Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996 08:41:34 CDT Reply-To: "H. Robert Malinowsky" Sender: AIDS Book Review Journal From: "H. Robert Malinowsky" A I D S B O O K R E V I E W J O U R N A L University of Illinois at Chicago H. Robert Malinowsky Editor Number 27 ISSN 1068-4174 June, 1996 An electronic journal reviewing books, videos, journal titles, and other materials covering AIDS, safer sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and other related materials, published irregularly by the University of Illinois at Chicago Library. Editorial offices PO Box 8198 M/C 234, Chicago, IL 60680. AIDS Book Review Journal is free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the reviews are those of the editor or reviewers. To subscribe over INTERNET: send note to listserv@uic.edu with note: sub AIDSBKRV your first and last name. AIDSBKRV backfiles are available through a LISTSERV. To find what is available, send note to: listserv@uic.edu. Leave subject blank; key into body of note: send AIDSBKRV FILELIST. This FILELIST contains a list of AIDSBKRV issues with their filenames and filetypes listed as AIDSBKn EJ where the n is the issue number. To retrieve a particular issue, send note to the LISTSERV saying send AIDSBKn EJ, substituting the issue number for the n. A backfile of all issues is also available at the following URL: http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/aidsbkrv/. All materials in the journal are subject to copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting, redistribution,or translation, address requests to H. Robert Malinowsky, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, PO Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680 or electronically to hrm@uic.edu. **************************************************************************** It is the hope that this journal will be able to alert individuals about new, as well as noteworthy, older publications, videos, journal titles, and other print and non-print materials pertaining to AIDS, safer sex, STDs, and other related topics. AIDS is a devastating disease that is everyone's concern. New advances for treatment and education are constantly being developed. Information specialists need to be alerted to these new materials so that they can educate everyone from the school child who needs a picture book about AIDS to the layperson who needs general information on the disease or a novel with an AIDS theme to the researcher looking for a synopsis of research to those who are HIV+ needing comfort and support through the writings of those who have AIDS or are HIV+. The Editor welcomes comments that can be sent to him at hrm@uic.edu. If any reader also is a publisher of any AIDS-related material and would like it considered for review in this journal, please send items to H. Robert Malinowsky, AIDS Book Review Journal, 1250 W. Grace 1st Fl, Chicago, IL 60613, so that the material can be considered. URL: http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/aidsbkrv/ ====================================================================== 544. Johns Hopkins Hospital Guide to Medical Carte of Patients with HIV Infection, 5th edition by John G. Bartlett. 545. AIDS Education and Prevention: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v.8, no.1, no.2, February, April, 1996. 546. Community Prescription Service InfoPack, v.5, no.1, Spring, 1996. 547. Medical Alert, v.3, no.7, March/April, 1996, published by NAPWA. 548. Plague Doctors: Responding to the AIDS Epidemic in France and America, by Jamie L. Feldman. 549. AIDS: A Guide to the Law, 2nd edition edited by Richard Haigh, Dai Harris. 550. AIDS Research at EC Level, edited by A.-E. Baert, M.A. Koch, L. Montagnier, M.C. Razquin, D. Tyrrell. 551. Way We Write Now: Short Stories from the AIDS Crisis, edited by Sharon Oard Warner. 552. Economic and Social Impact of AIDS in Europe, edited by David FitzSimons, Vanessa Hardy, Keith Tolley. 553. AIDS, Dentistry, and the Illusion of Infection Control: Questioning the HIV Hypothesis, by John Hardie. 554. AIDS Update 1996: An Annual Overview of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, by Gerald J. Stine. 555. Teaching AIDS, by Douglas Tonks. 556. Manager's Guide to Sexual Orientation in the Workplace, by Bob Powers, Alan Ellis. 557. Gravest Show on Earth: America in the Age of AIDS, by Elinor Burkett. Pre-1995 books briefly reviewed. 558. Answer Song, by David Trinidad. 559. Confessions of a Jewish Wagnerite: Being Gay and Jewish in America, by Lawrence D. Mass. 560. Small Gathering of Bones, by Patricia Powell. 561. Sex with God, new and expanded edition including part II, The Ashes of Eden, by Thomas O'Neil. 562. Unstable Frontiers: Technomedicine and the Cultural Politics of "Curing" AIDS, by John Nguyet Erni. 563. HIV+: Working the System, by Robert A. Rimer, Michael A. Connolly. 564. Creating Compassion: Activities for Understanding HIV/AIDS, by Phyllis Vos Wezeman. ========================================================== 544. Johns Hopkins Hospital Guide to Medical Care of Patients with HIV Infection, 5th edition by John G. Bartlett. 1995. Williams & Wilkins, 428 E. Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21202. 