Reviews tagging 'Death'

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

17 reviews

usually_sleep_deprived's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

3.0

A hard hitting, harrowing read. This is probably the book that took me the longest to read this year, as there are so many names and perspectives to contend with. It was astonishing that the administration and media didn’t cover the AIDS epidemic from the get go, and Shilts doesn’t hold back on his criticism of that. However, his portrayal of Gaetan Dugas (dubbed ‘Patient Zero’) felt aggressive and it felt unfair that Dugas could not say anything back, as he passed away in 1984.
Overall, this was a good but quite dated look into the AIDS epidemic. I think I would like to find a more sensitive perspective into this topic 😳

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

laurastewies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

kendallblank's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death

camillatd's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

5.0

A gripping, harrowing, and incredibly well-researched piece of investigative journalism, And The Band Played On takes the reader through a detailed account of the first five years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. I want to first note that as this book was published in 1987, it is certainly not without flaw. In the 35 years since then, the scientific and public health communities have learned much about HIV/AIDS, including the truth behind the assumed "Patient Zero" identified in the early 1980s, Gaetan Dugas. Many have written about Shilts' characterization of Dugas, as well as the other figures featured in the book, so I won't dwell on it here. 

The true feat of Randy Shilts' magnum opus is how he makes a 600-page piece of investigative journalism come alive. Dense with figures, medical jargon, and institutional acronyms, And The Band Played On seems like it would be nearly unreadable. But somehow, Shilts weaves these pieces of data into a compelling narrative. He does this primarily by lending humanity and depth to the central figures in the early years of the epidemic. Considering the historiographical context, Shilts' portrayal of those suffering from AIDS would have contrasted sharply with the regular dehumanization of sufferers by the media and the government. 

Most of all, this work is a damning indictment of the politicization of disease, systemic homophobia, and the failures of political bureaucracy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

emmeline's review against another edition

personally, I didn't vibe with the writing style. that combined with the size of the book and the small font size made this difficult for me to actually pick up and want to finish. I feel like a learned a lot from what I did read, specifically from the medical perspective and how doctors and researchers reacted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Grief

holomew151's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction and Homophobia