The Invisible People: How the U.S. Has Slept Through the Global AIDS Pandemic, the Greatest Humanitarian Catastrophe of Our Time (Hardcover)

by Greg Behrman (Author) "Sauntering through the halls of yet another international health conference on a soft summer day in June 1983 in Arlington, Virginia, Dr. Joe McCormick wasn't..." (more)
Key Phrases: domestic activists, global vehicle, million infections, United States, South Africa, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Any writer attempting to tackle the AIDS pandemic faces a demanding task. Now spanning decades and covering the globe, it has claimed a staggering number of lives (more than 40 million people are currently infected with HIV and 8,500 die of AIDS each day). That's more than most of us can grasp. The plague's heroes and villains aren't celebrated or demonized like those in a conventional war. For AIDS, there is no FDR or Hitler; there are just the victims of an inconceivable holocaust. Greg Behrman employs an almost cinematic perspective to address the catastrophe in his fast-moving history, cutting to new locations and characters to capture the epic nature of the global AIDS struggle. A vivid cast of characters populates these pages, ranging from U.S. presidents to activists, physicians, diplomats, and rock stars (U2's Bono emerges as one of the most pragmatic and effective combatants). What's heartbreaking is that, despite the best work of many (and, to a degree, because of the tepid or obstructive efforts of others), the disease remains a mighty foe. Both moral and moderate in tone, Behrman focuses on American anti-AIDS efforts, believing the United States' mighty wealth at the end of the 20th century and its own experiences with the epidemic gave it a unique capability and responsibility to lead the fight the fight in Africa and elswewhere. The American effort, he's forced to conclude, has been "inglorious." --Steven Stolder

From Publishers Weekly
According to Behrman, although tremendous progress has been made since the 1980s in prevention and treatment of AIDS, woefully little has reached the developing world, where it is needed most. By 2010, largely because of AIDS, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa will see average life expectancies reduced to 30 years or lower, and the continent will be home to an estimated 20 million AIDS orphans; societies and economies will face unimaginable devastation. Much could have been done to avert this catastrophe, writes Behrman, if wealthy nations-particularly the U.S.-had funded global AIDS initiatives years ago. Behrman, coordinator for the Council on Foreign Relations Roundtable on Improving U.S. Global AIDS Policy, argues that several factors contributed to this neglect: the discomfort among conservatives in addressing the subject of AIDS; the initial reluctance of African leaders themselves to acknowledge the crisis; the efforts of drug companies to block cheap generic medicines; and, most disturbingly, the feeling that Africa's problems are simply too overwhelming for the West to bother with. Behrman chronicles the tireless efforts of public health officials, politicians, the U.N., and even superstar Bono to bring attention to the crisis and to demand action, while policy makers wavered and infection rates soared. In time, it was not the sympathetic Bill Clinton but the moralistic George W. Bush who finally pledged significant monies-$15 billion-to the Global AIDS Fund. Behrman's account, impassioned but fair, describes a moral failure that escalated to tragic dimensions because we allowed its victims to remain invisible for too long.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743257553
• ISBN-13: 978-0743257558
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #602,008 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opens your mind and your heart, August 20, 2004

By	MIM (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

No one can question Mr. Behrman's command of this subject as the reader walks through colorful personal accounts of the United States' action and lack of action in regards to the global AIDS epidemic over the last 20 years. But what this book does so well is provide a human element to each of the stories that allows the reader to connect to the plight of the activist and, more importantly, the devastation felt by so many mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who innocently and unnecessarily fall victim to this pandemic.

"The Invisible People" is a well-crafted narrative that forces the reader to recognize that we can no longer passively isolate ourselves into two camps, "affected" and "not affected." We must stand outstretched between the two as we strive to redefine one camp, "no risk of being affected." An amazing feat by Mr. Behrman.

This work stands as an incredible tribute to the victims of the AIDS epidemic; do your part and read it today.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Emergency That No One Responds To, December 25, 2004

By	E. Beaver "bored_sailor" (Yokosuka, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was the most difficult book I read all year, of many that I read, bored at sea and often bored with the book in hand. Difficult because it poses a damning question about America and its policy priorities. Difficult because it carefully, throughly reveals to the reader with a fair eye how poorly the US (and world) response to the AIDS epidemic has been. There are villians and heroes (many heroes in fact), tragic figures and inspiring ones, but what remains throughout is the compassion the author gives them all. No one is villified by criticism in this book, their actions (and reasoning) speak louder than words, for better or worse. Difficult because it is just so damn heartbreaking and galling that we failed so miserably for 20 years.
I don't like to see the US fail in anything, but I am afraid that we are failing and failing miserably in a war we are tepid about fighting. For this epidemic not to rip apart Russia, India and China the way it is ripping Africa apart now, more and more people will need to read this astonishing, revealing story of how the US nearly lost the war on AIDS before George W. Bush even started it in January 2003, so that we can learn from our past mistakes and not make them again. We can only hope Pres. Bush is learning from those mistakes so the massive amount of capital he is infusing into the fight (and more later) is not wasted. A must for anyone interested in international affairs, medicine, society (both in America and in the greater world), economics, history, politics and just about any other field that has any connection to this increasingly interconnected world.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, insightful read, June 2, 2004

By	Brooklyn Born (New York) - See all my reviews

Greg Behrman's Invisible People is a riveting, well-written account of how the AIDS epidemic has shaped the global landscape. Personally, I was astounded by the statistics in the preface --25 million dead, 40 million currently infected, 8,000 people dying of AIDS every day--and gripped by Behrman's description of the heroes and villians in our battle against one of the greatest killers the world has ever known. This is an important book.