143p., index. ISBN 0-683-00449-2. $10.00. (Descriptors: Patients, Hospital Care, Therapy, Organizational Policy) "The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the care of patients with HIV infection. These recommendations reflect the policies of the AIDS Care Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital where approximately 3,000 patients with this infection are being followed." This small pocket-sized book was first published in 1991 and is revised every year. As new procedures, medications, and policies are developed, they are reflected in the newer editions. Much of the information is brief and in the form of tables, making it especially useful for hospital personnel. The various sections cover: "HIV Serology and Epidemiology," "Classification," "Natural History," "Diagnostic Evaluation," "Preventive Treatment," "Antiretroviral Therapy," "Management of Complications," and "Major Complications of HIV Infection." Although the text is brief, it is very informative and presents the latest in therapies at the time of publication of the handbook. It should be noted that this is a 1995 publication and there have been some rather remarkable new therapies developed in the last year. Nevertheless, for the standard treatments, this is an excellent little book for practioneers to have at their fingertips. Since it does have a good deal of brief, easy-to-locate information, it would make a worthwhile book in the reference collection of school, public, medical, and academic libraries. 545. AIDS Education and Prevention: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v.8, no.1, February, 1996 and v.8, no.2, April, 1996. Guilford Publications, 72 Spring St., New York, NY 10012. ISSN 0899-9546. $37.50 individuals, $125.00 institutions. (Descriptors: Education, Prevention) This excellent journal has been reviewed in the past. It is presented here to alert readers to the latest articles that have been published. For volume 8, no.1, February, 1996: "Patterns of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe: Implications for Health Education," by Davison Munodawafa, Clement Gwede; "AIDS Education for College Students: Review and Proposal for a Research-Based Curriculum," by Charlotte K. Mulvihill; "What African-American Women Know, Do, and Feel about AIDS: A Function of Age and Education," by Barbara Dancy; "Mental Health-Related Calls to the CDC National AIDS Hotline," by Marc A. Safran, Robert R. Waller; "Childhood Sexual Abuse Linked with Adult Substance Use, Victimization, and AIDS Risk," by Laura Whitmire Johnsen, Lisa L. Harlow; "Compliance with AZT Treatment Regimen of HIV-Seropositive Injection Drug Users: A Neglected Issue," by Robert C. Freeman, Gloria M. Rodriguez, John F. French; "Correlates of Acceptance of HIV Testing and Post-Test Counseling in the Obstetrical Setting," by Martin D. Sorin, James M. Tesoriero, Malcolm L. LaChance-McCullough; and "My Guardian Angel: A Learning Exercise for Adolescent AIDS Education," by Brian F. Geiger, Mary Anne Tierney. For volume 8, no.2, April, 1996: "A Self-Efficacy Scale for HIV Risk Behaviors: Development and Evaluation," by Kevin W. Smith, Sarah A. McGraw, Laurie A. Costa, John B. McKinlay; "HIV Risk Behaviors: A Comparison of U.S. Hispanic and Dominican Republic Youth," by Wayne W. Westhoff, Robert J. McDermott, Derek R. Holcomb; "Japanese Risk Behaivors and Their HIV/AIDS-Preventive Behaviors," by Tsunetsugu Munakata, Kuzuo Tajima; "AIDS: Risk Behaviors Among Rural Mexican Women Married to Migrant Workers in the United States," by V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder, Ma. de Jesus Diaz Perez, Margarita Maldonado; "Rapid KABP Survey for Evaluation of NGO HIV/AIDS Prevention Projects," by Mary Anne Mercer, Nicola Gates, Martha Holley, Linile Malunga, Richard Arnold; "Differences Between Asian-American and White American Dentists in Attitudes Toward Treatment of HIV Patients," by Karen G. Raphael, Carol Kunzel, Donald Sadowsky; "HIV Testing Among Low-Income African-American Mothers," by Robynn S. Battle, Gayle L. Cummings, Kenneth A. Yamada, Flora M. Krasnovsky; and "A Week in the Country: A Model Respite Program," by Susan Lee Miller, Morton Bortner. These are very informative articles and recommended for anyone in the AIDS education field. The journal is highly recommended for all medical and academic libraries. 546. InfoPack, by the Community Prescription Service, v.5, no.1, Spring, 1996. Community Prescription Service, 349 W. 12th St., New York, NY 10014. A free newsletter to all CPS customers, AIDS service organizations, and referring doctors. (Descriptors: Therapies, Drugs) Another previously reviewed publication that has timely articles that are informative and intended for the layperson. The articles in this issue include: "Lark Land's Treatment Strategy: A Total Aggressive Approach to HIV Therapy," "Relief Me: A Nursing Standard of Care for Management of Fever and Pain," "Standard of Care for Children and Infants," "Desensitization to TMP/SMX (Bactrim, Septra): An 8-Day Protocol from San Francisco General Hospital," "Back to Your Roots: Ancient Chinese Therapies Have Found New Uses in Treating HIV-Related Conditions," "Philly Sets a Standard: ACT UP/Philadelphia updates Its Heralded AIDS Standard of Care," "Hey! Watch the Teeth," "Standard Guidelines for Treating Anemia in HIV-Infected Patients," "Preventing MAC," "Strife Insurance," and "Preventing CMV Retinitis." A good publication that provides valuable information for anyone who is HIV positive, and recommended for all libraries. 