Shattered Dreams? An Oral History of the South African AIDS Epidemic by Gerald M. Oppenheimer and Ronald Bayer

Ronald Bayer is a Professor, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Gerald M. Oppenheimer is Professor, Brooklyn College.

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The authors of "AIDS Doctors" (also published by Oxford University Press), have written another equally moving, well balanced, and critical account of what it is like working on the frontlines of the AIDS epidemic, this time from the perspective of doctors and nurses in South Africa which has the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world. There are a number of books that have been published in recent years about the AIDS epidemic in South Africa but this book stands out because it allows the reader to get inside the hearts and minds of those who have devoted their lives to helping AIDS patients despite numerous, often overwhelming odds thrown at them, many stemming from the innane policies of the South African government. This book is a great read and it will give you another view of AIDS in other parts of the world and it will give you a greater appreciation of how far we have come in the US in confronting AIDS. The voices in this book are real and what you get are a range of emotions and experiences but in the end you will have a greater appreciation of how hard the work is for doctors and nurses in South Africa and how little support they get in helping the most vulnerable members of society. A truly wonderful, inspiring book!