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More Than Eyes Can See: A nine month journey through the AIDS pandemic
Sent in 2006 by the Salvation Army to bear witness to the work they were doing in response to the AIDS pandemic, Rhidian Brook, his wife, and two children follow a trail of devastation through communities still shattered and being broken by the disease—truck stop sex workers in Kenya, victims of rape in Rwanda, child-headed families in Soweto, children of prostitutes in India. It is a remarkable journey among the infected and the affected through a world that, despite seeming on the brink of collapse, is being held together not by power, politics, guns, or money, but by small acts of kindness performed by unsung people who choose to live in hope.
The problem of AIDS and HIV is a cause supported by many well-known people and events. The recent RED campaign has received publicity due in part to its spokesman, Bono of U2. This book is aimed at a young, politically aware audience who wants to make a difference.
Rhidian Brook is an award-winning novelist, the previous winner of the Somerset Maughan Award, a Betty Trask Award, and a scriptwriter for Silent Witness on an ongoing basis. He has written articles on faith, travel, social issues, and education for newspapers including The Observer, Guardian, and Daily Telegraph. He is also a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day program.
The problem of AIDS and HIV is a cause supported by many well-known people and events. The recent RED campaign has received publicity due in part to its spokesman, Bono of U2. This book is aimed at a young, politically aware audience who wants to make a difference.
Rhidian Brook is an award-winning novelist, the previous winner of the Somerset Maughan Award, a Betty Trask Award, and a scriptwriter for Silent Witness on an ongoing basis. He has written articles on faith, travel, social issues, and education for newspapers including The Observer, Guardian, and Daily Telegraph. He is also a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day program.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2007
33 people want to read
About the author
Rhidian Brook
12 books128 followersRhidian Brook (born 1964) is a novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster.
His first novel, The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones (Harper Collins) won three prizes, including the 1997 Somerset Maugham Award, and was made into a film starring Jonathan Pryce. His second novel, Jesus And The Adman (Harper Collins) was published in 1999. His third novel, The Aftermath, was published in April 2013 by Penguin UK, Knopf US and a further 18 publishers around the world. His short stories have been published by The Paris Review, Punch, The New Statesman, Time Out and others; and several were broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Short Story.
His first commission for television - Mr Harvey Lights A Candle - was broadcast in 2005 on BBC1 and starred Timothy Spall. He wrote for the BBC series Silent Witness between 2005-7, and the factual drama Atlantis for BBC1 in 2008. Africa United, his first feature film (Pathe), went on general release in the UK in October 2010. He is adapting The Aftermath as a feature for Scott Free and BBC Film.
He has written articles for papers, including The Observer, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. In 2005, he presented Nailing The Cross, a documentary for BBC1. In 2006 he broadcast a series In The Blood for BBC World Service, recording his family’s journey through the AIDS pandemic. His book about that journey - More Than Eyes Can See - was published by Marion Boyars in 2007.
He has been a regular contributor to Radio 4’s "Thought For The Day" for more than twelve years.
He lives with his wife and two children in London.
His first novel, The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones (Harper Collins) won three prizes, including the 1997 Somerset Maugham Award, and was made into a film starring Jonathan Pryce. His second novel, Jesus And The Adman (Harper Collins) was published in 1999. His third novel, The Aftermath, was published in April 2013 by Penguin UK, Knopf US and a further 18 publishers around the world. His short stories have been published by The Paris Review, Punch, The New Statesman, Time Out and others; and several were broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Short Story.
His first commission for television - Mr Harvey Lights A Candle - was broadcast in 2005 on BBC1 and starred Timothy Spall. He wrote for the BBC series Silent Witness between 2005-7, and the factual drama Atlantis for BBC1 in 2008. Africa United, his first feature film (Pathe), went on general release in the UK in October 2010. He is adapting The Aftermath as a feature for Scott Free and BBC Film.
He has written articles for papers, including The Observer, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. In 2005, he presented Nailing The Cross, a documentary for BBC1. In 2006 he broadcast a series In The Blood for BBC World Service, recording his family’s journey through the AIDS pandemic. His book about that journey - More Than Eyes Can See - was published by Marion Boyars in 2007.
He has been a regular contributor to Radio 4’s "Thought For The Day" for more than twelve years.
He lives with his wife and two children in London.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 19, 2016
I've read a couple of Rhidian Brook's novels and really enjoyed them so, when I saw he'd written a nonfiction book about the AIDS pandemic, I thought I'd give it a read. I'm really glad I did.
Brook takes his family (his wife, young son and daughter) on a trip across the most badly hit areas of Africa, India and China, seeking out the places where AIDS has had the worst affect. He doesn't shy away from writing about the most horrific aspects of the pandemic and yet he manages to get across a feeling of hope for the future amidst the seemingly endless waves of tragedy and despair.
He is painfully honest about his own feelings about what he experiences and the book is all the better for it. This isn't some clinical study but rather a human being's experience of a very human tragedy. Needless to say, it's very upsetting but well worth the time to read. Highly recommended.
Brook takes his family (his wife, young son and daughter) on a trip across the most badly hit areas of Africa, India and China, seeking out the places where AIDS has had the worst affect. He doesn't shy away from writing about the most horrific aspects of the pandemic and yet he manages to get across a feeling of hope for the future amidst the seemingly endless waves of tragedy and despair.
He is painfully honest about his own feelings about what he experiences and the book is all the better for it. This isn't some clinical study but rather a human being's experience of a very human tragedy. Needless to say, it's very upsetting but well worth the time to read. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review