Loebl, a Brooklyn, N.Y., freelance, writes about AIDS not only as a science writer but as a mother who lost a son to the disease. She says that in 1983 many parents turned their backs on their children with AIDS, while a few rallied to their side. When the virus infected Loebl's son, David, she jointed a support group that came to be known as the Mothers' Group. Her book chronicles the lives of the members who fiercely and tenderly stood by their children.