France has done an admirable job of tackling a staggeringly important topic here, on a huge scale, with innumerable important players. Telling such a deeply emotional, complicated, multifaceted story, without losing the thread of this book must’ve been no small feat, and France has achieved it with such grace, he almost makes it look easy, explaining the science of the virus, the political climate, and recounting the stories of individuals who were (or are still) impacted with equal skill. This is a fantastic and thorough introduction to the AIDs crisis, and though an undeniably difficult read, it is thoroughly worth it.