Does the scientific "theory" that HIV came to North America from Haiti stem from underlying attitudes of racism and ethnocentrism in the United Sta...
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Jan 23, 2010
Deb
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Great book. Should have 5 stars for significance, really. "Like" isn't the right word for the book -- maybe utmost respect and admiration? Incredibly compelling, and the importance of the subject carried me through the one or two dry statistics chapters in the middle. He shows the obstacles poor rural Haitians face without making them seem like victims, nor obscuring their individuality. Great brief history of Haiti, and its intertwining with the U.S. And also a great job of medical an
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Jul 01, 2007
clare
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paul farmer does such awesome work. this book is an excellent glimpse of the AIDS epidemic in haiti, and the ways in which processes of racism and poverty have deeply contributed to the problem.
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Mar 02, 2008
Donna
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Paul Farmer’s mission to educate the western world about the true causes of sickness and poverty, about the connections between political economy and human suffering is admirably addressed in this powerful book. Farmer tells us the stories of individual Haitians stricken with AIDS in the late 1980s in the tiny community of Do Kay. He explains how local knowledge and personal reactions to illness are connected to larger national and global forces, and how the stage was set hundreds of years ago
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Sep 13, 2007
Hanaan
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A potentially great book ruined as the author decended into an angry diatribe against foreign intervention in Haiti. The first 150 pages were exellent - Farmer meticulously documents the story of a small Haitian village, its history, community and the beginning of its AIDS crisis. It is both a moving story and extremely compelling reading. Farmer then dedicates a large section of the book to a history of the Haitian state and its political economy, and this is where he unfortunately goes off the
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Sep 08, 2009
Jeffcolli
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A fantastic critique of the initial epidemiology performed by western experts, which lead to the creation of the "4 H club", one of which stood for Haitians. Farmer convincingly argues that when AIDS arrived in the western hemisphere, it most likely moved from the U.S. to Haiti, and not the other way around.
Jun 15, 2009
Lindsay
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Parts of this book were very good, parts of it were very boring. Farmer wrote this book from his dissertation and you can definitely tell. There is a lot of background information that is "unnecessary" to the heart of the story (the sociological study of HIV in Haiti) that would not be missed by the common reader. The most interesting stuff is the qualitative interviews he does with the people of Do Kay around the 4 case studies of HIV that he does. I feel like his arguments around the
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May 24, 2007
Priyanka
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This is an excellent book that provides insight on Haiti through the interdisciplinary lens. It's not just about AIDS. It's about how the AIDS epidemic took place in Haiti through the actions of the United States as well as Haitian leadership. It is a historical account of events with personal accounts of real people, on the backdrop of environmental justice. Did you know that the US gov. wiped out ALL creole pigs, which were Haitian pigs, so that pigs from the US would be sent over there? Haiti
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Jan 13, 2008
Lisa
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My all time favorite ethnography. Farmer possesses this brilliant ability to write to many audiences at once. You may read the text with a level of academically oriented sophistication or approach it with little interest and background in anthropology or medicine and take something very valuable away. He is also successful at weaving the local and the global together with artistic and scholarly style. He writes of personal stories from Haiti and contextualizes them within different levels of
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May 02, 2008
Abi
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I would expect a book on this topic to be pretty dry from a literary perspective considering it offers a plethora of statistics, but Paul Farmer is a quite moving author. His passion for the research and medical relief he performs in a rural Haitian village really comes through in his writing, creating a more memorable and meaningful educational experience! He also offers a profound historical background of the AIDS pandemic and its rapid spread around the globe, before delving into personal s
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Sep 25, 2009
Kristen
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Excellent example of medical anthropology. Farmer combines history, political economy, epidemiology and lived experience. He poses a convincing challenge to the idea that AIDS was brought to the U.S. from Haiti and argues that, most likely, it was the other way around. But he doesn't stop there. He digs deeper, exploring the historical, sociological and cultural roots of the propensity to blame Haiti for all its problems -- and, now, for AIDS.
Sep 15, 2010
Leah
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Farmer knows his stuff-accessible and gut-wrenching on one of my favorite topics
Aug 28, 2010
Jess
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Farmer investigates different factors that influence social responses to AIDS in Haiti. He narrates the history of Haiti in an interesting and effective manner, and supports his points in such a way that even readers who have not been exposed to anthropological literature will enjoy AIDS and Accusation.
May 06, 2008
Interesting...I'm curious to read his more recent books... it's interesting to see his research/presentation approach - when he uses anecdotes, when he uses numbers and scientific studies, when he inserts broader political issues into his specific topic of the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic in Haiti
Jul 20, 2008
Dale
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The cover shown here is the earlier edition, I am reading the updated version from 2006. This is an excellent look at the politics of the AIDS crisis from one of the leading experts in public health and medicine in the third world, as well as here at home. Recommended reading.
Nov 09, 2007
Michelle
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Farmer outlines the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and the structures that led to the blame of Haiti for transmission of the virus to the United States. As always, Farmer looks at the root causes of inequality that are the real culprits of the transmission of infectious disease.
May 05, 2008
Especianise
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Great book that provide in insight of how HIV made its way to Haiti, the devastating effects it has on lives, and Haiti being blame for HIV in the USA and the social implication of that blame.
Jun 25, 2008
Calen
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AMAZING book. Definitely useful to remember the manipulations and constructions of disease and its identity before we endorse what we are told, what we read etc. Realy well written.
Mar 26, 2008
Kendra
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Concisely, the enthographic accounts in Paul Farmer´s AIDS and Accusations are worth the read---a lot of the rest is dry and difficult to get through, even for a public health major.
Apr 15, 2010
so far it is is giving a great overview of the history of AIDS and has very touching personal stories from women who had AIDS.
Oct 02, 2008
Amanda
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Great Medical Anthropology book and a must read for anyone interested in Haiti-American relations
Oct 18, 2011
Davey
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Damning work, pretty dry, well constructed. Also, he wrote it on a hillside in Haiti. Nuts.
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