Sizwe's Test: A Young Man's Journey Through Africa's AIDS Epidemic (Hardcover)

by Jonny Steinberg (Author)
Key Phrases: village clinic, antiretroviral users, adherence counselors, Sizwe's Test, South Africa, Hermann Reuter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Award-winning South African journalist Steinberg, a gay white man, conceived this book to understand the AIDS crisis in his country and, to a limited degree, in himself: though HIV testing and treatment are readily accessible, he wondered, why did so many abstain? Steinberg journeys to the poor black village of Ithanga, where antiretrovirals (ARVs) are available, but electricity and running water are not. He examines the disease through the pseudonymous Sizwe Magadla, a 30-year-old shopkeeper who has resisted testing. Sizwe becomes Steinberg's interpreter and explains the village's traditional health-care system in which witchcraft thrives and Western medical missionaries challenge healers and herbalists. Steinberg traces Sizwe's growing awareness of the myths and realities of the three letters—one persistent belief, that whites created and deployed HIV as a means to regain power, echoes the legacy of apartheid still overshadowing the country—and his attempts to reconcile cultural beliefs with increasingly unassailable medical facts. Steinberg becomes intertwined with his subject, but balances critical distance and compassion with gleanings from his own psychological barriers to HIV testing that further deepen the concern and understanding he accords to Sizwe's story. (Feb.)
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From Booklist
Journalist Steinberg wonders how, in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic situation such as South Africa’s, it is possible to record more than a thousand new HIV infections per day. He notes that, despite the best efforts of government and the international organization Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors without Borders), one in eight South Africans has AIDS. Where, he asks, is the disconnect? Why aren’t more South Africans taking advantage of the medical resources available to them? Are there, indeed, enough resources to go around? To answer those and further questions, Steinberg embedded himself in a small village in the rural district of Lusikisiki in Eastern Cape Province and shadowed a young man, a shop owner named Sizwe. The resulting profile of him, his family, friends, and the local MSF facility is a real eye-opener. Besides a portrait of what life is like for the people negotiating this transitional period, Steinberg offers a candid glimpse into Sizwe’s private thoughts and fears, which likely mirror those of many of his countrymen. --Donna Chavez

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416552693
• ISBN-13: 978-1416552697
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #92,782 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #22 in	Books > Science > Medicine > Diseases > AIDS & HIV
  #38 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > AIDS
  #59 in	Books > Nonfiction > Current Events > Disaster Relief

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for all world leaders!, February 15, 2008

By	BookWoman/BookMan TV REVIEWS (Nashville, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

Heartwrenching account of the conflicts between modern medicine and daily life in Africa in the midst of the worlds most horrific AIDS epidemic. A stirring call for action and compassion. Should be required reading for all world leaders.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, March 8, 2008

By	Crunch Solutions (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

The fundamental question that Mr Steinberg wrestles with is why people may choose not to take drugs that may preempt death. His honesty, sensitivity and tenacity enable him to explore the dynamics of a rural South African community in a way that I've not encountered. And yes, the man can write.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very very interesting book, January 27, 2009

By	Sabad One - See all my reviews

Mr Steinberg has written a very interesting book which I highly recommend to readers who want to learn more about the economic, political, medical and cultural obstacles in the fight against HIV in South Africa (and I think much of what Steinberg writes about is also very relevant for other African countries).

I particularly liked the sections of the book (which are largely prevalent) where the author simply reports on events and conversations. The book becomes more speculative and in my opinion just a bit pretentious when he tries to theorize about his experiences. But this is a little downside in a very well written book which apparently (judging from the very low number of reviews and the Amazon ranking) not enough people have read. I am grateful to the author for his work, and to "Sizwe" and the other characters of this book for sharing their thoughts and experiences with us.

Two books you may be interested in reading if you liked this one are LeBlanc's "Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx" and Racine & Racine's "Viramma: Life of an Untouchable". Very different subjects for sure, but both are equally interesting and well-written books about lives of individuals in troubled environments which most readers will be only marginally familiar with.