cover image MOVING MOUNTAINS: The Race to Treat Global Aids

MOVING MOUNTAINS: The Race to Treat Global Aids

Anne-christine d'Adesky, . . Verso, $30 (488pp) ISBN 978-1-84467-002-4

Twenty-five million dead; 42 million infected; 35 million cases in underdeveloped countries; $10,000 per year cost for antiretroviral drugs; life expectancy falling 36 years—the grim details pile up quickly in d'Adesky's account of the global AIDS crisis. Traveling the world to witness the myriad faces of this gruesome epidemic, journalist and AIDS activist d'Adesky has created a hard-hitting, almost textbook-like recitation of the current state of affairs in the battle to vanquish AIDS. As she examines the trials and tribulations of many nations, organizations and individuals, d'Adesky finds hope where there is hope, progress where there is progress, but remains wary of any notion that the epidemic has reached its zenith or has been turned back. Rather than lapse into simple finger-pointing, like so many AIDS campaigners, d'Adesky lets the situation speak for itself with detailed descriptions of the efforts being made to alleviate the suffering of the afflicted. In Brazil, for example, the government has successfully made AIDS prevention and treatment part of the everyday life of its citizens. By contrast, in Russia, with a rapidly expanding AIDS population, the government has done little to make AIDS a priority. With more than 50 pages of appendixes laying out specific treatment and prevention programs, a more complete overview of this deadly crisis would be hard to find. (July)