Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 548 ratings · 58 reviews

In 2000, the United Nations laid out a series of eight goals meant to guide humankind in the new century. Called the Millennium Development Goals, these targets are to be met by 2015 and are to lay the foundation for a prosperous future. In Race Against Time, Stephen Lewis advances real solutions to help societies across the globe achieve the Millennium Goals. Through luci...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published June 15th 2006 by House of Anansi Press (first published October 18th 2005)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Best Books of People Trying to Save the World

20th out of 136 books — 86 voters

The Educated Imagination by Northrop Frye

The Real World of Technology by Ursula Franklin

The Cult of Efficiency by Janice Gross Stein

A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright

CBC Massey Lectures

17th out of 33 books — 2 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 994)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 25, 2012 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in Africa, HIV/AIDS, the way the UN works.

Stephen Lewis is a firebrand. A well qualified firebrand, who deeply loves Africa - and he is angry with many of the huge and bureaucratic organisations involved with the country. He is passionately interested in
* the treatment in Africa of HIV/AIDS
* equality and support for women
* the AIDS orphans
* free education for children
* and money, money, money.

Thanks to an initiative by the World Health Organisation (The Three by Five campaign), the virus is slowly being turned around. Before 2005 it w...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2007 Nami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: recently-read

even though i only gave this book three stars, i still really recommend people to read it.

stephen lewis (the author) is the UN secretary general's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in africa and in this book, reflects on each millennium development goal and concludes that we will be no where near achieving these goals.

i really liked the first half, as he does a wonderful job on how unjust the situation in africa is and how we, as citizens of humanity, have the obligation to be active in addressing thes...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Lyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was an amazing read on so many levels. Stephen Lewis is a humanitarian who has dedicated his life to the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic and for advocating for the most vulnerable members of the humanrace in the most challenging nations on the planet. To say he is inpirational is a gross understatement -- he rocks you to the core with his passion and resolve and unfledging commitment to this cause. He is the voice of outrage at our inaction to solve what he believes are solvable pr...more

like · see review

May 01, 2013 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephen Lewis, former Canadian ambassador to the UN and head of the Stephen Lewis Foundation which fights AIDS in Africa, writes 5 lectures as part of the CBC Massey Hall Lecture Series.

It provides an insider's perspective into the machinations of the UN and how its so bogged down with bureaucracy, politics, and self congratulatory back-patting that it often fails to meet its own objectives.

Published in 2005, much of his critique it directed at the UNs Millennium Development goals for Africa whi...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Ryan added it

Stephen Lewis is one amazing person & makes me proud to be Canadian. I think we WILL see drastic change (for the better) in years to come from the international community, with respect to treatment of AIDS in Africa. The other issues like malnutrition and inaccess to primary education and how it all ties together with AIDS is also presented really well. More than anything though, this book was written with such overwhelming passion that it's hard to not want to see what more each of us as in...more

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Michael added it · review of another edition

This is actually a CD collection from CBC Audio of Stephen Lewis and the 5 lectures he gave in 2005 on Africa. It is a history of himself in Africa and the promises made - and broken - to aid the African nations. He delves into the labyrinths of politics at the UN and worldwide. He recounts with anguish the loss of so many people that could have been friends and the lives that could have been lead. HIV/AIDS has taken a terrible toll on Africa equally as much a price has been paid for the policie...more

like · see review

Jul 20, 2011 Maryjoamani rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a few years ago when we first moved to Mozambique and thought it very provocative. It's important to question what we are doing in our humanitarian efforts to make sure our judgment and wisdom are not clouded by our compassion. True compassion involves wisdom and much of what we seem to be doing in the international aid community lacks wisdom. Though Lewis seems a bit sweeping in his comments, given his personal and professional work at a very high level, his criticism should be...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2012 Vanessa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa, medicine

I was disappointed to find that this book was more focused on UN politicking than Africa. Not that the UN doesn't need the critique, but reading about its problems 6+ years after the fact (I really should have picked this up when it first came out), and in every chapter, just wasn't that compelling for me.