547. Medical Alert, published by the National Association of People with AIDS, v.3, no.7, March/April, 1996. NAPWA 1413 K St. NW, Washington, DC 10005-3442. A free newsletter for people with AIDS. (Descriptors: Education) This small newsletter is intended for educational purposes, alerting individuals to new therapies and anything else that may help a person with AIDS. This issue contains articles on "Combo Therapy with Crixivan," "Hyperthermia Studies Continue," "Immune System Restoration Study," "Clarithromycin Prophylaxis for MAC," "Non-Nucleoside Inhibitor Shows Promise," "Alternate Therapies," and "Viral Load and Disease Progression." An excellent publication providing much information that is up-to-date and important to those with AIDS. Recommended for all libraries. 548. Plague Doctors: Responding to the AIDS Epidemic in France and America, by Jamie L. Feldman. 1995. Bergin & Garvey/Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West, Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. 273p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-89789-385-9. $55.00. (Descriptors: France, Medical Anthropology, Social Medicine, Ethnology, Attitude of Health Personnel, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Epidemiologic Methods) "Epidemics in general, and AIDS in particular, give social scientists an unparalleled opportunity to examine the interaction of institutional practices, social values, and cultural assumptions in a given place and time, particularly those of medicine." This very interesting book examines how French and American medical communities have constructed AIDS models through both spoken and written venues. It,also, explores "how medical understanding of AIDS is expressed in clinical and laboratory practice and subsequently communicated within and outside the medical community." In order to look at AIDS as a social happening, you have to understand the full breadth and width of AIDS in the biomedical community. Feldman states that AIDS in its totality could never be covered in one piece of research. This book, therefore, will fill three substantial gaps in social science research on AIDS: "First, this study focuses exclusively on the medical community and its discourses...Second, being an ethnographic study, the data were obtained directly from medical personnel within a medical context...Finally, I examine AIDS as a constructor, a medium and context for the construction of other aspects of the medical experience, such as health care systems and professional identity." Feldman selected France and the United States because these were the two countries that originally researched this disease in today's perspective. The differences that these two countries provide are fundamental in looking at the sociocultural differences of AIDS. "In the end, this book is not just about AIDS or even just about medical culture. It is about the means of understanding--how we as human beings make sense of our world, our experiences, our selves." There are 13 chapters within the 4 parts: "Theory, Method, and Context," "Constructing AIDS," "AIDS as Constructor," and "Medical Differences, Different Medicines." This is a very well researched book that contains a wealth of information. Probably the most important part is the second that discusses construction AIDS. Here one learns how the medical community constructed the idea of AIDS and how it is different between the U.S. and France. The medical community uses a "variety of techniques to make AIDS a knowable disease that can be recognized and acted upon, while the expected course of the disease is reshaped in every medical encounter." This is a unique look at AIDS from the ethnographic point of view. The material is based on a study of two AIDS clinics, one in Chicago and the other in Paris. Not a book for the casual reader but certainly a highly recommended book for anyone in the medical profession. The results of this research can be applied to any disease. A recommended book for all medical and academic libraries. 549. AIDS: A Guide to the Law, second edition edited by Richard Haigh, Dai Harris for the Terrence Higgins Trust. 1995. Routledge, 29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001-2291. 185p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-415-11511-6, 0-415-09699-5pbk. $59.95, $17.95pbk. (Descriptors: Legal Aspects, Children, Criminal Law, Employment, Housing, Immigration, Insurance, Medic-Legal Aspects, Prisoners, Voluntary Organizations) (Contributors to this volume: Jackie Bates, Nigel Clarke, Timothy Costello, Wesley Gryk, Angus Hamilton, Lauren Jackson, Una Padel, Bernard Richmond, Peter Roth, Simmy Viinikka) The first edition of this British book was published in 1990. There have been a great many changes since then that are brought out in this new edition. "Written principally for advisers, the book deals with fundamental legal and advisory issues for people affected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS." It is a unique book, providing a summary of relevant law and practice as it pertains to AIDS-related legal issues in Great Britain. The 10 chapters cover: "Children, Young People and HIV Infection," "The Criminal Law and HIV Infection," "HIV and Employment," "Housing Law and People with HIV Infection," "AIDS and Immigration," "AIDS and Insurance," "Medico-Legal Aspects of HIV Infection and Disease," "HIV, Prisons and Prisoners' Rights," "Legal Structures and Responsibilities of Voluntary Organisations," and "Powers of Attorney, Wills and Probate." Even though this book reflects policy and laws in Great Britain, it is, also, an important book for legal advisors in other countries, being well documented. A recommended book for all academic and law libraries. 