20th-Anniversary Edition - and the AIDS Epidemic

Read this book when it first hit the book shelves and was horrified by the stance NOT taken by the Reagan administration. The problem is ...not much has changed! The monies allocated are paltry sums and the larger amounts are due to celebrities like Lia Taylor and Elton John due to their tireless efforts. This work is an historic masterpiece that truly documented the unnecessary loss of an entire generation of lives!

The research is incredible and Randy Shilts plays no favorites. He expertly and deftly lays out the AIDS epidemic and how it spiraled out of control. It is a touching and provocative book, and a must read.

Fantastic book. Gripping and sad. Incredibly thorough piece of investigative journalism. As a person born in the 1980s, I did not know the political aspect of the AIDS epidemic. Lessons learned, I hope.

Having watched the HBO movie, I was not expecting this book to be as engrossing as it was. I thought that it wouldn't be as compelling as the movie. Well, I was wrong. This book didn't need movie stars to be fascinating; the stars are the researchers, doctors, patients, and "businessmen" who lived through the turmoil that was AIDS in its infancy. The statistics sometimes became too much, but I would recommend reading this book to anyone.

Having watched the HBO movie, I was not expecting this book to be as engrossing as it was. I thought that it wouldn't be as compelling as the movie. Well, I was wrong. This book didn't need movie stars to be fascinating; the stars are the researchers, doctors, patients, and "businessmen" who lived through the turmoil that was AIDS in its infancy. The statistics sometimes became too much, but I would recommend reading this book to anyone.

Very interesting . Combining the political view as opposed to the community view. The author hit a home run explaining the barriers of communication and what it took for the world to take this disease seriously.

Clearly, a tremendous amount of work has been put into writing this book. Countless of interviews with doctors, politicians and those affected, excerpts from various news outlets, factual and contextual data... were weaved to form a journal that, while at times jarring, never veers off the course of informing the reader about the AIDS epidemic of the late 70s early 80s in America.

The book starts in the 70s, before Harvey Milk was elected. It builds the context of a gay community that is liberated, that seemingly has lost track of true values in favor of sex and more sex. This provides a great breeding ground for emerging STDs. Many STDs were already prevalent in the late 70s, but were shunned since they were easily treatable. Of course, all of this changed once the first cases of pneumonia and KS appeared, that baffled doctors. And from hereon in, a tale unfolds of the plight of victims, missed opportunities, spending cuts, politics driven health care, closet homophobia...

I do not think there is a better recount of the 80s' AIDS epidemic in America than the one in this book. First of all, Randy Shilts himself lived through and suffered through the epidemic's onset so he has first hand experience on what took place, on how the disease was perceived and what actions were (not) taken. Some scientific data is outdated, but that is in line with scientific developments at the time of writing. Moreover, Shilts is careful not to distort scientific evidence at that time. I do not find his views tilted despite his ties with the gay community. It is undeniable that many mistakes were made in handling this epidemic, mistakes from which all of us can and should learn.

A must read book for anyone interested in the unfolding of the AIDS epidemic.

This is a stunning book. The narrative drive that Shilts is able to sustain throughout is impressive, even as he takes the reader into the world of medical terminology and, even more intricate, the inner workings of political dealings. Highly recommended for anyone interested not only in AIDS and AIDS policy, but also government-funded medical research and policy in the Reagan era.

This is a fantastic book about a horrible disease. It is, in many ways, a journalistic masterpiece. Randy Shilts plays no favorites in his telling of the origins, rapid spread and search for a treatment for H.I.V. / AIDS in the early 1980's. Everyone is held accountable for his or her part in this epidemic. Ultimately, this is a story about unchecked appetites.

AIDS grew out of a lifestyle of sexual promiscuity. This is not a condemnation of gays. It is a condemnation of the belief that we can do whatever we want, wherever we want, with whomever we want as often as we want. So many of the challenges in modern life are outgrowths of this thinking. Diabetes, obesity, cancer, and bankruptcy - I could go on - are modern maladies that result from our behaviors - our choices and our failure to live within the "margins." As a society, we consume too much, do too much, and allow too much of everything - food, sex, media, sugar, alcohol, etc. Unchecked appetites. Our bodies are not designed for this level of consumption. They cannot process the sheer volume of "stuff" we ingest and expose them to on a daily basis. The logical outgrowth is disease.

I admire Shilts for his honest portrayal of everyone involved in the story. As a gay man who later died of AIDS, he did not let his own community off the hook for their behavior. Or the media and general public who reacted with fear rather than sympathetic and open hearts. Nor did he go easy on the medical establishment and governmental agencies that managed this disease with ego, greed and hubris rather than compassion and love.

Another element this story so beautifully portrays is how the human ego can so horribly muck things up. Like many of the "diseases" of modern living - there was a great deal of money to be made - and egos to be stroked - in the treatment of AIDS. So many people serve themselves - often contributing to the spread and extended life of a malady because their pride is fed by, and they profit greatly from, their role in it. I look at the drug companies, the medical industry, disease associations (American Cancer Society, et al.) and other supporting characters - millions are made off of every disease - so much that you wonder if a cure is truly desired. What would we do with these giant hospitals and bottles of blue pills if people were actually healthy and free of disease?

And the Band Played On reads like great fiction. It is a tremendous learning experience - about the gay culture of San Francisco in the 70's, about how the medical establishment works, and about how greed and hubris get in the way of progress - and real solutions. This is important to consider as we ask the government to take on an ever-increasing load of responsibilities for our care as individuals. Do we really want a government hack in Washington to decide our fate? Will he/she decide in your best interest or in his/her own? After reading this book, I think I know the answer.

Having read this book about five times, I can say that it's possibly the best book on an epidemic that I've ever read, and easily one of the best books period. Cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This is a classic that chronicles the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the US. All to often we forget what AIDS looked liked before antiretroviral therapy and what it still looks like in many LMIC around the world. This book documents the struggle and then the scientific response that ultimately led to the control of AIDS.

The intersection of human lives, public health, politics and circumstance has never been articulated better. The tragedy of AIDS and its impact on our lives is clearly and compassionately documented.

What a heartbreaking and difficult, but well-written, book to read. I can't help but see ghosts as I walk around San Francisco after reading, but am grateful to Shilts for his work during the crisis to document for those that would follow.