Okay, so this isn’t a review so much as it is a recommendation. But I thought “My First Book Review” would be a catchier title so I went with that. I hope my intuition was right because I believe that everyone would benefit from reading Shawn Decker’s My Pet Virus [Official, Amazon, Barnes & Noble]
I discovered Shawn’s book a week or so ago over dinner with my good friend Bonnie and her super-cool husband William. Bonnie and I first met before I went off to college. She was studying photography in Boston and a mutual friend of ours named Jimmy suggested we get together while she was in town. I am still grateful to Jimmy for making that introduction as Bonnie not only helped me with the daunting task of transitioning from Charlottesville, VA to Boston, MA; she also helped me to get a’tris off the ground by bringing her friends out to our first shows and putting a photo shoot together for the front cover of our debut album, appeal [iTunes, Amazon]
Anyways, as Bonnie and I were discussing life and art she mentioned that her cousin, Shawn Decker, had written a book that she thought I’d really like. I told her his name sounded familiar to me and that I’d be sure to check it out. At the end of the night, she made sure that I did by handing me a copy. And that’s when it hit me. Shawn’s name sounded familiar and his face (on the front cover) looked familiar because I’d met him before.
When I was in high school my classmates and I were invited to attend a lecture given by Shawn and his partner/girlfriend/wife Gwenn [Official]. I’m not sure what their relationship status was at the time but I do remember that they were there to talk about Shawn’s HIV status and I recalled much of his story from that lecture. At age eleven Shawn contracted HIV from tainted blood. As a result, he was kicked out of school and alienated. Thankfully though he was far too driven to let other people’s ignorance about his pet virus get him down. Instead, he educated himself and landed a fellow educator in Miss Powhatan, Gwenn Barringer. Not bad for a self-described thin-blooded positoid huh? Shawn is a champion and I remembered being greatly inspired by the manner in which he and Gwenn answered my class’ questions with great candor and aplomb.
Shawn’s book was just as sincere as his lecture and it really hit home to me. Literally. As I read My Pet Virus I couldn’t help but smile when I realized that I owned Shawn’s first album, Tainted Goods, with his band Synthetic Division [Myspace]. (He’s a pretty awesome musician too.) I also am familiar with many of the places about which he wrote and even one of the persons whose names he mentions. While you probably won’t have the same experiences, I strongly believe that you will love his book. It is extremely genuine, well-written, and unputdownable. (I don’t think the last adjective there is really a word but you know what I mean). I’ve included a preview of the novel below thanks to Google reader and encourage you to check it out and leave your opinions in our comments section.
Hope this finds you feeling healthy!
-Mason
P.S. If you’d like to get to know more about Shawn Decker, be sure to check out his blog at ShawnandGwenn.com. It’s really informative and he updates it regularly. You can also find him on Twitter, Myspace, and Youtube. And, last but not least, you can sponsor Decker’s Daily Coffee [flickr] by sending Shawn $5 via PayPal to shawn@mypetvirus.com. If you ask him politely, he’ll plug your website or organization too. Be on the lookout for some a’tris love soon 
Updated Friday 15 Jan:
How cool is that? Before the days of the wold wide web, I remember mailing one of my favorite authors, Piers Anthony [Official] a handwritten letter via his publisher and being overjoyed when a personal response arrived from him months later. Back then I could have never imagined how today’s social media would allow anyone with internet access and a Twitter or Facebook account the ability to directly connect with artists and content creators. I hope that my responses to your tweets and messages make you feel as good as I felt upon seeing this.
Looking forward to connecting with you!
-Mason
Tags: a'tris, appeal, decker's daily coffee, gwenn baringer, HIV, my pet virus, shawn and gwenn, shawn decker, Synthetic division
January 14, 2010 at 11:24 PM |
I read all the sample pages (I already see what you mean about it being “unputdownable”) and this looks like something I must purchase very very soon… Plus, it has be awesome to merit the creation of a new word to describe it, right?
It was really cool reading about your personal encounter with him as well.
January 15, 2010 at 2:11 PM |
Thanks Amie! I really appreciate your comment and am so glad to read that you checked out his book. Isn’t Google reader cool? They give you just enough of a preview to get you hooked. Especially when you’re reading excerpts from an author whose style and sense of humor is as sharp as Shawn’s. Did you see the update I tagged on to this post earlier today? Is that neat or what
Hope this finds you feeling healthy!
-Mason
January 15, 2010 at 5:23 PM |
I just read the update you posted- It’s so awesome that he not only read your review, but liked “unputdownable” as well!
Oh, and after finding out that Piers Anthony is one of your favorite authors, I may have to marry you. Hehe.
But yeah, it is kind of astounding how you can connect with just about anyone these days. I received a reply from John Cusack via Twitter once… It was quite a surprise, haha. And like I mentioned the other day- I was really amazed when I first received a response from you, and it still always makes my day a thousand times better.
January 17, 2010 at 1:48 PM |
Thanks Amie! That was pretty sweet. We shot a couple of messages back and forth too and may be meeting up for coffee sometime soon. If that works out I’ll be sure to drop a few pictures here. Small world huh?
That’s awesome that you’re a fan of Piers Anthony! I really got into his Xanth series when I was in high school. As a matter of fact, after reading the first three books or so, I asked Santa and the rents for the entire series for Christmas. I remember that my folks were pretty dismayed that, by honoring that request, they weren’t able to buy me anthing else; but seriously I was the happiest kid ever and I spent the next year reading every single one of them
That’s awesome that you received a reply from John Cusack. It’s good to know that he’s still alive. I didn’t see 2012 but I caught the trailer a couple of times and it looked like his chances of surviving that film were pretty slim
Glad to read that I can brighten up your day! You have the very same super power. Thanks for your comments!
-Mason
January 17, 2010 at 8:32 PM |
Haha that sounds awesome- nothing but books for Christmas!
I actually got into Piers Anthony through my mom, oddly enough. I haven’t read all the Xanth books (and I applaud the fact that you have- that’s awesome) but I’ve always liked them better than the Apprentice Adept series. I just can’t seem to get into much in the way of sci-fi type things, except for a couple of exceptions: Doctor Who and Torchwood. Then again Torchwood is a spin-off from Doctor Who, so maybe that doesn’t count. But yeah, I’ve always been more into fantasy- I could go on about Harry Potter for days. Because I’m a nerd. Haha.
And yeah, I guess John’s going for the more serious roles these days. He seems pretty political as well. Which is actually why I said anything to him on Twitter in the first place- He was going on some rant. I said, “I’m trying to figure out if you’re insane or brilliant. Maybe you could give me a hint?” and he came back with “either one is fine”. Though honestly I was more impressed when JT Woodruff replied to me. Musicians just impress me more than actors do- even though John Cusack is a pretty big deal, obviously, cause I grew up watching his movies. My dad is a big fan of his, haha. But yeah, I was never much of a movie person until Justin Pierre got me interested in indie films. I’m still not, really. I’d probably walk right past Brad Pitt to talk to Ben Folds.
Oh dearie me. I’m ranting again. Sorry, I’ve had waaaay too much coffee today. When I’m hyper there’s no shutting me up. Bwahaha.
And, I’m glad I can brighten up your day as well
You always make me smile, so I’m glad I can return the favor. Hehe.
January 17, 2010 at 9:21 PM |
This is waaaaay longer then I expected. Oops 0.0
January 16, 2010 at 1:07 AM |
By special request I am giving some comment luvins. Great book review Mason, and great blog overall. I will definitely bookmark it so I can check back from time to time and see whats new on here. In a bit of a slump of sorts with creativity, however, once I get off from under some stress and daily workload I will be attempting to turn out some new a’tris graphics so keep a look out on “a’tris nation” and your myspace comment box ^_^ Much love to you and the guys. Keep up the great work.
-Angie-
January 17, 2010 at 1:37 PM |
Hey Angie,
Thanks for stopping by and bookmarking this page! It’s great to see you here. If you’d like an e-mail delivered to you when I update our blog, feel free to subscribe to our feed by entering your address in the box we’ve placed in the upper right-hand corner of this page’s sidebar.
Sorry to read that you’re under some stress these days. I hope you feel better and can’t wait to see your new graphics! Working on tunes always helps me get stuff out of my system; I hope your art provides a similar opportunity.
Looking forward to seeing you here! My goal is to make this page our main site for sharing information and really appreciate you helping to facilitating that by sharing some comment luv
-Mason
January 17, 2010 at 4:55 PM |
Not a problem Mason. Always happy to help you guys out when I am able. Thanks for the words
I’m just in a ruddy mood lately but I’m working my way out of it slowly. Hope your weekend has gone well, mine’s alright a few bored spots but mostly housework. Definitely doesn’t help the boredom lol. I think I actually did subscribe to this blog already. ^_^ Take care and keep safe.
-Angie-
January 18, 2010 at 7:00 PM |
Sweet! I hope to see you on here more often. Our blog is wayyy better than housework! (That could totally be a tag line)
Sorry to read that you’ve been in a ruddy mood lately. Sounds like you need some ice cream. That fixes everything
Especially if you get the kind that comes in those tiny little cartons.
-Mason
January 18, 2010 at 7:54 PM |
-giggles- Yes ice cream is great for fixing the ruddiness.
