Judd Winick was struggling to make a living as a cartoonist when he was offered the opportunity to join MTV’s The Real World 3, San Francisco . As soon as he had he accepted the offer, he learned that his roommate on the series would be Pedro Zamora, a young gay man who was HIV positive. The experience forced Judd to confront many of his own fears and stereotypes. Although Judd and Pedro had completely different upbringings and, on the outside, didn’t seem to have much in common, the two hit it off and became close friends. Judd was at Pedro’s side a few years later when died, and he has continued Pedro’s work by speaking to teenagers as an AIDS educator. The warm, funny, and engaging story of this friendship is presented as a series of cartoons in a paperback, graphic novel format, making it easily accessible to a wide range of young readers. The facts Judd provides about AIDS transmission and prevention are straightforward and in this context may reach teens who might otherwise tune them out. (Ages 12-18)