How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS Summary
David France

How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS Overview

How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Scientists Tamed AIDS by David France is a work of non-fiction describing the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s. The disease first appeared among gay men and was primarily concentrated in the gay community, though every segment of the population was impacted. The epidemic was a global one, though this book focuses on events in New York City and the United States more broadly. It addresses themes like homophobia and discrimination, the conflict between the scientific method and patient needs, and the emotional toll of the epidemic.