And the Band Played On

Book: And the Band Played On
Author: Randy Shilts
Publication Date: 1987

There were two things terrifying people in the 80's: the constant threat of an all-out nuclear war with Russia and AIDS. Journalist Randy Shilts saw the AIDS epidemic exploding and wrote this ground-breaking book to talk about what having AIDS really meant, how the government reacted, and what it meant for our culture as a whole. Shilts started covering the AIDS epidemic in 1982, and he saw the limited scope with which people looked at the disease, as well as the people who had it, specifically the gay community at the time.

And the Band Played On is non-fiction, but not dry. This is a book told with passion and integrity, and a book that made people take a hard look in the mirror to make sure they were making the right assumptions about the right people. Winner and nominee for numerous awards, Shilts still thought the book fell short because it didn't elicit an immediate change in how people with AIDS were treated.

Shilts passed away in 1994, from complications related to AIDS. Larry Kramer, who founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP), spoke at Shilt's memorial, saying "He single-handedly probably did more to educate the world about AIDS than any single person." 

 And the Band Played On is a heart-wrenching example of the Book as Author Work and the Book as Knowledge.
Gran Fury Collective Activism Poster of the 80's/90's

Sources: 

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Band_Played_On
  • "Randy Shilts, journalist, 42, of AIDS." Telegram & Gazette. (Worcester, Massachusetts): February 18, 1994. p. B.7

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