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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
16 reviews
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
spaghett17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
This is a heartbreaking book. It really highlights the mishandling of the AIDS pandemic by the US government. This is a book full of US politics, which may or may not be what you are looking for.
The one gripe I have is that it is a heavy and slow book that can get kind of dull/hard to read at times. I would recommend having a (or two or three) lighthearted read going on at the same time.
The one gripe I have is that it is a heavy and slow book that can get kind of dull/hard to read at times. I would recommend having a (or two or three) lighthearted read going on at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
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.
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Addiction and Homophobia
fawns's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
After watching Pose on Netflix I picked up And The Band Played On to learn more about the AIDS crisis. I was too young to know what was going on when it first started and have continued to know very little. A huge personal oversight.
This book was an excellent read. It is comprehensive and obviously meticulously researched when it comes to the epidemiology and financial aspects of AIDS. I had no idea of the parallels that could be drawn between the way AIDS was handled by the US and Reagan and the way Covid was handled by Trump. Handled in that it was allowed to run rampant with little intervention to protect people by the federal government.
My criticism is that the author focused very little of his writing on how AIDS affected communities of color in the '80s, focusing instead on the white community.
It also would have been instructive to be able to learn more about the front-line activists that did the vast majority of the work to make changes in policy and safety.
Overall, if willing to make the time investment (it's a little over 600 pages), this is a well-done public health history book to read and learn from.
This book was an excellent read. It is comprehensive and obviously meticulously researched when it comes to the epidemiology and financial aspects of AIDS. I had no idea of the parallels that could be drawn between the way AIDS was handled by the US and Reagan and the way Covid was handled by Trump. Handled in that it was allowed to run rampant with little intervention to protect people by the federal government.
My criticism is that the author focused very little of his writing on how AIDS affected communities of color in the '80s, focusing instead on the white community.
It also would have been instructive to be able to learn more about the front-line activists that did the vast majority of the work to make changes in policy and safety.
Overall, if willing to make the time investment (it's a little over 600 pages), this is a well-done public health history book to read and learn from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Medical content
ps2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia