Reviews

In the Eye of the Storm: Volunteers and Australia's Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis by Robert Reynolds, Shirleene Robinson, Paul Sendziuk

gingerpop's review

5.0

I came across this book having just watched It’s a Sin, and I really wanted to find out more about the AIDS crisis from an Australian perspective. Growing up as a child in the 80s I remembered the Grim Reaper campaign, and the experiences of my gay friends in the 90s. This book manages to capture an amazing cross section of volunteers throughout the crisis, and really brings a human face to those people who gave so much of their time to this epidemic.

jocelyn610's review

5.0

My name is Jocelyn Alex, and I'm from San Jose, CA. I am delighted to share this wonderful testimony about Dr. Tunde Herbal Medicine. He is the herbal doctor who cured me of HIV with his herbal medicine. I had been diagnosed with HIV for 7 months and tried various treatments to overcome this illness. Unfortunately, none of them worked, and I felt desperate, believing there had to be a cure somewhere.

A few months ago, while browsing the internet, I came across recommendations for Dr. Tunde and how he had been using his herbal medicine to treat and cure people living with HIV. I decided to reach out to him, sharing my contact details and my struggle with the illness. Dr. Tunde assured me not to worry and mentioned he would prepare his herbal medicine for me.

He asked for my home address to send the medicine through FedEx. After the process, I received the delivery, and as directed by Dr. Tunde, I took the medicine for a week. During this time, I noticed positive changes in my body. To confirm the results, I consulted my doctor for a blood test, and to my surprise, there was no trace of the HIV virus in my blood or nerves.

I am sincerely grateful to Dr. Tunde for providing a permanent cure for this virus. If you are seeking a cure for HIV/AIDS [ Contact Dr. Tunde through WhatsApp: [phone] ]. He also treat other illness, like Herpes (HSV 1&2), hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhoea, Diabetes, Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, and other deadly illness. Contact him on Whatsapp and explain your situation to him. Dr. Tunde made me understand that to every illness in the world, there is a plant somewhere that is the cure. Give him a try, he might just have that cure you've been desparately looking for. [ Contact Dr. Tunde through WhatsApp: [phone] ]

Or send an email: [email protected]

Kind Regards
Jocelyn.

youeatdogfood's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I found the life history interviews contained within heartwarming and inspiring, and it made me want to get back into volunteering. The authors share stories of individuals who have done volunteer work during the AIDS crisis in Australia, and shows how volunteering can be such a transformative experience not just fr the volunteer, but of course fr the recipients of the service as well. It highlights how volunteering can build such a powerful sense of community and belonging, which is especially important fr those in the queer community who may have rarely or even never felt that sense of connection in their lives.

The authors’ and interviewees’ passion fr the impact volunteering can have is evident throughout the book, and it serves as a great reminder of the positive impact that we can have on the world when we take action and get involved. However, outside of one or two chapters and a little paragraph in the introduction, the book doesn’t seem to spotlight the huge degree of which lesbian communities played in supporting gay men during the AIDS crisis. During the crisis, lesbians had formed a number of orgs and support groups dedicated to providing practical assistance, like home care and meals, as well as emotional support to those affected by HIV/AIDS. Some lesbian activists and orgs also played key roles in advocating fr better medical treatment and more funding for AIDS research as well.

The book also overlooks to a bigger extent the involvement of sex workers in helping gay men and providing practical assistance and emotional support during the AIDS crisis, despite facing immense stigma and discrimination themselves, and also that they themselves were a community deeply at risk from HIV/AIDS. Yet despite this risk, they still stepped up to provided assistance and care to those in need.

Overall, ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ is an inspiring book that highlights the transformative power of volunteering, and provides a deeply personal and varied glimpse into the lives of those individuals who dedicated a significant amount of their time to the AIDS crisis. It reminds us of the importance of taking action and making a difference in the world. However, it could benefit frm further exploration of the important contributions made by lesbian communities and sex workers during the epidemic. But altogether, it underscores the importance of building a sense of community and belonging, particularly fr marginalised individuals who may have never experienced this sense of connection in their lives. I would def recommend this book to anyone interested in volunteering, community building, and social change, and a reminder of how what sometimes seems like a small action can really make a life-changing difference.

girlfriday4's review

4.0

This book was a lucky find on display at my local library. It was rewarding and poignant to read the volunteers' stories - including those of people I know from my time working in HIV organisations. My only gripe would be that there were not enough Indigenous or POC voices. For example, I would have loved to read about the experiences of people who volunteered in Asian gay men's support projects. I feel this book is just the tip of an iceberg of powerful narratives.