Why read How to Survive a Plague?

Book cover of How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS

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Winner of The Green Carnation Prize for LGBTQ literature

Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT non-fiction

Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2017

'This superbly written chronicle will stand as a towering work in its field' Sunday Times

'Inspiring, uplifting and necessary reading' - Steve Silberman author of…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked How to Survive a Plague as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Nancy Tomes

Author

Of the many riveting books written about the other “big one” of the 20th century—the AIDs pandemic, still ongoing—I especially love France’s account because it combines the power of a personal memoir with a “you are there” description of the plague’s unfolding in the United States.

I also like how France shows the positives in an otherwise tragic story. When faced with a deadly new disease, grassroots activists waged brilliant fights to get attention to its dangers and, in the process, changed American science for the good.

From Nancy's list on get you ready for the next big pandemic.