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A review by abbywebb
28: Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen
5.0
This is a must-read for everyone. [b:28: Stories of Aids in Africa|3120414|28 Stories of AIDS in Africa|Stephanie Nolen|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31oNX499F5L._SL75_.jpg|1262016] is a moving book compiled with stories from 28 Africans affected by AIDS (one story for every million individuals with HIV/AIDS in Africa), beautifully written by Canadian [a:Stephanie Nolen|385616|Stephanie Nolen|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg].
Each story was well-crafted while not being wordy. Nolen really put HIV/AIDS into perspective, providing not only moving stories of real people but also providing astounding statistics about the incidence of HIV/AIDS, death rates, and so on. Further, not only did she capture the story of the highly infectious disease, she also wove in the political tales of each African country discussed as it related to the individual's story.
She selected 28 remarkable people to tell their unique stories. She included researchers, religious leaders, former South African president Nelson Mandela, wives, grandmothers, orphans, refugees, soldiers, nurses, and so on. Just when you finish one story and think it was the most touching story you will ever read in your entire life, you begin reading the next one and realize that there are so many moving stories out there and they are all so unique.
I gave this book a whopping 5 stars both for Nolen's writing craftsmanship as well as bringing HIV/AIDS to life in the developing world. We need to acknowledge what is happening to the millions of people in Africa affected and infected by the disease and find a solution to help them. I have to admit that I learned a lot from this book, both about the disease, its treatments (yes, there are some), the research that is being done, as well as the political histories of several of the African nations mentioned.
This is a powerful book about Africa and AIDS that everyone can benefit from reading.
Each story was well-crafted while not being wordy. Nolen really put HIV/AIDS into perspective, providing not only moving stories of real people but also providing astounding statistics about the incidence of HIV/AIDS, death rates, and so on. Further, not only did she capture the story of the highly infectious disease, she also wove in the political tales of each African country discussed as it related to the individual's story.
She selected 28 remarkable people to tell their unique stories. She included researchers, religious leaders, former South African president Nelson Mandela, wives, grandmothers, orphans, refugees, soldiers, nurses, and so on. Just when you finish one story and think it was the most touching story you will ever read in your entire life, you begin reading the next one and realize that there are so many moving stories out there and they are all so unique.
I gave this book a whopping 5 stars both for Nolen's writing craftsmanship as well as bringing HIV/AIDS to life in the developing world. We need to acknowledge what is happening to the millions of people in Africa affected and infected by the disease and find a solution to help them. I have to admit that I learned a lot from this book, both about the disease, its treatments (yes, there are some), the research that is being done, as well as the political histories of several of the African nations mentioned.
This is a powerful book about Africa and AIDS that everyone can benefit from reading.