine intervention. How those friends wound up together can only be given up to fate, karma, or divination. Pedro's short life touched so many and his legacy lives through his friends' understanding, compassion, and knowledge.
  
  Morton West High School incoming Freshman reading list-2010.
• 
  Ashley

  This was my first ever graphic novel and I read it in one sitting. I'm here to report that graphic novels can rip your heart out just as viciously as normal books.
• 
  Lauren

  MTV's The Real World: San Francisco is the only season I ever watched (with Pedro, Judd, et al). At the time, it was a great escape and yet I appreciated it for its ability to give us a glimpse into life's struggles much more realistically than what "reality tv" consists of today. I remember thinking back then about what an amazing guy Pedro Zamora must have been, and was touched early on by his story.
  
  I am grateful to have learned more about him through this book. It's a candid look at friendship, love, struggle and hope that comes with the territory when fighting a terrible disease such as AIDS...but also just in dealing with the journey of life in general. Winick's story inspires me, invokes in me a sense of wanting to do more, to do better in this world, to make a difference like Pedro did (and probably still does) to so many people. I've often agreed that we never really know just how much we might be able to impact someone's life...Pedro's story has certainly impacted mine. And, though this may sound very preachy and/or idealistic, I believe that Winick's moving and poignant story helps solidify that every single one of us can make a difference in this world--even if it's just to one other human being. All we have to do is, "...remember to love each other." So, so very important.
• 
  Erin Moulton

  You know when you're reading a book at lunch and you're choking on your food trying not to cry in front of your friends/coworkers? That's what happened with this book.
  
  Judd Winnick created Pedro and me to chronicle the time he spent with Pedro Zamora from time spent being on the Real World through the end of his short and impressive life. I've never watched The Real World, so I went into the book not knowing who Pedro Zamora or Judd Winnick were. It didn't matter, though, and graphic novel form may be my favorite way to consume reality tv. Judd tells about Pedro's life, moving to America, coming out and then contracting AIDS, becoming an AIDS educator and joining the Real World in an effort to draw awareness and education to a wider audience. Judd recalls their meeting and friendship fondly and talks honestly about AIDS education as well as the events leading up to the end of Pedro's life. It was a heartbreaking but extremely engaging and informative read. Highly recommended, but keep the tissues nearby.
• 
  Fugo Feedback

  Un muy buen non-fiction comic pensado para conmover el corazón y educar la cabeza que logra con bastante éxito ambas cosas. Tanto la parte que cubre la amistad entre Pedro y el autor hasta las últimas horas de aquel como toda la historia de vida de ambos (más interesante en el caso de Pedro que en el de Judd) van siempre entre lo tierno, lo cotidiano y lo triste. Claro que (de nuevo especialmente en la historia de Pedro) hay ciertas escenas "históricas" contadas con ciertas limitaciones, se narra con bastante crudeza cómo era tener sida a principios de los 90s. Lo demás, una muy interesante historia de vida, con varias escenas cursis (que de todos modos son inevitables en este tipo de obras, y hasta recomendables) pero siempre realistas y creíbles. Eso sí, para cuando uno se va acercando al final es recomendable tener unos pañuelitos a mano, los golpes tristes -que no bajos- que hay cuando termina la historia son de duros para arriba.
• 
  Myrka Solis

  the book was good at first i didn't want to read it then i got really into it
• 
  Etain Ryan

  Years ago my brother told me about this book and lent me his copy. Randomly it came into my head last week and I picked up a copy. Pedro and his story are just as important today as they were when he was alive. Judd beautifully captures this brave young person who shared his story of HIV with the world in a time when it was unheard of. Not only does the story give us a glimpse of Pedro the person but we also see him as a friend, son, brother and finally husband. The friendship between Judd and Pedro is pure and it's clear Pedro lives on in his heart and through his work. I love the art and there are some very funny parts as well as a lot of depth. An amazing graphic novel for any lgbtqa+ reader as well as all readers.
• 
  Petty Lisbon

  Maybe it's because I've been treating reading as a chore lately, but this book hit me right in the gut. I read my fair share of graphic novels and comic books (although for whatever reasons, I don't mark the Riverdale ones on here), but this one showed me the storytelling potential of this medium. I haven't seen Season 3 of The Real World yet but I've read about Pedro's story, and even if you already know about him, reading all about it from a close friend instead of just Wikipedia makes it so much more emotional. I definitely recommend it.
• 
  April Gain

  This was not what I expected it to be. Winnick artfully captures his friendship with Pedro from their time in the Real World house through his tragically early death. He tells the story with compassion and intimacy and incorporates resources and information with the story. Though not specifically YA, it could be read and understood by young adults and has a valuable message about shame and health that's important for young people to see.
• 
  Lauren

  Graphic Novel by Judd Winick from The Real World: San Francisco about his friendship with castmate Pedro. Pedro was HIV-positive and on TV-- an iconic appearance in 1994.
  
  I had no idea Judd Winick was a prolific graphic novelist but it's obvious why. This was a magnificently told story about Pedro's last year of life, before he died at just 22
• 
  honeybean

  Really beautiful story about spreading HIV/AIDS awareness. I haven't seen MTV's Real World, but am interested to watch this season now. Pedro touched many lives, and this story continues in his legacy. <3 Educational and beautiful.
• 
  Claire Gill

  Everyone needs to read this.
• 
  Olivia Striedl

  this was such a beautiful story told in such a beautiful way! i laughed, cried, all the things.
  
• 
  Gregory

  Overlong diatribe about AIDS activism. I don't care about MTV's The Real World, but the insight into reality television was interesting to read, especially from the experience of someone who was on the show and married another cast member. Otherwise it's just about the life of Pedro Zamora from his immigration into the U.S. to eventual contraction of HIV and later death from AIDS at 22. But his "activism" was simply going to campuses and telling people to practice safe sex. Is that all it takes to be memorialized? There's a number of SexEd teachers who do the same, and they don't have books written about them, streets named after them, or organizations dedicated to them.
• 
  L-Crystal Wlodek

  Pedro and Me is a Sibert Honor book (2001) and is recommended for students ages 14 and up. This book is a cartoon memoir that tells the story of Pedro Zamora, a Cuban immigrant, aids educator, and star of MTV The Real World San Francisco. The author, who was Pedro’s roommate on the Real World, tells the story of their friendship, Pedro’s life, and the affect he had on many people around the world. This book is visually creative and appealing and serves as a vivid memorial of Pedro Zamora’s life.
  
  This is a powerful, captivating, and heartbreaking novel. Its goal was to actively portray the life of Pedro Zamora, an aids activist and educator who had a great effect on many people. It is a very emotional book that not only discusses the realities of AIDS, but also celebrates friendship and life. When reading, readers will become more educated and enlightened about the seriousness of AIDS, and will be drawn into the book by moments of laughter, love, and heartbreaking loss. This life-changing book showcased Pedro’s bravery and good-hearted nature. The text and graphic novel format made the book more interesting, and really showed love, warmth, admiration, and emotion. This story does give the blunt facts about AIDS, but at the same time is warm, emotional, and heartbreaking. It has all the ingredients of a good book that will draw readers in. This book allows one to become emotionally involved in the life of a person who lived with AIDS and may for some people forever alter their thinking about this serious illness.
  
• 
  Laura Noto

  Summary-
  Pedro and Me is a graphic novel for older readers in jr. high and high school. It is about the lives of Judd and Pedro. The book talked about their different childhoods and their shared experience in the Real World 3 house in San Francisco. Pedro was HIV positive and he spent his time educating others about HIV and prevention. He taught Judd a lot about HIV and his outlook on life. Even though Pedro knew that he was going to die, he still worked hard to educate others and he fell in love and got married. In the end of the book Pedro develops AIDs and dies.
  Response-
  This book is powerful. It educates others about the details of HIV and it makes it seem more real. There are funny and sad parts. Anyone who would read this book would feel connected to Pedro, upset about what happened to him, and inspired to make sure it doesn’t happen to others.
  This book also gives a lot of information about HIV, AIDs, and other diseases. I learned about what exactly they are and how they affect people that have them. Judd makes a point in the book that the media portrays HIV negatively, but it can affect everyone. We need to be educated about it to stay safe from it.
  This book definitely had adult themes. The reader needs to be able to be mature enough to enjoy it. There are a few times in the book when there is adult language and references to sexual content. Due to these few parts, some schools and parents may not want their students to read this book.