Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/253816
S parkle is a little girl who worries that she is starting to "forget who I am," which is a HUE-man. Like many chil- dren, Sparkle knows she is a being of light and color, and wants to help others remember that they are, as well. Her wise mother, Alice, teaches her about nature spirits—particularly one lithe and sprightly Kachina—and how they help us. Much of this delightful children's story is Kachina's ad- ventures as recounted by Alice. The little fairy sprite discovers that she can help humans with her special gifts, particularly an exquisite white rose that brings a special healing to a woman who is ill. As we h e a r / r e a d the story along with Sparkle, we are remind- ed of how important nature is to our well-being, and that the magical realm has lessons for us all. (Infi nite Light Publishing) —Carrie Ann Winthrop By Ayn Cates Sullivan, Ph.D. Sparkle & the Gift Illustrations by Belle Crow duCraybond BOOKS FILM Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée Dallas Buyers' Club T he Dallas Buyers' Club may sound like a group of subur- banites talking Tupperware, but nothing could be further from the truth. This powerful fi lm about a macho elec- trician and rodeo wrangler who shockingly fi nds himself diag- nosed HIV+ in the days when it was tantamount to a death sen- tence reveals not only the power of the human spirit, but also the power of the FDA. Roy Woodruff (played by Matthew McConaughey) was an unlikely candidate to be a drug smuggler, but due to the slow pace of drug approval in the United States and his belief that the only medication in testing was actually killing people, he began transporting meds over the Mexican border in a desper- ate attempt to save his own life. It became a business when he was unable to earn money at his former profession, and joined forces with the stricken gay community to get more value for their American dollars. McConaughey, who lost 50 pounds for the part, gives a stellar performance, as does co-star Jared Leto, but perhaps the drugs are the true stars of the fi lm. It's a perfect example of Big Pharma going to extreme lengths—citizens be damned— to maintain control of the business of healing. Woodruff was bringing in effective meds not available in the U.S., many of them nutraceuticals, yet was harassed endlessly. Not much has changed since Woodruff's death, which wasn't until nearly seven years later than doctors had predict- ed. But when a former president—Bill Clinton—admits the White House fought to protect patent rights rather than sup- port cheaper AIDS medicines, we know we're up against pow- erful forces. —AL february/march 2014 31 WLT-FEB-MAR-1-30.indd 31 1/30/14 10:47 AM