Jewelle Gomez's book "The Gilda Stories" really breaks the mold on the subject of vampires and the perception that most people have when they read or think about vampires. In the first two chapters we see that not all vampires are concerned with killing, but they are concerned with being a "family" of sorts and looking out for each other. We read about the challenges they faced in keeping their true identity a secret. Many of them have moved in the past and try to stay out of the public's sight.
The practice of sustaining life through acquiring blood is a complex and controversial one. Some vampires that we encounter in the book, like Gilda and Bird, only take enough from their victims to maintain their lives. Other vampires like Eleanor have a more violent take on the practice and have been accused of entrancing and killing for fun. Gilda herself doesn't like to take more than she needs and tries to help her victims by slipping positive thoughts into their heads in exchange for the blood she took.
Dan Muscarella
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