550. AIDS Research at EC Level, edited by A.-E. Baert, M.A. Koch, L. Montagnier, M.C. Razquin, D. Tyrrell. 1995. IOS Press, P.O. Box 10558, Burke, VA 22009-0558. 371p., illus., bibliog., index. (Biomedical and Health Research, v.6). ISBN 90-5199-159-2. $99.00. (Descriptors: Epidemiology, Research, Vaccines) (Contributors to this volume: R. Ancelle, A.E. Baert, J.B. Brunet, E. de Clercq, N. Clumeck, J. Desmyter, F. Dubois-Arber, V. Erfle, J.C. Gluckman, A.A. Glynn, J. Gonzalez Lahoz, F. Gray, Cl. Griscelli, J.J. Haaijman, J.L. Heeney, H.C. Holmes, M. Hubert, G. Hunsmann, J.C. Jager, O. Jarrett, J.E. Kai Krohn, M.A. Koch, H.J. Kuhn, J.D. Lundgren, L. Montagnier, R. Najera Morrondo, M.L. Newell, J.O. Nielsen, F. Paccaud, G. Papaevangelou, P. Peckham, C. Pedersen, J.J. Pindborg, P. Piot, A.M. Ranki, S.C. Richardson, G.B. Rossi, H. Rubsamen-Waigmann, E.J. Ruitenberg, A. Stroobant, A. Svejgaard, D. Tyrrell, H. Wigzell, S. de Wit) "This publication provides an overview of the research activities under the fourth Medical and Health research Programme (1987-1991) in which about 600 research teams from 19 countries collaborated within 31 Concerted Action networks and centralized facilities." The research has been focused on producing a vaccine, developing a drug or other therapy to cure AIDS, promoting the basic understanding of the pathogenicity of the virus, and supplying the epidemiological data and tools necessary for governments and EC policy-makers to design a suitable health policy. Part 1--"Research in AIDS Disease Control and Prevention (Epidemiology)" contains 10 papers covering such areas as heterosexual transmission of HIV, sexual behavior, mathematical modelling, accidental exposure to HIV, prevention, perinatal transmission, and HIV infection in female prostitutes. Part 2--"Viro-Immunological Research (Basic Research)" contains 14 papers with the focus on such topics as EC centralized facility, interaction on HIV proteins with the cell membrane, neuropathology of AIDS, testing, purified reagents, and immunogenetics of AIDS. Part 3--"Clinical Research on AIDS" contains 6 papers including such topics as prophylaxis and treatment of Tuberculosis in HIV infected patients, oral problems, AIDS in Europe, and dermatological signs and symptoms of HIV infection. The last part--"Development of Vaccines Against AIDS (EVA)" contains one paper, "European Vaccine Against AIDS (EVA)." These are all highly technical papers that have been well-researched. Too many times research is duplicated, thus wasting time in developing the vaccines and drugs that are needed to combat this disease. Therefore, for anyone doing AIDS research, this is a must volume to have in order to understand what the European Community is doing in AIDS research. Highly recommended for all medical and academic libraries. 551. Way We Write Now: Short Stories from the AIDS Crisis, edited by Sharon Oard Warner. 1995. Citadel Press/Carol Publishing Group, 600 Madison Ave., 4th Fl., New York, NY 10022. 294p. ISBN 0-8065-1638-0. $14.95. (Descriptors: Patients, Fiction, Social Life and Customs, Gay Men, American Fiction, Short Stories) (Contributors to this volume: Allen Barnett, Beth Brant, Rebecca Brown, Alice Elliott Dark, Kent Gardien, David Leavitt, Dennis McFarland, Adam Mars-Jones, Susan Onthank Mates, Paul Monette, Lucia Neval, Achy Obejas, Richard Selzer, Susan Sontag, Abraham Verghese, Sharon Oard Warner) "The short stories in this book were published between 1986 and 1994, a span of only eight years, less than a decade in the AIDS crisis, and yet the stories themselves reflect the changes our culture has witnessed in those years." The short stories are arranged in rough chronological order beginning with "The Way We Live Now," by Susan Sontag and ending with "These Days," by Susan Onthank Mates. Sontag's story is a moving story in which the acronym, AIDS, is never mentioned, yet the disease is known and the issues of the crisis are brought out. Each story is powerful and beautifully written with the intent, in some cases, to catch the reader off guard, causing one to re-read again and again. Monette's short story is part of a novel by the same name, about two brothers who have not seen each other for eight years, one dieing of AIDS. It is a jolting story that is about "confrontation between two brothers, about AIDS, ...self-pity,...a growing acceptance of death." Another excellent story is Obejas's "Above All, A Family Man," from her short story collection, We Came All the Way From Cuba So You Could Dress Like This? The other short stories included in this highly recommended book are: "Slim," by Adam Mars-Jones; "Close," by Lucia Nevai; "Nothing to Ask For," by Dennis McFarland; "Gravity," by David Leavitt; "The Times As It Knows Us," by Allen Barnett; "Imagine a Woman," by Richard Selzer; "This Place," by Beth Brant; "A Simple Matter of Hunger," by Sharon Oard Warner; "BRU-ISER," by Kent Gardien; "The Agent of His Death is a White Woman," by Abraham Verghese; "In the Gloaming," by Alice Elliott Dark; and "The Gift of Hunger," by Rebecca Brown. These are stories that should be read by all, showing how we can express ourselves in a time of severe crisis. Highly recommended for all libraries. 