Understanding and Preventing AIDS: A Book for Everyone (review)

256 Review UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING AIDS: A BOOK FOR EVERYONE By Chris Jennings. Second edition. 230 pp. Cambridge, MA: Health Alert Press, 1988. $24.95. Understanding and Preventing AIDS provides comprehensive, factual information about AIDS in a non-sensationalized manner. The author discusses this topic from a broad perspective, relying on approximately 2000 medical and scientific articles published in several countries. The book begins with background chapters that will help lay readers better understand subsequent AIDS-specific chapters. These discussions cover sex and sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and relevant human biology and physiology. The AIDS-specific chapters provide comprehensive coverage of a range of concepts: transmission; prevention; opportunistic infections; treatment ; psychosocial issues; death; and broader issues such as the sociology and epidemiology of AIDS; the relationship between AIDS and the law; and the impact of AIDS on medicine, including suggested future directions for the medical community. Each chapter contains a sufficiently complete discussion of its topic to be read and understood out of context. The book contains a number of useful and interesting tables that are presented in a digestible format. Among them are listings of government resources; descriptive information on sexually transmitted diseases; a narrative on correct condom use; national and international incidence rates; a breakdown of reports of AIDS cases according to race, age, and other demographic data; and guidelines for health professionals and others regarding safe patient care. In a brief demographic profile, the author discusses a number of minority or marginalized populations, including blacks, women, intravenous drug users , homosexuals, bisexuals, and prostitutes, and challenges readers to consider the possibility that the slightly higher prevalence of HIV infection in black minority homosexuals may be attributable to institutionalized racial prejudice that impedes the dissemination of AIDS information to the minority community . The information in this book is adequately detailed, and material is presented logically. While the medical information is stated and interpreted factually and without bias, some of the medical and epidemiological informaJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Vol. 1, No. 2, Fall 1990 257 tion is dated. For example, the U.S. incidence rate is cited as being 35,769 cases. (As of August 1990, the number of cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control stood at 146,746.) These instances are few, however, and because the book exists as much to guide the reader in interpreting information as to present information, its usefulness will not diminish over time. The book is more than a presentation of available knowledge. Jennings discusses alternative opinions regarding the interpretation of findings. Also, to his credit, the author addresses pertinent variant views on social issues while maintaining a non-biased attitude. This approach to the subject will be much appreciated by those seeking AIDS information untainted by hysteria and media hype. While the topic of AIDS is important for everyone, the textbook format and language of Understanding and Preventing AIDS presume a level of education that may exclude those with limited literacy skills. The discussion avoids highly technical scientific terminology, but this represents the only effort made toward engaging a wide audience. The book is written for the intelligent lay reader, the person who has information but who may appreciate thoughtful synthesis. Understanding and Preventing AIDS contains a wide range of AIDS-related topics, which makes it applicable to a variety of audiences in a variety of settings. With minor revisions of the content, which is naturally subject to rapid change, the value of this book will be long-lived. —Trish Halleron, M.P.H. Director of Education American Foundation for AIDS Research 1515 Broadway, Suite 3601 New York, NY 10036-0033 ...