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A review by harry_lemon
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.0
4⭐
Heart-breaking, anger-inducing, powerful.
First, I have to say, listening to this through Audible was absolutely needed for me. I'm not downplaying Randy Shilts' writing, but it tended to border on drudgery.
That all said, this was an absolutely sweeping work of reportage that documents this emergence, response, and experiences of the AIDS epidemic in the early- to mid-1980s. One thing that makes this such a wonderful work of nonfiction is that Shilts documents, not only what was occurring in the United States, but on the global scale. He masterfully puts various narratives and perspectives into a fairly linear chronological schema, displaying the facts and emotions that were rampant during this time of uncertainty.
This was a bit of a slog, but the overall work was absolutely essential for any person of the LGBTQIA+ community. It's important to understand, recognize, and respect our predecessors' history to build upon their legacies. I'm so grateful to have read this.
Heart-breaking, anger-inducing, powerful.
First, I have to say, listening to this through Audible was absolutely needed for me. I'm not downplaying Randy Shilts' writing, but it tended to border on drudgery.
That all said, this was an absolutely sweeping work of reportage that documents this emergence, response, and experiences of the AIDS epidemic in the early- to mid-1980s. One thing that makes this such a wonderful work of nonfiction is that Shilts documents, not only what was occurring in the United States, but on the global scale. He masterfully puts various narratives and perspectives into a fairly linear chronological schema, displaying the facts and emotions that were rampant during this time of uncertainty.
This was a bit of a slog, but the overall work was absolutely essential for any person of the LGBTQIA+ community. It's important to understand, recognize, and respect our predecessors' history to build upon their legacies. I'm so grateful to have read this.