552. Economic and Social Impact of AIDS in Europe, edited by David FitzSimons, Vanessa Hardy, Keith Tolley. 1995. Cassell Academic, 215 Park Ave. S., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10003. 378p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-304-33157-0, 0-304-33159-7pbk. $65.00, $18.95pbk. (Descriptors: Economic Aspects, Social Aspects, Europe) (Contributors to this volume: Eddy Beck, Sue Belgrave, Michael Bloor, Saulius Chaplinskas, David Cowan, Yael Davidson, Jacqueline De Puy, Willem Faas, Jonathan Glasson, David Goss, Derek Adam-Smith, Alastair M. Gray, Gill Green, Bernhard Guntert, Willy Oggier, Marlene Gyldmark, Mary Haour-Knipe, Jacqaues Marquet, Michel Hubert, Luc Van Campenhoudt, Julian Hussey, Johannes Jager, Maarten Postma, John Kyriopoulos, Denis-Clair Lambert, Catherine Le Gales, Reiner Leidl, Vlastimil Mayer, Michael Merson, Christoph Minder, Peter Molyneux, John Nicholson, George Papaevangelou, Sunanda Ray, Andrew Revell, Anne-Sophie Rieben Schizas, Peter Roth, Joan Rovira, Per Sandberg, Ronny Shtarkshall, Alexandr Stozicky, Keith Tolley, Glen Williams, Petra Wilson, Wladyslawa Zielinska, Anna Korczak-Rogon) This book and the papers that are presented are a result of a proposed conference organized by the National AIDS Trust (UK), "Socio-Economic Impact of AIDS in Europe" that was to be held February 25-28, 1994. The purpose of the conference was an attempt "to clarify the real and potential economic impact of AIDS in Europe for managers and officials in government, business and the social welfare systems." Unfortunately the conference was cancelled. "The marketing coincided with the promulgation by sections of the media of myths that there was no heterosexual HIV epidemic; that there was no AIDS epidemic in Africa; and that HIV did not cause AIDS." This is an excellent example of how the media shapes what we read, hear and think. Of the 90 proposed papers for the conference, 36 are included in this book, providing an excellent cross-section of how AIDS is affecting Europe. These are very timely papers, needed today more than ever so that public policy can be shaped and research can proceed without the scare tactics that some of the press likes to present. AIDS is everyone's concern, not just gays, not just drug users, not just blacks, not just prostitutes. Yes, it affects or can affect everyone in the world. We need as much exposure to all aspects of the epidemic from the highly scientific to the socio-economic to the cultural to the political to the legal, in order to understand its full impact. For those in Europe, this is an excellent overview of what some of the problems are that need to be addressed. The titles of the papers best show what any reader can gain from this book: "AIDS: Epidemic Update and Corporate Response," "Towards a Standardized Framework for Costing HIV and AIDS Treatment and Care in Europe," "Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impact of AIDS," "Estimates of HIV/AIDS Healthcare Expenditure in Greece," "An Approach to the Direct and Indirect Cost of AIDS in Greece," "Epidemiological Projections of HIV in France," "Projecting Individual Helthcare Costs of HIV/AIDS Patients in Catalonia," "The Cost of Hospital Care for HIV-Infected Patients," "The Cost of Medical Treatment of Out-Patients with HIV Infection," "Economic Evaluation of HIV Prenatal Screening in France," "Resourcing Healthcare for AIDS and HIV Infection in England 1983-1993," "Back to Basics: Securing Funding for Voluntary HIV Services," and "The Organization of AIDS Prevention in Eastern Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein." The other papers cover: "Impact of AIDS Costs on the Health Budget of the Czech Republic," "The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Lithuania," "HIV/AIDS in Poland," "AIDS in Post Communist Central Europe," "HIV-Related Risk Behaviour Among International Travellers," "People Who Move," "Testing a Policy Decision," "Public Awareness of AIDS," "Public Health and Human Rights," "Living with HIV/AIDS in Switzerland," "Processes of Stigmatization and Their Impact on the Employment of People with HIV," "HIV and Homelessness," "HIV: A Special Housing Need?," "AIDS and Insurance," "HIV and Life Insurance," "Employment, the Law and HIV: An Overview of European Legislation," "Discrimination in the Workplace," "Assessing Fitness for Work," "Preconditions for Policy Development," "HIV and AIDS: A Personal Consideration of the Principle of Employer Interest," "AIDS in Africa," "One Employer's Approach to Employee Education," and "Wellcome's Positive Action in Response to HIV and AIDS." An excellent and highly recommended book for all medical and academic libraries. 553. AIDS, Dentistry, and the Illusion of Infection Control: Questioning the HIV Hypothesis, by John Hardie. 1995. Edwin Mellen Press, PO Box 450, Lewiston, NY 14092-0450. 