Curtis’s Reviews > And the Band Played on > Status Update
Curtis
is on page 196 of 646
Interesting; STDs among gay men led to rapid development of cures, including Hep B. Likely to cooperate with blood testing so there was plenty of back-catalogue of samples for later AIDS patients. Pop narrative works great for key moments such as the realization that AIDS took years to show in patients so many were infected without knowing, had been since 70s. Learned about book's controversies so mixed feelings now!
— Nov 18, 2024 07:16AM
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Curtis
is finished
Pop narrative approach a double-edged sword, at times giving immediacy & tension to story. Other times undermining the facts by inserting dialogue, cliffhangers, & other pulp novel devices, as well as takins positions about 'bad' gays & demonizing Gatian Dugas. Very much of its time, reflective of intensity & politics of active pandemic, getting caught up in the drama. Much better AIDS books have likely been written.
— Dec 17, 2024 09:43PM
Curtis
is on page 405 of 646
Repetitiveness of book breaks once AIDS hits mainstream awareness; book shifts to the hysteria & stigma around AIDS. Shocked to learn it takes 5-10 years between infection & detection; people can be infected without knowing for all that time! Also, they still haven't found out how it spreads; no wonder people didn't wanna be in the same room with infected people. Yet blood banks refuse to test blood! Agonizing.
— Nov 25, 2024 08:57PM
Curtis
is on page 102 of 646
Cut like modern action movie, & not in good way. Constant cutting, scene breaks, ending chapters on cheesy 'cliffhanger' sentences, almost written like a pulp at times; very distracting. When it finds time to settle down, it's great. Learning a lot, getting invested. Sciency pathology stuff a bit difficult but still somewhat accessible. Scary seeing how unseriously this is being taken. Invested despite the issues!
— Nov 14, 2024 08:22AM
Curtis
is on page 61 of 646
Good, but depressing with LGBT people in the US now staring down years of attempts to force them back to the shadows. Still, enjoying its novel narrative style, even if it means lots of conjecture about inner thoughts of real figures. Great job establishing how gay men were primed to ignore venereal diseases by years of mild, treatable STDs & the endless party culture. Just need a better headspace to read it!
— Nov 09, 2024 07:59AM
