And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts

[Echo]

Title: And the Band Played On

Author: Randy Shilts

Date of Publication: 1987, St. Martins Press

 

Synopsis:

An exhaustive account of the early years of the AIDS crisis, this outlines the medical, social and political forces behind the epidemic's origin and rapid spread with a clarity and narrative drive that should appeal to an audience far broader than previous books on the topic. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Shilts successfully weaves comprehensive investigative reporting and commercial page-turner pacing, political intrigue and personal tragedy into a landmark work. Its importance cannot be overstated: few topics merit more attention from the general public, or, as Shilts's account makes appallingly clear, have been as successfully and deliberately shielded from the public at such a high cost of human lives. What starts as a medical mystery and the moving chronicle of a relentless killer soon evolves into an expose of deception and ineptitude at the highest levels of government. The tragedies of AIDS are many, and they continue to multiply, and Shilts conveys the hideous suffering and the heartbreak of so many senseless deaths. But his detailed examination of the health establishment, the government and the press reveals the emergence of a more treacherous menace in the initial failure of our guardian institutions to respond to the crisis, despite the heroic efforts of a handful of individuals in hard-hit New York and San Francisco and at the Centers for Disease Control. Shilts presents one alarming story after another without letting his own passions evident in the sheer enormity of the project compromise the excellent reportage. The reader rises to fury at the apathy, silence and deception that have characterized the official response. Shilts concludes with Rock Hudson's public affliction in 1985, a watershed in the nation's awareness of the crisis. And the Band Played On could prove to be an equally important milestone, freeing vital funding and generating an even greater outpouring of sympathy and outrage. The book stands as a definitive reminder of the shameful injustice inflicted on this nation by the institutions in which we put our trust.

 

Review:

I would count this book as one of the most important books of the 20th century. The AIDS epidemic swept the world in the early 1980's, but nobody knew that if it weren't for blind prejudice and fear, much of the tragedy could have been prevented. Although there are parts of the book that are hard to read, such as the detailed and personal descriptions of horrible deaths and ill-treatment of patients, there are also parts that are uplifting. There was an army of doctors and politicians around the country who fought to bring the truth of the epidemic to the public, and Shilts gives them credit. I recommend this book to anyone who has known a person with HIV or AIDS, and to anyone who has not. This is a book that would benefit every person in America, and the rest of the world, and it's a story too important not to be told.

 

A+

[carm]

elbereth- i couldn't agree more with your asssessment of and the band played on- what struck me most about it was the absolute ignorance and stubborness about the american government when the AIDS epidemic was first diagnosed- im a social worker in a day program for people with HIV/AIDS and we lost two clients this week to AIDS related causes- sometimes its really difficult to work here but most of the clients focus on the positive things the people we lost havedone in their lives rather than focus on their passing- carm

[Echo]

Carm,

 

I'm sorry for your losses. I can't imagine working day to day with people who are sticken with AIDS...you are truly courageous! I've known a few people with HIV, and one with AIDS, and they've all had it for more than twenty years, and are still alive. One of them, a man who was engaged to my best friend, got it as a child - he's a hemophiliac - from a blood transfusion. In the very early 80's I believe. He's basically had HIV his entire life!

 

Thank you for your kind comments!

 

-Elbereth

[Welshman]

A highly disturbing book that now seems to be increasingly relevant as we 'acclimatise' to the disease in the UK. Maybe they need to do a reprint to boost the reading of this primary publication.

[scottishbookworm]

I saw the movie of that book it was disturbing but entertaining here's the info on it

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106273/

[Mole]

Excellent book, read it when I was quite young.

 

Some of the Big names mentioned in the various claims of fraud etc are still occasionaly seen in the news today, suing or countersuing one another.

 

 

The worst part i thought wasnt the governments indifference (bad as that was), but the way the writers own newspapers refused to report on the disease properly because it might affect a lot of their advertising revenue.

 

The terrible news that even his own lover (who knew the risks), still went out and acted like it wasnt real was terrible as well.

 

Still worth a read, even if some of the stroy has dated a bit since it came out.