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And the Band Played On
- Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 31 hrs and 44 mins
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And the Band Played On
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Publisher's Summary
By the time Rock Hudson's death in 1985 alerted all America to the danger of the AIDS epidemic, the disease had spread across the nation, killing thousands of people and emerging as the greatest health crisis of the 20th century. America faced a troubling question: What happened? How was this epidemic allowed to spread so far before it was taken seriously?
In answering these questions, Shilts weaves the disparate threads into a coherent story, pinning down every evasion and contradiction at the highest levels of the medical, political, and media establishments. Shilts shows that the epidemic spread wildly because the federal government put budget ahead of the nation's welfare; health authorities placed political expediency before the public health; and scientists were often more concerned with international prestige than saving lives.
Against this backdrop, Shilts tells the heroic stories of individuals in science and politics, public health and the gay community, who struggled to alert the nation to the enormity of the danger it faced. And the Band Played On is both a tribute to these heroic people and a stinging indictment of the institutions that failed the nation so badly.
As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Randy Shilts' book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Larry Kramer about the life and work of Randy Shilts – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.
What the critics say
What listeners say about And the Band Played On
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Doug
- 2023-02-01
Awesome
Amazing book, well performed. Highly recommend the download. Lots of info to digest over 31 hours!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-03-18
Important history for all
Must-listen at a minimum of not a must-read for new HIV researchers and/or newly diagnosed. See also David France's How to Survive a Plague for the later years and successful organizing.
Read up on the legacy of this book to go through some of the fact checking on later facts that were initially mis-read (ex. Gaetan Dugas re. patient 0).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alicia Cooke
- 2021-06-09
Powerful.
Oof. Really important and eye-opening account of the intentional mismanagement of the AIDS crisis motivated by homophobia, hatred, and indifference. I cried a lot reading this. I guess read this if you want to lose any remaining faith in humanity that you may have!
Rest in power, Randy. Thank you for giving us these stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-07-12
Never forget
I was a boy when the events discussed in this book were taking place, however, I well remember feeling frightened by the prospect of a new and mysterious disease. Randy Shilts did an excellent job of personalizing a faceless tragedy. Of course, the "Patient Zero" hypothesis which he presents here has been disproven. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the early phase of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beckett Nelson
- 2021-04-19
Literary journalism at its best
If long reads are your thing then it’s hard to do better than And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts. Few pieces of literary journalism are as epic and as in-depth as this one. Shilts leaves very few stones unturned, which is a high compliment when dealing with an issue as complex and wide in scope as the 1980s AIDS crisis. He brings together the AIDS crisis through politics, medicine, and personal stories. It’s a must read
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