PDF Ebook The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS, by Jonathan Engel

PDF Ebook The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS, by Jonathan Engel

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The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS, by Jonathan Engel

PDF Ebook The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS, by Jonathan Engel

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From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Perceptive and concise, but also conversational and impeccably thorough, Engel chronicles humanity's relationship, from the first appearance of the new pathogen to the colossal struggles of today's third-world countries, with a virus that "has proven itself a formidable foe, evading vaccines and antidotes, while mocking our own imprudence, and self-indulgence." Covering the scientific, sexual, political, economic and educational ramifications of the AIDS crisis, Engel pulls no punches in describing large- and small-scale efforts to define, pursue, avoid and deny the virulent plague. After presenting the viral onslaught's first, overlooked victims, he tracks the disease's progression into and throughout the gay community and circles of intravenous drug-users, then into more mainstream populations. Touring bathhouses in New York, heroin-shooting galleries in Burma, and brothels in Bangkok and Zimbabwe, Engel describes how global centers of disease had to adapt-socially, civilly and medically-to face a dangerous new world paradigm. Moreover, this study explores evolving treatments, resources and the lack thereof throughout the world, and how the political, religious, and moral climates of any given culture influence the medical community's response. Looking forward, Engel demonstrates how the disease continues to challenge, and what societal changes are crucial to controlling viral progression. In his conclusion that AIDS "has exposed much of what is worst in human nature," Engel sums up the importance of his work, which reveals more than the history and character of a global crisis, but, in the world's response to such a crisis, the limitations and potential of humankind. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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About the Author

Jonathan Engel received his BA from Harvard, his MBA from the Yale School of Management, and his PhD in the history of medicine from Yale. He has served on White House medical advisory committees and various other health advisory boards. He is Associate Provost of Seton Hall University. Dr. Engel lives with his family in Millburn, New Jersey.

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Product details

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Smithsonian; 1 edition (September 19, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0061144886

ISBN-13: 978-0061144882

Product Dimensions:

6 x 1.2 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

3.5 out of 5 stars

10 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#1,113,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Although published in 2006, Jonathan Engel's The Epidemic does not address anything past 2002. Consequently his book is not merely dated, it is *very* dated. Moreover, it purports to be "a global history of AIDS" yet devotes a single chapter to Africa and a single chapter to Asia. The text is quite fixated on developments in the US. Europe is overlooked altogether with the exception of a few paragraphs about Russia in the epilogue.The text is replete with holes in other areas as well. Some mention is made of the rivalry between Robert Gallo in the US and Luc Montagnier in France, but almost nothing was said about the CDC's involvement in addressing the emerging epidemic, nor was much said about the NIH's role other than the US/French rivalry. This book would need to be supplemented with Randy Shilts' And the Band Played On -- itself a flawed text -- in order for the reader to gain a more complete picture.The writing was rather pedestrian, with the occasional million-dollar word tossed in here and there -- e.g., impecunious, opprobrium, eleemosynary -- apparently for no reason other than to impress the reader with the author's vocabulary. I do wish he had eschewed his excessive use of eschew.Even though Engel devotes but a single chapter to Africa, it is one of the strongest chapters in the book, and I feel I now have a better understanding of the epidemic in Africa and how and why the course of the epidemic in Africa differs from that of the US. The author is mistaken, however, when he writes about the disproportionate impact of HIV on African Americans. Engel attributes the lop-sided impact of HIV on the African American community to the failure of African Americans to follow safer sex guidelines more diligently, but research has shown this is not the case; research indicates that African Americans practice safer sex at rates matching or even exceeding the rates of other racial or ethnic groups. The reasons for disparities are not entirely clear, but most scholars believe the social determinants of health play a large role.The text displays a somewhat judgmental tone that detracts from what should be a dispassionate historical study, but it is weak even as a historical study, relying almost exclusively on secondary reportage from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic and other mass media publications as his sources rather than seeking out primary sources. Proceeding in this manner makes his text not even a secondary work, but a tertiary one. He selects interesting quotes, but they are quotes contained within previously published articles. In essence, The Epidemic is a summary and compilation of previously published material. There is very little new to be found here. The best analysis is in the chapter on Africa.Perhaps the most interesting revelation in the book is the recounting of the Reagan administration's support of additional funding for AIDS-related research through the NIH and CDC in the early years of the epidemic even though Reagan never publicly uttered the word "AIDS" or made a speech on the topic until near the end of his second term. This raises the interesting possibility that in an interview at Nancy Reagan's funeral, Hillary Clinton was quite right when she mentioned the "quiet diplomacy" around HIV/AIDS issues allegedly carried out by Nancy Reagan.If this were 2006, I would have given the book two stars due to its over-reliance on recycling of mass media reportage, but due to the passage of time making this text dated, I can give it only one star. I cannot recommend this text as a useful history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, certainly not globally, and only minimally with respect to the US prior to 2002.