I was also bothered that Lewis seemed to be cutting the exact same circuit through Africa that every other diplomat/aid giver/politician does. He visits schools and communities where locals si...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2009 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, politics, read-in-2009, africa

The timing of my reading this was interesting. I had just finished a three-week African Summer Institute, where professors from Nigeria, Burundi, Kenya, and Tanzania taught us about Africa from a much more Afro-centric perspective than I've been used to. And then I read Dambisa Moyo's Dead Aid, which aims to reject all foreign aid to Africa entirely. And then I read this and I'm kind of conflicted.

Stephen Lewis makes a lot of good points and I think on a moral level he's absolutely correct abou...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, 2009

It's been twenty-five years, and if anything, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is getting worse. In South Africa alone, there are six million people requiring treatment. Suffering from the "perverse economic policies" of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF); the poaching of professionals by the UK and other countries; colonialism and neo-colonialism; the USA's right-wing policies and a myriad of other external problems, Africa is also under the burden of famine, huge numbers of orphans, and...more It's been twenty-five years, and if anything, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is getting worse. In South Africa alone, there are six million people requiring treatment. Suffering from the "perverse economic policies" of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF); the poaching of professionals by the UK and other countries; colonialism and neo-colonialism; the USA's right-wing policies and a myriad of other external problems, Africa is also under the burden of famine, huge numbers of orphans, and greedy dictators.

Stephen Lewis is a famous Canadian humanitarian, whose father was one of the founders of the CCF - later the New Democrat Party (NDP). His son is Avi Lewis, his daughter-in-law Naomi Klein. That'd be one hell of an intimidating family to have dinner with. Currently the UN's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Lewis draws on long years working for the United Nations and its various divisions, his travels to Africa and his participation in many a conference, to offer a searing indictment on the lamentable response of the wealthy western world to the plight of Africa - a plight that we should at the very least share the blame for.

Lewis speaks directly to the debt, the mistaken macroeconomic policies of the World Bank and IMF that have helped to cripple Africa, the lack of education and the fact that there are entire generations of Africans missing - people in their late twenties, their thirties and forties, simply gone because of AIDS. He also speaks to gender inequality and the flaws of the United Nations, as well as offering alternatives and clear targets. And all with so much passion that I wanted to cry every second page.

At the time of writing, 2005, Africa had $294 billion of debt. Of that, they had paid back $260 billion by 2002 - in interest, leaving another $230 billion owing. Obviously, they will never be able to pay off this debt. The debt is ridiculous in the extreme, especially considering how many billions in foreign aid - the "Global Fund" - the countries need in order to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS. What is especially criminal are the "cost-sharing" conditions imposed against all advice by the World Bank and IMF, conditions that have effectively crippled the economies of these countries - the direct opposite of what they were supposed to do. These countries were prevented from putting any money into the public sector: education, health, government (including the control of clean water etc.) The only source of funds for this is the Official Development Assistance, but over 60% of this money is "phantom aid", being spent by the donors on overpriced consultants, goods and services from the donor country's firms, and admin costs - "otherwise known as inflated overhead."

In June 2005, $40 billion of debt for eighteen countries was wiped clean - but Lewis points out that that still leaves $200 billion "shackling [Africa's:] future". Countries had committed themselves to donating 0.7% of their GNP to African aid, but only Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Luxembourg have reached or surpassed it - countries not known for their wealth. Compared to the 1 trillion spent on the military and arms, worldwide, the $50 billion Africa needs is small change.

