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The newest edition of mental_floss is now available at newsstands. Rosemary Ahern's featured article explores 'The 25 Most Influential Books of the Past 25 Years.' Over the coming days, we’ll highlight five of these groundbreaking books right here on our blog. If this inspires you to subscribe, here’s how you can do so.
And the Band Played On
by Randy Shilts (1987)
The Book That Made Us Confront the Reality of AIDS
Randy Shilts played a pivotal role in bringing global attention to the AIDS crisis. As the first openly gay journalist at a major U.S. newspaper, he authored And the Band Played On, documenting the history of AIDS and the widespread failure of the medical and societal systems to address it. Shilts highlights how the epidemic emerged at the worst possible time. During the conservative 1980s, AIDS was stigmatized as the "gay plague." The Reagan administration resisted policies that supported or even acknowledged homosexuality, obstructing efforts by Congress and health officials to inform the public. Shilts' book gave a voice to frustrated lawmakers and scientists, many of whom spoke on record for the first time.
And the Band Played On transformed how people viewed AIDS and those affected by it.
Historian Garry Wills emphasized the book's significance, stating, "This book will be to gay liberation what Betty Friedan was to early feminism and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was to environmentalism."
While And the Band Played On undeniably advanced advocacy, Shilts insisted on being seen as an impartial journalist. In the early 1980s, he published a series of articles in The San Francisco Chronicle exposing the risks of gay bathhouses, leading to their closure. This decision sparked outrage in the gay community, with some men even spitting on Shilts in public.
Shilts believed in the power of unbiased reporting and aimed for And the Band Played On to create the most profound impact possible.
While writing his book, Shilts underwent an AIDS test but chose not to learn the results, fearing it might bias his journalistic integrity.
The book was widely regarded as an impartial piece of investigative journalism, enhancing its impact. In March 1987, after completing the book, Shilts learned he was HIV-positive. Even as his health declined, he continued to offer unique insights into the disease. Months before his death in 1994, he shared with The New York Times, "HIV has undoubtedly shaped my character. It’s stripped away superficial concerns like ego and vanity. Though, I’d gladly trade some of this character for a few more T-cells."
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