Very complete and detailed description of the history of the HIV virus, since the West African jungles, passing through Castro and NYC, until the disease became chronicle instead of a death sentence. The way of telling the story is very engaging. It includes all aspects of the disease impact in the world, talking about the social, political and economic impacts.The only missing point is that the history doesn't get to the most recent innovations in the treatment such as PEP and PrEP, and Truvada.

from it's first days to the present. an excellent read and very informative. i particularly like that the author doesn't try to take sides on the political issues that sprung up around hiv/aids. instead, he seems to tell it like it is. everyone made mistakes and everyone has to share responsibility for the fast spread of hiv, and, hopefully, realize that another new virus could come out of nowhere and create another epidemic.

I purchased this for a class. It was interesting and provides a good introduction to the topic.

Not only is this book well documented and thorough, it is well written and interesting. So many opportunities for teaching AIDS awareness and prevention and opportunities for saving lives were missed because of misguided fear of teaching human sexuality and AIDS prevention. Because of such ignorance and fear, too many lives were lost. This is an excellent book for libraries, and should be on every church and school library shelf.

I read The Epidemic hoping to find new, useful information to use in updating my own 1999 AIDS history, Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America (University of Chicago Press). I have to admit I was skeptical that any book could capture the global breadth of the HIV pandemic, and The Epidemic proved my skepticism well-founded. Not only does it skim along the surface of important, even profound, events, but the book is written in language that leaves the impression the author has not learned anything from what the pandemic has taught about the vital importance of language. I was surprised to learn the author holds a PhD in the history of medicine from Yale.Here is what I mean: Throughout the book the terms HIV and AIDS are used interchangeably; they are not interchangeable. As it has been used since HIV testing became available, in 1985, AIDS refers to the advanced stage of HIV disease (the preferred term for the spectrum of HIV-related infection and illness) at which the virus has seriously damaged the immune system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers a CD4 T-cell count below 200, a CD4 T-cell percentage below 14 percent, or the presence of an opportunistic infection in someone who has HIV to be what "defines" AIDS. A person cannot "catch" AIDS, though an HIV-positive person can progress to AIDS if his/her HIV infection is not managed with antiretroviral therapy. Throughout The Epidemic, the author refers to people "catching," being "infected with" or "spreading" AIDS. This is inaccurate, misleading and even a bit histrionic.Other examples of poor language choice (and sloppy writing): "the gay community has been uniquely vulnerable to the virus." No, individuals who practice particular activities (primarily unprotected receptive anal intercourse) are uniquely vulnerable to the virus; the gay community includes such men, though not all gay men practice such activities. "Diseased already, the prostitutes could both more easily get the disease as well as give it." This is highly stigmatizing language. "AIDS babies." What is an "AIDS baby"? I will assume it's a "baby born with HIV infection"?In a 300+ page book, the tremendously important role of AIDS service organizations in caring for the sick and preventing further HIV transmission is considered in a few paragraphs. The global impact of gay American men with AIDS in the early 1980s insisting on an active role in their health care decisions, demanding respect and rejecting the label of "AIDS victim" isn't even considered. But maybe that isn't surprising because they were the very people with AIDS (as they insisted on being called) who pointed out that language--how one refers to a person or describes a disease caused by a retrovirus--matters.Clearly this book has not benefitted from some of the most basic, and most important, lessons of the history of the HIV pandemic. It breaks no new ground, and offers only a superficial, not very well polished, gloss on what was called as early as 1983 "the most important health crisis of our time." I wish I had found something useful here to help update my own book, but unfortunately I didn't.

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