Lewis comes down hard on the wealthy nations of the world for their procrastination, for not giving what they promise to give, and for attaching conditions like the US's abstinence-only teaching requirement (as part of PEPFAR) - a seriously damaging policy that Lewis himself came under fire for critiquing - as well as the UN's silence. As he quotes one man from the World Bank when trying to get them to give money towards treatment, not just prevention, in Rwanda, "You see, Stephen, it's difficult. Let's face the painful truth: the people with AIDS are going to die. The money would probably be better used for prevention. It's all a matter of trade-offs." This kind of thinking Lewis likens to poison, and with good reason.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. The sorry state of affairs surrounding debt and aid is shocking. No less upsetting is the condition of the people themselves, the many orphans being cared for en masse by grandmothers, the missing generations, the lack of farmers - all tied into the famine. What happens when the grandmothers have passed away? The countries' governments have no idea, they are completely at a loss. There is no money for these orphans, or not much anyway. Simply scrapping school fees so the international law of the rights of the child, that every child have free access to a primary education, is problematic in Africa. All the children that Lewis has met in Africa, wanted one thing above all else: to go to school. They're desperate for it, and when they get it they shine. The path for a prosperous future Africa lies in educating its children, today.

But the twisted inner paths of the UN thwarts their own goals, and until AIDS is dealt with, no real progress can be made. Tied into AIDS is gender equality - women are the backbone of Africa, Lewis says, the unpaid farmers and caretakers and the very weave and fabric of their culture and society. Until the UN establishes a department that deals solely with women's rights, and gives it the same funding and power as UNICEF, nothing will change.

Lewis does have some good news, little glimpses of hope, schemes that have worked, a few success stories. And some heart-wrenching anecdotes from his travels in Africa that help give a face to the millions of people suffering there.

This book won't give you a history of the plague of AIDS - a pandemic that African leaders refer to as an extermination, and a holocaust. What it focuses on is the western world's response to the situation, or lack of, and the Millennium Development Goals that won't be met. It's a passionate but level-headed and factual diatribe as well as a plea. It's educational, informative and hopeful. That Lewis loves Africa is abundantly clear. He also has tremendous respect for the UN and other agencies, for the amazing people of Africa who have made great in-roads, and for individuals who have likewise brought hope and help. He makes an excellent case for Africa, and a justification for helping them when it is so easy to simply shrug and say, "well it's Africa, it's their problem." But it's not.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 04, 2009 Arlene Richards rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: political-commentary

This book is part of the Massey lectures given in by Stephen Lewis in Toronto. It would have been a marvelous experience to have listened to him deliver his message live. However,his passion and his powerful writing makes his message of hope extremely compelling. His solutions were well thought-out and plausible. He had me running for my dictionary only a few time.

like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Jessica D rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recommend that anyone who wants to know more about what is going on in Africa to read this book. It gives you a great insight into the problems Africa and it's countries are dealing with in terms of debt to the World Bank, education and of course AIDS. It is very informative, and very heart wrenching. I personally cried a few times while reading this book.

like · see review

Dec 27, 2009 Alicen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having seen Stephen Lewis speak at Hopkins back in 2006, I picked up this book then but just now got around to reading it. Lewis details his career in the UN and his opinions on how various international agencies might work better and faster to stem the tide of HIV/AIDS. Understandably the material is a bit dated, but is an interesting read for anyone interested in this field of work.

like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A really great book for anyone who wants to learn about the UN's Millennium Development Goals and (lack of) progress we've made on them, especially pertaining to Africa and the AIDs epidemic. The book is heartbreaking and informative. I really enjoyed reading it.

like · see review

Jan 09, 2011 MrsPL rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa, development, health, non-fiction, canadian

Stephen Lewis is an amazing speaker, and his brilliant oratory comes through in this book, a summary of his Massey lectures. An excellent overview of the HIV/ADIS pandemic in Africa and some of the issues related to the crisis.

like · see review

Sep 27, 2010 Me added it · review of another edition

Reading a critically reviewed idea is maddening, every line written is punctured with faults already associated with points that have been made. It's nice to know his assumptions of 2010 have been correct and correct.

like · see review

Dec 31, 2007 Gayathiri rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book made me want to drop whatever I was doing and take up with an NGO to go around whatever the UN isn't doing for Africa and the AIDS pandemic. The inner workings of the UN reveal it to be nothing like it claims to be: instead it's plagued by bureaucracy and high-level inertia.

