You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
A recent discussion of the superb book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot brought this book up and I am so glad it did. This book is fantastic and it is an utter page turner! I'm so glad I've saved it until now to read.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Brilliant. Well-told. 5 stars just doesn’t seem enough.
I was so bummed to learn that Mr. Shilts died of the very disease he so meticulously chronicled here, but it definitely makes sense to me that the book ends where it does. And I am astounded this was written in 1987! Incredible work.
I plan to read more on this topic. I’d definitely like to learn more about it.
I was so bummed to learn that Mr. Shilts died of the very disease he so meticulously chronicled here, but it definitely makes sense to me that the book ends where it does. And I am astounded this was written in 1987! Incredible work.
I plan to read more on this topic. I’d definitely like to learn more about it.
I feel numb. And angry. And devastated. And in awe.
Shilts is a master storyteller, who deserves to be among the giants of nonfiction writing. His writing, quintessentially periodical, can trigger emotions at the drop of an adjective, while making obscure policy decisions and medical vernacular digestible to the layman. In a time of pandemic, with COVID and racism, this recounting of ineptitude and courage, hatred and love, apathy and passion, is quite simply required reading. It should go down as one of the greatest American texts of the late 20th century.
Shilts is a master storyteller, who deserves to be among the giants of nonfiction writing. His writing, quintessentially periodical, can trigger emotions at the drop of an adjective, while making obscure policy decisions and medical vernacular digestible to the layman. In a time of pandemic, with COVID and racism, this recounting of ineptitude and courage, hatred and love, apathy and passion, is quite simply required reading. It should go down as one of the greatest American texts of the late 20th century.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Breathtakingly informative. I love that this book tackles all angles of the AIDS crisis from the very beginning, including scientific, political, social, geographical, generational, and corporate. Absolutely fascinating.
Was a reference for my research paper. Did read quite a bit of it and also watched the movie!
Reading this book will make you angry and incredibly sad at the same time. It chronicles so much callousness (from health officials, the news media, the government, and more) towards the AIDS epidemic you just want to scream.
At times, reading this was a bit difficult for me as English is not my native language and some of the medical talk was quite hard to translate to German so I actually understood it. There are A LOT of people to keep track of but there is a very handy list of the most important ones at the beginning of the book and I also found myself looking at the index when I couldn´t remember who i.e. Harold Jaffe was.
"And the Band Played On" is important and I will recommend it to everyone I know because we should not forget how long AIDS was ignored just because it´s victims where mostly gay men.
At times, reading this was a bit difficult for me as English is not my native language and some of the medical talk was quite hard to translate to German so I actually understood it. There are A LOT of people to keep track of but there is a very handy list of the most important ones at the beginning of the book and I also found myself looking at the index when I couldn´t remember who i.e. Harold Jaffe was.
"And the Band Played On" is important and I will recommend it to everyone I know because we should not forget how long AIDS was ignored just because it´s victims where mostly gay men.
The lost opportunities of 1982 would be explained later with the chorus: "How were we to know?" This had no meaning in 1983. By then, vast numbers of people knew better, but confronted with knowledge and the chance to do something, they usually did the wrong thing, if they did anything at all. At the time, their postures seemed like the right thing to do in order to preserve civil rights or, say the economic viability of the blood industry. The problem, of course, was that such considerations constantly overshadowed concerns of medicine and public health. 296
The most intriguing part of the speech was the section that was least quoted in the mainstream media. "Any reference to sharing information would not be compete without acknowledging the excellent work done by gay networks around the nation," said Heckler. "They have responded to the crisis by offering comprehensive support to AIDS victims, and by working to inform the gay communities of the risk of AIDS, and how to minimize them. I know many of you in this audience have worked extensively with these groups, and I applaud their compassion. 422
In her only departure from her prepared text, Heckler added, "We must conquer AIDS before it affects the heterosexual population and the general population... We have a very strong public interest in stopping AIDS before it speeds outside the risk groups, before it becomes an overwhelming problem."
The statement infuriated organizers from AIDS groups who considered AIDS already an "overwhelming problem" and did not consider it a priority of AiDS research to stop the scourge only "before it affects the heterosexual population." Moreover, many gay leaders wondered who had determined that homosexuals were not part of the "general population" that so concerned the Secretary. 554 - 555
The most intriguing part of the speech was the section that was least quoted in the mainstream media. "Any reference to sharing information would not be compete without acknowledging the excellent work done by gay networks around the nation," said Heckler. "They have responded to the crisis by offering comprehensive support to AIDS victims, and by working to inform the gay communities of the risk of AIDS, and how to minimize them. I know many of you in this audience have worked extensively with these groups, and I applaud their compassion. 422
In her only departure from her prepared text, Heckler added, "We must conquer AIDS before it affects the heterosexual population and the general population... We have a very strong public interest in stopping AIDS before it speeds outside the risk groups, before it becomes an overwhelming problem."
The statement infuriated organizers from AIDS groups who considered AIDS already an "overwhelming problem" and did not consider it a priority of AiDS research to stop the scourge only "before it affects the heterosexual population." Moreover, many gay leaders wondered who had determined that homosexuals were not part of the "general population" that so concerned the Secretary. 554 - 555
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
This reads like one long newspaper article. I wish that the constant recitation of deaths and infections could have been done graphically alongside chapter titles. I found the book super depressing. I had no idea our national response to AIDS was this bad. There should be a vaccine by now. It's an eye opening book, worth the read, but it's a slog.