341p., bibliog. ISBN 0-7734-4234-0. $89.95. (Descriptors: Disease Transmission, Dentistry, Safety Measurers, Prevention, Cross Infection, Prevention and Control) This interesting book challenges the many changes that have taken place in performing dentistry because of AIDS. These changes include face masks, protective goggles, latex rubber gloves, and shrouds or plastic body wraps, plus, ultra-sterilization of all instruments. Hardie takes the reader through a definition of AIDS, how it is transmitted, prevention, and universal precautions. From Hardie's observations, three conclusions are presented for the reader to consider: "Dental treatment is not a route for the transmission of AIDS. The currently recommended universal precautions are of no value in preventing AIDS transmission during dental treatment. Changes adopted by the dental profession in response to public or political pressure but which compromise the profession's scientific principles are unethical and unjustified." Obviously, this is a controversial book, one that some people will dismiss as just one person's opinion. The truth is, Hardie has done an excellent job of scanning the literature which resulted in his three conclusions. We all know how media and politics can affect our lives both for the good and for the bad. Here is a case where officials may have gone overboard in their demands on a profession without considering all of the facts. On the other hand, one could say it is better to be over-safe than under-safe. This is a book well worth reading. It is doubtful that it will change anyone's conception of what should be done in the dentist's office as preventative measures but it merits some attention. Recommended for all medical and academic libraries. 554. AIDS Update 1996: An Annual Overview of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, by Gerald J. Stine. 1996. Rentice Hall/Simon & Schuster, 113 Sylvan Ave., Rte 9W, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. 434p., illus., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-13-517939-4. $21.00. (Descriptors: History, Review) "The purpose of this text is to present an understandable scientific explanation of what has been learned about HIV/AIDS over the last 15 years." The book is a recommended text for college-level courses on AIDS. In fact, the book is arranged in textbook-fashion with each chapter having concepts, summary, review questions, and references. Some of the chapters contain definitions of new terms, illustrations, tables, photographs, boxed information, points of view, points of information, cases in point, and pro and con discussions. "This text reviews important aspects of HIV infection, HIV disease, and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It presents a balances review of factual information about the biological, medical, social, economic, and legal aspects of this modern-day pandemic." A brief chronology is provided as an introduction showing milestones in AIDS and AIDS-related happenings from January, 1978 to December 1, 1995 which was the Eighth World AIDS Day. The 13 chapters cover: "Discovering the Disease, Naming the Illness," "What Causes AIDS: Origin of the AIDS Virus," "Characteristics of the AIDS Virus," "The Immunology of HIV Disease/AIDS," "Opportunistic Infections and Cancers Associated with HIV Disease/AIDS," "A Profile of Biological Indicators for HIV Disease and Progression to AIDS," "Epidemiology and Transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus," "Preventing the Transmission of HIV," "Prevalence of HIV Infection and AIDS Cases in the United States," "Testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus," "Counseling for HIV Testing, HIV Disease, and AIDS," "AIDS and Society: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior," and "Legal Aspects of HIV/AIDS: A Review of Legislation and Court Decisions in the United States." An epilogue, answers to the review questions, and a glossary round out an excellent book for all levels of readers. The epilogue provides some hope for those who are infected: "HIV disease has become a chronic treatable illness wherein the quality and duration of life are being extended. Promising antiviral treatments as well as vaccines for the prevention of HIV infection are in development." We are making progress in educating our young people, but much needs to be done to counter those who do no want their children taught such things as explicit sex education. Discrimination is still a major concern. The final statement sums it all up very well: "Humans shall overcome HIV!" Even though some individuals do not feel that textbooks can be of value, this is one that is definitely of value. It is well-written, understandable, and highly recommended for all libraries from school to medical. 555. Teaching AIDS, by Douglas Tonks. 1996. Routledge, 29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001-2291. 195p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-415-90874-4, 0-415-90875-2pbk. $49.95., $16.95pbk. (Descriptors: Study and Teaching, Prevention, Education) AIDS education is needed now more than ever. Our young people are the future of the world. Without the knowledge of AIDS and how it is spread, we are running the risk of the young people not living to fulfill their life long dreams. "The level of ignorance, misinformation, and disinterest we still hold about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the disease it leads to is astonishing." We have, unfortunately, through this ignorance and, in the name of religion, let the young people and adolescents fend for themselves, learning from hearsay, feeding on misinformation, and, some, dying because they did not know. This small book, full of excellent suggestions, is intended to provide our educators the much needed tools that can be used in the classroom to enlighten these young students about HIV and AIDS. "With the information and techniques provided here, individual teachers will have the ability to give their students a background of knowledge that can save their lives from the ravages of this disease." The 8 chapters cover: "The Extent of the Problem of AIDS and HIV in Adolescents," "Preparing an AIDS Education Program," "Facts and Information," "Age-Appropriate Information," "Individual and Group Activities to Uncover the Facts," "Skills to Change Student Attitudes Toward AIDS and Risky Behavior," "Modeling the Skills," and "Skill-Building Classroom Activities." This is a must book for all primary and secondary school teachers. It is well-written, straight-forward, and full of suggestions. Highly recommended for all libraries. 