Lewis brings up numbers, anecdotes, precedents, anything you could possibly need to show that the Millennium Development Goals are not going to be met; he also gives solutions to the problems he identifies. It is a...more

like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, memoir-read

this is a required read for anyone who wants to make a difference in AIDS ravaged Africa. Stephen Lewis is a champion for the millions of victims of this horrible pandemic.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Duana Ogden rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book, it made me want to know more about HIV/AIDS in Africa. What a great job Stephen Lewis does and his passion is evident. He won my heart. A must read.

like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Jacquelyn added it

A very heavy read. The whole work is extremely depressing, but you will go away from it wanting to make a difference in this world.

like · see review

Dec 25, 2012 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, books-read-2012

Important topic, with some interesting insights. Lewis is well educated on the issues and brings the reality of HIV/AIDS in Africa to life, as well as the situation around foreign aid. However, it gets brutally bogged down in discussion of this or that UN internal issue and becomes nearly unreadable to the layperson. As well, reading it six years later does no favours as the material spends so much time on facts and figures and people who are now out of date. The message of this book - that we *...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2010 Tina B rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. Very articulate and clear. Didn't agree with all arguments, but a great exploration nonetheless.

like · see review

Nov 04, 2010 Chloe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stephen Lewis is incredibly articulate and speaks about important issues that everyone should read up on!

like · see review

Mar 31, 2009 Scott Neigh added it · review of another edition

Reviewed here.

like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone should read this book. It is haunting, it is truth, it has had a deep impact on me.

like · see review

Apr 10, 2009 Mary Lou George rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book once a year. Stephen Lewis is a truly honourable man.

like · see review

Mar 09, 2009 Ladji added it

i really fill bad for those people who diaed this for aids

like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Erinn Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Powerful and thought provoking
The Afterword leaves you speechless, between the Bush administration's refusal to support any programs that encouraged the use of condoms to the discussion of the "lottery of life."
"Mr. Lewis, we have 350 children in my primary school, but I think I must tell you that 250 are orphans."

like · see review

Feb 15, 2008 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a passionate call for the world to act against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. You can certainly understand Lewis' passion, anger, and commitment to the people of Africa. His emotion is balanced by his keen understanding of the myriad forces at work in the spread of HIV/AIDS, and his detailed explanation of the bureaucracy in which he works.

This is a great compilation of his Massey lectures, and has really given me a lot to consider. Certainly worth reading!

like · see review

Sep 29, 2010 Adrienne added it

This was a jaw dropping book, and sad. I didn't like it because of how sad it made me. lol, but a great book! :D

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 33 34 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Non Fiction

41 users

Cultural > Africa

24 users

Cultural > Canada

10 users

Health

7 users

Politics

5 users

Health > Medicine

3 users

Social Movements > Social Justice

3 users

Social Science

2 users

Politics > Political Science

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Stephen Lewis

Stephen Henry Lewis is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. After working for several years as a labour mediator, columnist and broadcaster, in 1984 Lewis was appointed Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving in the post until 1988. From 1995 to 1999, Lewis was Deputy Director of UNICEF. From 2001 u...more

More about Stephen Lewis...

Books by Stephen Lewis

The Men Who Killed Me: Rwandan Survivors of Sexual Violence

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Race Against Time...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Race Against Time: Sea...

“There’s neither need nor justification to wallow in the trough of mediocrity.” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa
avg rating	preview: Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa Goodreads rating: 4.11 (548 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198920.Race_Against_Time?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326845743l/198920.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198920.Race_Against_Time?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa by Stephen Lewis[/url]

Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website