FIGHT AIDS!

A comprehensive sociopolitical history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through an American lens.

“Today, more than one million people in the United States have HIV. About 30,000 people are infected each year, and the highest rates of infection are among Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and people who live in poor communities,” writes Long. These statistics show how timely this book is, challenging the view that the threat from HIV/AIDS ended decades ago. In “Basic Facts,” the opening section, the author uses precise, value-neutral language to answer questions readers might have. In 10 subsequent sections, he packs in well-researched accounts of various individuals and collectives responsible for demanding swift, affordable, and inclusive healthcare for people with AIDS. In addition to well-known groups, like ACT UP and Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the book celebrates initiatives such as Blood Sisters (“a group of lesbian women in San Diego who designated their blood donations for local gay men”) and Mothers of AIDS Patients. This work will provide readers with hope as they learn about their fierce ancestors who fought for dignity in the face of institutionalized homophobia from the government and medical establishment. Long clearly shows how these activists effectively asserted their right to have a say in their own healthcare through marches, civil disobedience, fundraising and the arts. Photographs throughout enhance the storytelling by providing glimpses of the passionate and committed organizing that forced America to act against AIDS.

Informative, heartbreaking, and inspiring.