556. Manager's Guide to Sexual Orientation in the Workplace, by Bob Powers, Alan Ellis. 1995. Routledge, 29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001-2291. 209p., bibliog. ISBN 0-415-91277-6. $25.00. (Descriptors: Gays, Lesbians, Employment, Sexual Orientation, Attitudes, Diversity in the Workplace, Case Studies) Discrimination is an ugly happening however it may occur. AIDS discrimination is also ugly and being gay or lesbian on top of it can have a disastrous ending for someone who is employed. Unfortunately, being HIV positive and being gay are still thought of as a mutual happening. You cannot be HIV positive without being gay. Thus discrimination is compounded and an entire segment of our society is segregated as the scapegoat. This book is not about AIDS discrimination, it is about sexual orientation and how being gay or lesbian should be of no concern for any employer, so long as the individual is doing his or her job. "Unless you are well-educated on the issues of sexual orientation and their impact on workplace performance and possess the skills and resources required to effectively manage these issues, you will not get optimal performance from the employees within your organization." This book will show managers how to obtain top-notch performance from all employees, regardless of their sexual orientation. Managers who are able to cope with this will be able to cope with any situation, including the possible employee who may be HIV positive. An excellent book for all managers and recommended for academic and public libraries. 557. Gravest Show on Earth: America in the Age of AIDS, by Elinor Burkett. 1995. Houghton Mifflin, 215 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10003. 399p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-395-74537-3. $24.95. (Descriptors: Social Aspects) This eye-opening, gut wrenching, scary, and sad book can be summed up by Burkett's last paragraph in the introduction: "This book is the account of that debacle. It is a story of science run amok, of backroom deals between activists and government bureaucrats, of biotechnology companies manipulating stock prices by manipulating research results. It is a tragedy of bungled research, scientific and activist vanity, the dangers of political correctness and, finally, the price more than a million Americans are paying for a nation's folly." If that does not catch your attention, then you are pretty hard nosed. The above statements may not be one hundred percent true, but they are partly correct and make you shudder to think that the lives of so many people are used as pawns to gain money for research, increase insurance premiums, create havoc in the already homophobic workplace, point the finger at the gays and say they deserve what they have gotten, and provide endless tirades on the morals of everyone in the world. AIDS "revealed America's need to blame someone rather than to accept tragedy and cope with the truth of our relative powerlessness against nature. It shed a light on Americans' need to define themselves by membership in victim groups, competing for most-victimized status and the financial and psychic benefits that carried." This is a book of true hard-hitting journalism full of startling facts that will make you sit back and wonder "why is America sitting back and taking its time to conquer this disease." The twelve chapters cover everything from activist/playwright Larry Kramer to scientist Robert Gallo to MTV star Pedro Zamora. Burkett leaves nothing untouched with her comments on stock manipulation, capitalization of drug company research, political funerals, and the gravest of all--dividing "up government funding for the dying." This book brings to the reader's attention many things that one thinks of but never thinks of saying or putting down on paper--priests dying of AIDS, Catholic hospitals that refuse to give out information on condoms, amount of money that big-name fund raisers use for catering and entertainment, and the devastation that AIDS has brought to black America. The unfortunate and maddening thought is that "AIDS never got a chance to be simply a disease. It was too busy masquerading as a scourge from God, a comment on the nation's sexual practices, an opportunity for homophobes and heterophobes, even a shot at a Nobel prize." This is a must read book for everyone. It points a finger at many individuals and groups, making you madder and madder as you read on and on. It is definitely more powerful than Randy Shilts' And the Band Played On. Highly recommended for all libraries. 558. Answer Song, by David Trinidad. 1994. High Risk Books/Serpent's Tail, 180 Varick St., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10014. 