Review by OHS Library Secretary, Mikel
Viral: The Fight Against AIDS in America by Ann Bausum chronicles the appearance of, spread of, and struggle against HIV/AIDS. This history of the AIDS epidemic is rich in the personal anecdotes of the victims and researchers, never releasing the reader from the humanity of the crisis. This technique presents the science and history in memorial and engaging fashion that will buoy most readers through the dry statistics and tragic circumstances. Bausam’s narrative carries us through the earliest occurrences of the disease, its mysterious nature, the frustrating delays in research and funding because it is initially stigmatized as a gay disease, the activism for facing the crisis, and the stepwise progress of the scientific community in dealing with this complex disease slyly attacking the immune system itself, thus appearing with the diverse symptoms of an array of opportunistic diseases obscuring the common underlying cause: the AIDS virus. The development of medication to arrest HIV is also briefly described. This readable account concentrates on what the author calls, “the bleakest years” (1981-1996) and includes a handy timeline. This book is recommended for teenagers and beyond for its concise, readable history of the AIDS crisis with the emphasis on, and in empathy with the human side of the story.