Dunno bout the little cartons though then again the big cartons would of course cause a diff problem mainly inability to move very far very fast 
but what a way to go!!! lol. I’m doing okay though just gotta go with the flow till it works itself out. I seen mention in the post below of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s awesomeness -drool- He is very awesome. One of my fave actors, and a phenomenal martial artist!! <3
January 18, 2010 at 7:15 PM |
@Amie There’s nothing wrong with that! As much as I love to use Twitter to share and learn new information, that character limitation can some times really suck. I was trying to articulate how sweet the movie JCVD looked today and was frustrated that I was forced to summarize Jean-Claude Van Damme’s awesomeness with only 140 numbers and letters. His name alone took up half of the tweet! Such is life.
You know I recall thinking that Xanth kind of lost some of its charm in the later novels. That could be attributed to the fact that I read some 20 or so of them in a row though. Who’s the bigger nerd now?
You know, I still haven’t read a single book in the Apprentice Adept series. I too am more of a fantasy person but I do enjoy a good sci-fi book or movie from time to time. Speaking of which, have you seen Moon? Holy cow, it’s awesome! Sam Rockwell’s performance is brilliant and the direction is seriously top-notch.
-Mason
P.S. If you meet Ben, will you tell him that I’d like to collaborate
January 18, 2010 at 10:46 PM |
Yeah, I know what you mean. I like to think of Twitter as sort of the Post-It note of the internet. Haha.
I’ve only read the first nine or so Xanth books, and it’s been awhile since I did that, but in my personal opinion they’re more interesting than the Apprentice Adept ones- But again, the whole sci-fi thing.
I haven’t seen Moon but I just watched the trailer and it looks really amazing. I’m definitely going to have to check it out
See, I just have trouble getting into the whole intergalactic battling type stuff like Star Wars- it’s just never been able to hold my interest. Then again I don’t always have the longest of attention spans
And, the next time Ben plays here I’ll see if I can find him after the show
it actually wouldn’t be too hard if he plays at the Orange Peel. It’s pretty easy to meet artists when they play there cause you can just wait across the street from the tour buses. Actually, Switchfoot let everyone hang out right next to the bus, cause they’re cool like that. Unfortunately though Ben doesn’t play in Asheville too often. I don’t know why- it’s not that far from Winston-Salem. Then again that could be the reason in itself; maybe he likes the spread the dates out a bit. Haha I don’t know. He played last year (or possibly the year before, I can’t remember at the moment) but I wasn’t able to go.
Which reminds me… How are the tour dates coming along…?
January 20, 2010 at 9:09 PM |
haha that’s a great way of putting it!
You’re totally going to love Moon. Sam Rockwell is seriously badass.
Thanks! Please do that
Were you able to meet the Switchfoot guys?
That’s really cool that they were chill about letting their fans hang out around their tour bus.
That makes sense that Ben Fold’s booking agents would go for Winston-Salem. I bet he’s able to pull a large draw from the surrounding cities there. I’d drive from Asheville to see him!
Keep an eye peeled here for some show info in the coming weeks
January 20, 2010 at 9:19 PM |
Yeah, I was able to meet all of the Switchfoot guys but Drew, he kinda wandered off while I was talking to Jerome. I guess I’ll talk to him first next time. Haha. They play in Asheville about every year, which is really awesome – I wish more bands would do that! I got really nervous talking to Jon. I’m not sure why some musicians make me nervous and some don’t. I’m getting better though. The first time I met an artist it was… well.. we call it The Justin Pierre Incident. Bwahaha.
February 4, 2010 at 7:47 PM |
[...] you read my previous entry about, my first book review, you’ll know how much I enjoyed Shawn Decker’s book, My Pet Virus [Official, [...]
February 22, 2010 at 9:30 PM |
[...] reached out to us after seeing a post that Shawn Decker wrote on his blog after I reviewed his fantastic book, My Pet Virus and subsequently met with him at a local coffee shop. When I checked out Kenzie’s [...]
March 12, 2010 at 5:12 PM |
While this topic can be very difficult for most people, my belief is that there has to be a middle or common ground that we all can find. I do value that you’ve added pertinent and intelligent thoughts here though. Very much thanks to you!
March 12, 2010 at 9:21 PM |
Hey Delouse,
Thanks for your kind and thoughtful comment! I’m so glad to read that you enjoyed this piece. Have you checked out what Shawn is doing with his blog? It’s seriously inspirational and it’s pretty entertaining as well.
Recently Shawn wrote a post inviting his readers to guess his t-cell count. The person with the closest guess wins one of his ‘screw smarter shirts’. The main point is to have fun while raising awareness. But I’m not going to lie, I really want to rock one of those shirts
As you can see below, they’re pretty awesome.
There are still a couple of days for you to submit your guess if you’d like to participate. Spread the word!
All the best!
-Mason
May 14, 2010 at 3:21 PM |
[...] you’ve been stopping by this blog for a while, you may have seen the piece I wrote about Shawn Decker’s book, My Pet Virus. To summarize that post, Shawn is a fantastic guy and a hell of a writer. His story [...]