simlish's review against another edition
4.0
Well researched and written, this book takes care to make the AIDS epidemic understandable no matter your starting understanding of either AIDS or the difficulties faced in treating it in developing nations. Nolen balances explanation with story very well, so that the emotional thrust of each individual story is not weighed down by the political and economic world that contributes to it.
Not sure if it's just the ebook version but there were a lot of consistent typoes, like i for 1 and oddly interjected symbols, generally an open parenthesis. I found that kind of distracting. Would love an updated afterword, given that we've passed the projected vaccine date and still aren't quite there.
Not sure if it's just the ebook version but there were a lot of consistent typoes, like i for 1 and oddly interjected symbols, generally an open parenthesis. I found that kind of distracting. Would love an updated afterword, given that we've passed the projected vaccine date and still aren't quite there.
elizabethaugmentin's review against another edition
3.0
Eye opening and thought provoking. Money won’t fix the problem but it seems that’s what we’ve got to work with.
mdabernig's review against another edition
5.0
Anyway, the book (other than the omission of the pages) was truly amazing. I was recommended it by a friend and I have an interest in that sort of thing so I bought it and I honestly didn't think I was as ignorant about the subject as I turned out to be. I always pride myself on being kinda savvy and stuff about world issues but that was completely thrown out the water. It's a great book - and there's stories from everyone from all walks of life in it. A prostitute old enough to be a grandmother who is immune to the disease, a little boy who got held back in school because he was too sick to pass his final exams, the girl who had lost her parents and was looking after her little brother who was dependant on the people of the village to look after them, lorry drivers, educators, soldiers, wives, husbands, aid workers, doctors, scientist - everyone. I don't know, I think because it delivered it in such a way that in the small snapshot you got you learned a little more. The misconception that the soldier had that as long as the prostitute was fat then he didn't have to worry about catching anything, the excuse of some official that there was no point giving African's drugs because they 'told the time using the sun' and wouldn't be able to adhere to the timing methods necessary to follow the guidelines because of it, the artist who always wore a condom but got infected because he went to help a neighbour after a break-in and he got injured and his blood crossed with an infected supply...
It's just a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's an eye-opener and although the stories are about something tragic and the numbers and some of the things that happen are tragic, it isn't a book that is solely about that, which sounds weird but it's true.
It's just a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's an eye-opener and although the stories are about something tragic and the numbers and some of the things that happen are tragic, it isn't a book that is solely about that, which sounds weird but it's true.
val_halla's review against another edition
4.0
This book was well-researched and provided a very interesting perspective of the AIDS pandemic as it manifests in Africa. My only criticism would be that the author primarily interviewed upper-class, highly educated people who could speak English. I understand the limitation of being monolingual and attempting to interview a wide variety of people, but this means the book provided a narrow view of the issue. I read the ebook version, which had a lot of typos and formatting errors.
lindsayw's review against another edition
5.0
Heart-wrenching in places, uplifting in others, "28" kept me enthralled from the very first page. Stephanie Nolen's journalistic style brings you right into the homes of the people she's speaking with. Too often, the AIDS crisis is thought of academically, and not as something with a human face. Stephanie Nolen not only provides personal accounts from individuals, their faces literally adorn the pages of this book as all 28 stories come with 28 accompanying photos of their subjects.
This beautiful book has a special place on my shelf, destined to be re-read many times.
This beautiful book has a special place on my shelf, destined to be re-read many times.
emmkayt's review against another edition
4.0
In this 2007 book, Globe & Mail journalist Stephanie Nolen explored the dimensions of the AIDS epidemic in Africa through the stories of 28 Africans she met - one for each of the 28 million Africans then suffering from the disease. I thought it was fantastic: respectful, nuanced, with a thoughtful balance between individual stories and local or national experiences, and the complex issues they highlight. Really good.
mayalaurent's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very powerful. The detailed stories of the 28 individuals impacted by AIDS makes you realize the vastness of the epidemic. I have a much deeper understanding of how AIDS has affected Africa and how it has and continues to spread at rapid rates. There are truly heartbreaking stories and some stories of hope within this book. It certainly will make you look at AIDS in a different light.
mdabernig's review against another edition
5.0
Anyway, the book (other than the omission of the pages) was truly amazing. I was recommended it by a friend and I have an interest in that sort of thing so I bought it and I honestly didn't think I was as ignorant about the subject as I turned out to be. I always pride myself on being kinda savvy and stuff about world issues but that was completely thrown out the water. It's a great book - and there's stories from everyone from all walks of life in it. A prostitute old enough to be a grandmother who is immune to the disease, a little boy who got held back in school because he was too sick to pass his final exams, the girl who had lost her parents and was looking after her little brother who was dependant on the people of the village to look after them, lorry drivers, educators, soldiers, wives, husbands, aid workers, doctors, scientist - everyone. I don't know, I think because it delivered it in such a way that in the small snapshot you got you learned a little more. The misconception that the soldier had that as long as the prostitute was fat then he didn't have to worry about catching anything, the excuse of some official that there was no point giving African's drugs because they 'told the time using the sun' and wouldn't be able to adhere to the timing methods necessary to follow the guidelines because of it, the artist who always wore a condom but got infected because he went to help a neighbour after a break-in and he got injured and his blood crossed with an infected supply...
It's just a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's an eye-opener and although the stories are about something tragic and the numbers and some of the things that happen are tragic, it isn't a book that is solely about that, which sounds weird but it's true.
It's just a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's an eye-opener and although the stories are about something tragic and the numbers and some of the things that happen are tragic, it isn't a book that is solely about that, which sounds weird but it's true.
sarah_who_reads's review
5.0
This is a really smart book about HIV/AIDS. Presented through personal interviews, Nolen explores the myriad facets of the epidemic as it ravages the continent. I highly recommend it.
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