Customer Reviews

Never Give Up / Vignettes from Sub-Saharan Africa in the Age of AIDS

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Kevin Winge's book is filled with gripping stories of the hope and suffering that AIDS has wreaked in Sub Saharan Africa. It gives the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa a human face with stories of a cook, a gas station owner and an AIDS education worker, to name a few. His stories could reflect those of families anywhere in the world. The book is a call to action for each of us to step up to the responsibility we have as part of the global community.

Never Give Up is written in a direct, compact style that draws readers into the lives of the people of Guguletu, South Africa. Winge wastes no words in creating pictures of the lives of these people. I found myself laughing, crying, getting angry and feeling hope as I read the book. Sometimes I would swing from one emotion to the next simply by turning a single page. The book draws you in from the opening of how Winge first got to South Africa, to his closing story of his continuing work there, never giving up.

You won't regret a minute of your time reading this book.

When a Capetownian friend recommended this book, I never expected that I would end up reading it in the course of a Sunday. I have been to Africa, including South Africa many, many times both professionally and as a tourist. Therefore I felt felt his description of the lives of black HIV/AIDS victims was spot on, judging from what I have been able to observe over the years. Mr Winge has a wonderfully uncomplicated, honest almost poetic style of writing which fits this sensitive subject extremely well. I do not say to tourists that they should necessarily go and study the poverty in a SA township, but I would recommend them to read this book to be aware of the problems faced by many poor black South Africans. I understand this book does not sell well in SA - apparently because Mr Winge only deals with black people in his book and because whites are beginning to be weary about reading about the poor blacks. What can you say? The book takes place in a black township (where many whites never venture)!
Klavs Skovsholm, Brussels, Belgium

Kevin Winge presents an illustrative view of what is occurring at the ground level in the battle against HIV in South Africa. The emotion and courage of those presented in his vignettes provide inspiration to others to try and make a difference. Some vignettes will break a person's heart, but this evoked compassion is necessary to help push people to want to work for change.

I like the book very much. It is like new and reached on time. The story is very sad but gives hope and make strong any on who read the story. The Author is very kind to do all this to help others. He is a good example to others.