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In the Eye of the Storm: Volunteers and Australia’s Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis
The people who volunteered to help during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s provided compassion and support to heavily stigmatised people. These volunteers provided in-home care for the sick and dying, staffed needle exchanges and telephone help-lines, produced educational resources, served on boards of management, and provided friendship and practical support, among many other roles.
They helped people affected by the virus to navigate a medical system that in preceding decades had been openly hostile towards the marginalised communities of homosexuals, drug users and sex workers. In the process, volunteering left and indelible mark on the lives and outlooks of these volunteers.
For the first time, by focusing on individual life stories, this book explores the crucial role of the men and women who volunteered at at time of disaster. Despite their critical role, they have not been sufficiently recognised. Through their stories, drawn from oral histories conducted by the authors, we see how those on the front-line navigated and survived a devastating epidemic, and the long-term impact of those grim years of illness, death and loss.
They helped people affected by the virus to navigate a medical system that in preceding decades had been openly hostile towards the marginalised communities of homosexuals, drug users and sex workers. In the process, volunteering left and indelible mark on the lives and outlooks of these volunteers.
For the first time, by focusing on individual life stories, this book explores the crucial role of the men and women who volunteered at at time of disaster. Despite their critical role, they have not been sufficiently recognised. Through their stories, drawn from oral histories conducted by the authors, we see how those on the front-line navigated and survived a devastating epidemic, and the long-term impact of those grim years of illness, death and loss.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2021
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 7, 2021
I came across this book having just watched It’s a Sin, and I really wanted to find out more about the AIDS crisis from an Australian perspective. Growing up as a child in the 80s I remembered the Grim Reaper campaign, and the experiences of my gay friends in the 90s. This book manages to capture an amazing cross section of volunteers throughout the crisis, and really brings a human face to those people who gave so much of their time to this epidemic.
February 17, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I found the life history interviews contained within heartwarming and inspiring, and it made me want to get back into volunteering. The authors share stories of individuals who have done volunteer work during the AIDS crisis in Australia, and shows how volunteering can be such a transformative experience not just fr the volunteer, but of course fr the recipients of the service as well. It highlights how volunteering can build such a powerful sense of community and belonging, which is especially important fr those in the queer community who may have rarely or even never felt that sense of connection in their lives.
The authors’ and interviewees’ passion fr the impact volunteering can have is evident throughout the book, and it serves as a great reminder of the positive impact that we can have on the world when we take action and get involved. However, outside of one or two chapters and a little paragraph in the introduction, the book doesn’t seem to spotlight the huge degree of which lesbian communities played in supporting gay men during the AIDS crisis. During the crisis, lesbians had formed a number of orgs and support groups dedicated to providing practical assistance, like home care and meals, as well as emotional support to those affected by HIV/AIDS. Some lesbian activists and orgs also played key roles in advocating fr better medical treatment and more funding for AIDS research as well.
The book also overlooks to a bigger extent the involvement of sex workers in helping gay men and providing practical assistance and emotional support during the AIDS crisis, despite facing immense stigma and discrimination themselves, and also that they themselves were a community deeply at risk from HIV/AIDS. Yet despite this risk, they still stepped up to provided assistance and care to those in need.
Overall, ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ is an inspiring book that highlights the transformative power of volunteering, and provides a deeply personal and varied glimpse into the lives of those individuals who dedicated a significant amount of their time to the AIDS crisis. It reminds us of the importance of taking action and making a difference in the world. However, it could benefit frm further exploration of the important contributions made by lesbian communities and sex workers during the epidemic. But altogether, it underscores the importance of building a sense of community and belonging, particularly fr marginalised individuals who may have never experienced this sense of connection in their lives. I would def recommend this book to anyone interested in volunteering, community building, and social change, and a reminder of how what sometimes seems like a small action can really make a life-changing difference.
The authors’ and interviewees’ passion fr the impact volunteering can have is evident throughout the book, and it serves as a great reminder of the positive impact that we can have on the world when we take action and get involved. However, outside of one or two chapters and a little paragraph in the introduction, the book doesn’t seem to spotlight the huge degree of which lesbian communities played in supporting gay men during the AIDS crisis. During the crisis, lesbians had formed a number of orgs and support groups dedicated to providing practical assistance, like home care and meals, as well as emotional support to those affected by HIV/AIDS. Some lesbian activists and orgs also played key roles in advocating fr better medical treatment and more funding for AIDS research as well.
The book also overlooks to a bigger extent the involvement of sex workers in helping gay men and providing practical assistance and emotional support during the AIDS crisis, despite facing immense stigma and discrimination themselves, and also that they themselves were a community deeply at risk from HIV/AIDS. Yet despite this risk, they still stepped up to provided assistance and care to those in need.
Overall, ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ is an inspiring book that highlights the transformative power of volunteering, and provides a deeply personal and varied glimpse into the lives of those individuals who dedicated a significant amount of their time to the AIDS crisis. It reminds us of the importance of taking action and making a difference in the world. However, it could benefit frm further exploration of the important contributions made by lesbian communities and sex workers during the epidemic. But altogether, it underscores the importance of building a sense of community and belonging, particularly fr marginalised individuals who may have never experienced this sense of connection in their lives. I would def recommend this book to anyone interested in volunteering, community building, and social change, and a reminder of how what sometimes seems like a small action can really make a life-changing difference.
April 10, 2021
Interesting perspectives on the various lived experiences of volunteering during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia. Important voices that need to be heard and remembered, particular as we find ourselves responding to a virus with so many unknowns....
January 6, 2022
This book was a lucky find on display at my local library. It was rewarding and poignant to read the volunteers' stories - including those of people I know from my time working in HIV organisations. My only gripe would be that there were not enough Indigenous or POC voices. For example, I would have loved to read about the experiences of people who volunteered in Asian gay men's support projects. I feel this book is just the tip of an iceberg of powerful narratives.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews