Synopses & Reviews
To the surprise of many, George W. Bush pledged $10 billion to combat AIDS in developing nations. Noted specialist Susan Hunter tells the untold story of AIDS in Africa, home to 80 percent of the 40 million people in the world currently infected with HIV. She weaves together the history of colonialism in Africa, an insider's take on the reluctance of drug companies to provide cheap medication and vaccines in poor countries, and personal anecdotes from the 20 years she spent in Africa working on the AIDS crisis. Taken together, these strands make it unmistakably clear that a history of the exploitation of developing nations by the West is directly responsible for the spread of disease in developing nations and the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Hunter looks at what Africans are already doing on the ground level to combat AIDS, and what the world can and must do to help. Accessibly written and hard-hitting,
Black Death brings the staggering statistics to life and paints for the first time a stunning picture of the most important political issue today.
Review
"One of the most important books on AIDS to be published... The book is chilling and fascinating in equal measure." -Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for AIDS
Review
"This book opens many new perspectives on what has become the largest epedemic in human history." -Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS
Review
"The long needed AIDS primer ... Buy this book, read it, then give it to ten friends." -Eric Sawyer, Co-Founder, ACT UP New York
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"Hunter's writing is brilliant. The tapestry she weaves is compassionate, grounded in history, and extraordinarily real." -Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance
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"[An] insightful and compassionate account of AIDS in Africa... A must-read." -Robert Bilheimer, Academy Award nominee and director of A Closer Walk
Review
"This book opens many new perspectives on what has become the largest epidemic in human history. More importantly, it gives us insight into the human tragedy and triumph that is the daily bread of people and communities in the areas most affected by AIDS throughout the world."
-Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS
"Hunter...uses personal anecdotes to detail the story of a growing epidemic."
-Library Journal
"the most up-to-date account for the lay reader of the impact of the epidemic." -- London Times
About the Author
Susan Hunter is an independent consultant who has worked at the highest policy level with world health organizations (UNAIDS, UNICEF, USAID) in Africa over the last 20 years.
Table of Contents
Introduction * AIDS and the World * Africa's Political and Economic Development * Epidemic Rules, Part I: Causes and Conditions * Epidemic Rules, Part II: Internal Dynamics of Epidemics * Sexually Transmitted Diseases * Disease and Evolution * Evolution and Epidemic Management