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The Invisible People: How the U.S. Has Slept Through the Global AIDS Pandemic, the Greatest Humanitarian Catastrophe of Our Time
Charging that the United States has taken an irresponsible stance toward the global AIDS epidemic, a critical account traces the political and racial factors that the author believes are behind America's failure to act in afflicted Third World nations. 35,000 first printing.
- GenresAfricaNonfiction
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 8, 2015
3.5 - I tore through the first part of this book but it got a little stale at the end. Regardless, it is a good look at the mistakes made along the way with the global AIDS pandemic (not just by the U.S.). For a preventable disease that is no longer a death sentence (if you have access to the right medication), there was so much more that could have been done by education and providing supplies and medication to highly saturated areas... But it was too little too late in many respects. The Designing Women episode "Killing All the Right People" summed it all up best - - the pandemic was mostly killing people that didn't have voices and people in power were not doing their due diligence to stand up to make sure the situation was addressed. I am glad that there have been many developments in the last 20 years for AIDS prevention and treatment, but bottom line, we still have a long way to go!
March 15, 2012
The Invisible People-How the U.S. Has Slept Through the Global AIDS Pandemic, the Greatest Humanitarian Catastrophe of Our Time
By Greg Behrman
Reviewed by Alina Oswald
Written in an accessible, And the Band Played On way, the story of The Invisible People reaches out to its audience offering a unique lesson in AIDS-its politics and history. The book is the result of almost three years of Greg Behrman's detailed research gathered from more than two hundred interviews with approximately one hundred policy makers and thinkers. Armed with two decades of studying AIDS, especially AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, the author explains the social, economical and political toll the disease takes on people and uses his book as a tool to raise AIDS awareness.
The Invisible People explores the key reasons behind U.S. slow response-in comparison to other countries-to the global AIDS pandemic. For example, President Bill Clinton dedicates most of his time and energy now to his AIDS foundation, yet, while he was president and had the incredible opportunity to take advantage of the global AIDS issue, he didn't. The book reflects the author's passion to find out the reason behind this "a catastrophe in a catastrophe," as he calls the U.S. failure to try to understand and react to the global pandemic. The book brings to life events surrounding pioneers like Doctor Joe McCormic, "the old virus hunter," and people with enough power to influence global and national AIDS awareness and to generate the political pressure needed to increase U.S. interest in the global pandemic.
The book engages its readers in tracking down global AIDS through real life stories of medical doctors, politicians, activists, artists and journalists like Colin Powell, Bill Clinton and Bono, who make a difference in fighting the pandemic on the global and national front. In the process, we learn that we can also leave our own imprints in the fight against global AIDS.
The Invisible People allows its audience to better understand HIV/AIDS-related issues here at home and in the world, and to draw a broader, global and real image of its magnitude. As readers, we learn that there's a lot we can do. Possibilities are at our reach, resources are available and affordable. We can choose to remain silent or we can use the book as a tool to raise AIDS awareness at home, in the States, and around the world. At a time when humanity faces "no crisis more lethal than the global AIDS pandemic" The Invisible People gives us a choice and an opportunity to meet face to face with AIDS and its invisible people... and make them visible.
This review was originally published in A&U Magazine: America's AIDS Magazine. www.aumag.org
By Greg Behrman
Reviewed by Alina Oswald
Written in an accessible, And the Band Played On way, the story of The Invisible People reaches out to its audience offering a unique lesson in AIDS-its politics and history. The book is the result of almost three years of Greg Behrman's detailed research gathered from more than two hundred interviews with approximately one hundred policy makers and thinkers. Armed with two decades of studying AIDS, especially AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, the author explains the social, economical and political toll the disease takes on people and uses his book as a tool to raise AIDS awareness.
The Invisible People explores the key reasons behind U.S. slow response-in comparison to other countries-to the global AIDS pandemic. For example, President Bill Clinton dedicates most of his time and energy now to his AIDS foundation, yet, while he was president and had the incredible opportunity to take advantage of the global AIDS issue, he didn't. The book reflects the author's passion to find out the reason behind this "a catastrophe in a catastrophe," as he calls the U.S. failure to try to understand and react to the global pandemic. The book brings to life events surrounding pioneers like Doctor Joe McCormic, "the old virus hunter," and people with enough power to influence global and national AIDS awareness and to generate the political pressure needed to increase U.S. interest in the global pandemic.
The book engages its readers in tracking down global AIDS through real life stories of medical doctors, politicians, activists, artists and journalists like Colin Powell, Bill Clinton and Bono, who make a difference in fighting the pandemic on the global and national front. In the process, we learn that we can also leave our own imprints in the fight against global AIDS.
The Invisible People allows its audience to better understand HIV/AIDS-related issues here at home and in the world, and to draw a broader, global and real image of its magnitude. As readers, we learn that there's a lot we can do. Possibilities are at our reach, resources are available and affordable. We can choose to remain silent or we can use the book as a tool to raise AIDS awareness at home, in the States, and around the world. At a time when humanity faces "no crisis more lethal than the global AIDS pandemic" The Invisible People gives us a choice and an opportunity to meet face to face with AIDS and its invisible people... and make them visible.
This review was originally published in A&U Magazine: America's AIDS Magazine. www.aumag.org
July 26, 2007
This was written by a good friend of Artie's- I thought it was well-informed, easy to read, and a great education without being boring. I recommend to all.
November 19, 2008
A little more info regarding the myriad of government departments and who headed them then anyone really needs but still an interesting look at AIDS policy in the US.
February 15, 2008
man, the details. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews