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And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
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And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic

by Randy Shilts

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1,005273,458 (4.39)19

Member recommendations

  1. timspalding recommends World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, "Some may take offense at the suggestion, but I think don't think World War Z could have been written without And the Band Played On, an oral history (see more) of the all-too-real AIDS epidemic. Shilts' is by far the better book, even if it weren't true and important."
  2. espertus recommends The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West, and the Fight Against AIDS by Helen Epstein, "Two interesting books on the spread of AIDS in two very different locations and times. "And the Band Played On" is about the emergence of AIDS, with a (see more) focus on the San Francisco gay community in the 1980s, which the author was a part of, and the (non-)response by the American government. "The Invisible Cure" is about governments' and NGOs' responses to AIDS in African countries in the 1990s and early 2000s, with varying degrees of success based on different levels of understanding of the problem and effectiveness in directing resources."
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And the Band Played Onhas got to be one of the best pieces of journalism I have read in a long, long time. Shilts' reporting of every aspect of the AIDS epidemic is nothing short of mesmerizing. From the very beginning controlling the spread of AIDS never stood a chance. AIDS was to be ignored by everyone. If you were heterosexual you didn't want anything to do with the gay man's disease. If you were homosexual you didn't want someone telling you how to have sex, disease or no disease. Shilts does a fantastic job bringing to light the political power struggles that kept education and research about AIDS in the dark for nearly a decade.
SeriousGrace | Jun 9, 2009 |  
wonderful depiction of what went on when the aids epidemic first started...the denial, the politics to keep the bath houses open, the fear, the hatred against the gay community. Randy Shilts did a fine job of putting it all together. ( )
hammockqueen | Mar 8, 2009 | 1 vote
Way over-documented account of the genesis and progression of the aids crisis. Strong, impactful writing with meticulous detail of every minute development in the crisis makes this a long, tough read. Lots of technical medical information coupled with never-ending political confusion takes away from the impact of the human tragedy that this disease wrought. ( )
dugmel | Jan 16, 2009 | 1 vote
This book made me cry over a dozen times. It made me angry even more. I think everyone should read it. ( )
doc_illusion | Jan 13, 2009 |  
A moving account and remembrance of the fears, frustration and findings during the early years of the AIDS crisis. ( )
jocraddock | Jan 12, 2009 |  
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Book description

Amazon.com (ISBN 0312241356, Paperback)

In the first major book on AIDS, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Randy Shilts examines the making of an epidemic. Shilts researched and reported the book exhaustively, chronicling almost day-by-day the first five years of AIDS. His work is critical of the medical and scientific communities' initial response and particularly harsh on the Reagan Administration, who he claims cut funding, ignored calls for action and deliberately misled Congress. Shilts doesn't stop there, wondering why more people in the gay community, the mass media and the country at large didn't stand up in anger more quickly. The AIDS pandemic is one of the most striking developments of the late 20th century and this is the definitive story of its beginnings.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:56 -0400)

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