How to Survive a Plague

The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS

By: David France

Narrated by: Rory O'Malley

Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times 2016 Notable Book

The definitive history of the successful battle to halt the AIDS epidemic - from the creator of, and inspired by, the seminal documentary How to Survive a Plague.

A riveting, powerful telling of the story of the grassroots movement of activists, many of them in a life-or-death struggle, who seized upon scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Ignored by public officials, religious leaders, and the nation at large, and confronted with shame and hatred, this small group of men and women chose to fight for their right to live by educating themselves and demanding to become full partners in the race for effective treatments. Around the globe, 16 million people are alive today thanks to their efforts.

Not since the publication of Randy Shilts' classic And the Band Played On has a book measured the AIDS plague in such brutally human, intimate, and soaring terms.

In dramatic fashion, we witness the founding of ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) and the rise of an underground drug market in opposition to the prohibitively expensive (and sometimes toxic) AZT. We watch as these activists learn to become their own researchers, lobbyists, drug smugglers, and clinicians, establishing their own newspapers, research journals, and laboratories, and as they go on to force reform in the nation's disease-fighting agencies.

With his unparalleled access to this community, David France illuminates the lives of extraordinary characters, including the closeted Wall Street trader turned activist, the high school dropout who found purpose battling pharmaceutical giants in New York, the South African physician who helped establish the first officially recognized buyers' club at the height of the epidemic, and the public relations executive fighting to save his own life for the sake of his young daughter.

Expansive yet richly detailed, this is an insider's account of a pivotal moment in the history of American civil rights. Powerful, heart-wrenching, and finally exhilarating, How to Survive a Plague is destined to become an essential part of the literature of AIDS.

©2016 David France (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Prepare to have your heart buoyed and broken in this riveting account.... This highly engaging account is a must-read for anyone interested in epidemiology, civil rights, gay rights, public health, and American history." (Library Journal)

"Powerful.... American history, memoir, public health, and a call-to-action are perfectly and passionately blended here. Spectacular and soulful." (Booklist)

"A lucid, urgent updating of Randy Shilts' And the Band Played On (1987) and a fine work of social history." (Kirkus)

If you're into this topic do not miss this

as someone who was already very interested in the topic oh, I could not get enough of this book. it might be overkill for anyone who is not interested in this level of detail.

Read This Book!

It's almost hard to write a review for this excellent book, because there's just so much to it, all of it very well written. Not only is this an excellent and detailed account of the early years of the AIDS crisis, but it's a deeply personal account of the lives of the author, his friends and lovers, and other activists during that time. I wanted to thank the author at the end, for sharing so much of himself with his readers and truly opening a window into the horrors and also the amount of love and dedication that defined the AIDS crisis in New York in the 1980s. What the men and women activists accomplished during to save their loved ones and themselves was remarkable. This is a story that needs to be read at the very least, and probably should be shouted from the rooftops.

The narration was wonderful, and felt very personal. This was so dry, monotonous reading.

Sad story, beautifully told

This is a devastating history but wonderfully told. Rory O'Malley provides excellent narration. Should do more audiobooks.

A book everyone should read/ hear

Amazing history of the AIDS crisis, at no point did I ever lose interest. It is heartbreaking and also inspiring.

Controversial. Stunning. Inspirational.

Any additional comments?

Wow. Another good Audible. Definitely controversial but it's a stunning recollection how desperate citizens can overcome the ineptness and downright viciousness of government and leaders shown to the most needy.
The plague is done. The epidemic continues.

A View of Early AIDS Rarely Seen

I read this as research for something I am writing and it pulled me in fast, keeping me enthralled with both the social and scientific aspects of the birth of the AIDS movement in the US. I was there for some of it and my experiences are spot on for the beginning parts of the book, but it blossomed demonstrating the intense anger at the lack of concern everyone but the gay community had for their lives. Reading how ACT UP and the other groups were born was fantastic history for me to learn about.

What is interesting are the parallels between COVID-19 and the AIDS pandemics, how if it isn't white healthy men being eviscerated, no one seems to give a whit about them/us.

I will read this book again after I read other books from that time. It really has added to my knowledge about that very painful time.

Moving, sometimes technical, sometimes emotion

This book does a great job of documenting the AIDS crisis from its first days. The author was part of the early NYC days and gives a view only a contemporary could give.

It expands on the documentary. If you're on the fence, I'd say give it a try. (You can always get your credit back, although this isn't great for the readers/performers.)

Inspiring activism in the face of great odds

Though consistently dark, this book is rarely bleak, and it proves itself a landmark in queer historical literature. From throwing a giant condom over a politician’s house to creating an illegal drug market that was both a protest and a means to survive, the AIDS Epidemic activists disrupted society with a relentlessness far greater than the disease that ravaged their bodies. We typically regard this period of Queer History with appropriate reverence and gravity, but if I had to pick one word to describe the ACT UP movement, it would be this: Badass.

Very important read

Excellent firsthand account of a heroic struggle. Great listen. Listened during a week long house project and knocked it out in a week.

Powerful

This is an amazing story. It filled in many of the bits and pieces I remembered from my youth. I love the combination of memoir, epidemiology, and history, especially about the power of activism.