
a book
And the Band Played on
Randy Shilts · 2000 · 656 pages
Upon it's first publication twenty years ago, And The Band Played on was quickly recognized as a masterpiece of investigative reporting. An international bestseller, a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and made into a critically acclaimed movie, Shilts' expose revealed why AIDS was allowed to spread unchecked during the early 80's while the most trusted institutions ignored or denied the threat. One of the few true modern classics, it changed and framed how AIDS was discussed in the following years. Now republished in a special 20th Anniversary edition, And the Band Played On remains one of the essential books of our time.
recommended by 3 people
sourced from public statements

Michael Ian Black
“Timely book recommendation: if you've never read it, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is Randy Shilts' incredible telling of the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci has a starring, and heroic, role.”↗

Clara Jeffery
“Book is great but the movie pretty great too and horrifying similar failure of politicized science, just a way shorter timetable now”↗