110p. ISBN 1-85242-329-3. $10.99. (Descriptors: Poems) This book of 37 poems, essays, and plays by David Trinidad continues to provide recreational reading for anyone who has an interest in popular American cultural themes. The subject matter is not AIDS but the book can certainly be therapeutic in taking your mind off of being HIV positive. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. 559. Confessions of a Jewish Wagnerite: Being Gay and Jewish in America, by Lawrence D. Mass. 1994. Cassell, 215 Park Ave. South, 10th Fl, New York, NY 10003. 268p. ISBN 0-304-33110-4, 0-304-33114-7pbk. $15.95. (Descriptors: Religious Aspects, Jewish) This is an entertaining book coming from a gay, Jewish physician. In doing his first reports about AIDS, Mass discovered anti-semitism at its worst. "The result is an extraordinary document of social history: a description of his personal and cultural experiences as a homosexual, as well as a critical discussion of contemporary academic discourse on Wagner and anti-Semitism, all in the context of his new-found awareness of anti-Semitism--his own as he had internalized it and society's as that internalization reflected it." The essays that are included in this book cover a vast area as it intertwines politics, AIDS, and the arts with gay, Jewish and musical subcultures. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. 560. Small Gathering of Bones, by Patricia Powell. 1994. Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912. 137p. 0-435-98936-7. $9.95. (Fiction) This is Powell's second novel, delving into the complexities of being gay and focusing on "homosexuality, violence, intolerance, religion, family, relationships and a new illness, not yet identified as AIDS." It is a quickly read novel with a strong message that everyone who is gay has experienced at one time or another. Recommended for school, public, and academic libraries. 561. Sex with God: Including Part II--The Ashes of Eden, new and expanded edition by Thomas O'Neil, illustrations by Ty Wilson. 1994. Indulgence Press, 185 Claremont Ave., Ste. 6A, New York, NY 10027. 153p. ISBN 0-9622398-1-X. $6.95. (Descriptors: Poems) "Of all the sad aspects of being gay, there is none so disheartening as that smug religious notion that heaven is a straights-only club." How true!! With one exception, all Christian churches condemn gays, with the United Church of Christ the only mainstream faith that formally allows the ordination of gay clergy. O'Neil takes on Christianity head first. He writes about the one thing that terrorizes gay AIDS victims more than anything--their final days when "Christianity promises that their suffering will soon be followed by the eternal tortures of hell in the afterlife." His poems relate his love and affection for his partner Brian who died of AIDS. This is not a book for the highly religious person who becomes upset when someone speaks against Christianity or the Bible. They will call this a blasphemous book worthy of nothing more than a bonfire. For the rest of us, however, it is a moving book that shows how religion has not accepted the fact that being gay and having AIDS needs the same compassion as being straight and having cancer! In his poem, "God Tours the Battlefield," O'Neil writes of his disgust for a loving God: "Wincing as He performed His Last Judgment duties, God tiptoed between the fallen bodies, like a disgusted nun at an orgy. Ooo, there's a naked one! He shrieked, the Almighty Plague Dog, then snapped His fingers to transform Himself into Bozo, a disguise He decided might amuse (read confuse) the wounded." Recommended for public and academic libraries. 562. Unstable Frontiers: Technomedicine and the Cultural Politics of Curing AIDS, by John Nguyet Erni. 1994. University of Minnesota Press, 111 Third Ave. South, Ste. 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520. 166p., bibliog., index. ISBN 0-8166-2380-5, 0-8166-2381-3pbk. $39.95, $15.95pbk. (Descriptors: Social Aspects, Mass Media) This book explores the cultural politics that have developed from the medical treatment of AIDS. Erni states that we are trying cure both a curable and incurable disease when you look at the definition of AIDS. He gives the reader an insight in the politics of technomedicine--"broadly defined as technologically oriented, commercially structured, regulatory medicine." The 5 chapters cover: "Paralysis of Breakthrough: The Making and Unmaking of AZT," "Articulating the (Im)possible: The Contradictory Fantasies of Curing AIDS," "Temporality and the Politics of AIDS Science; or, How to Kill Time in an Epidemic," "Power and Ambivalence: The Conjunctural Crises of Technomedicine and AIDS Treatment Activism," and "An Epistemology of Curing." A thought provoking book recommended for academic and medical libraries. 563. HIV+: Working the System, by Robert A. Rimer, Michael A. Connolly. 1993. Alyson Publications, 40 Plympton St., Boston, MA 02118. 236p. ISBN 1-55583-208-3. $12.95. (Descriptors: HIV Infections, Popular Works) Although this is a 1993 publication, it still has a lot of good common sense that HIV positive individuals can use to live as long as they can, maybe until a cure or vaccine is developed. There has been a lot of progress since 1993 in the drug area, so the common sense advice in this book is even more important than ever. "Your best bet today is to treat HIV as a chronic, manageable condition." Above all, find a physician that understands this fact and not that the disease is a killer, thus wasting your time trying to prolong things. The 8 chapters cover: "Coping with Ambiguity," "Working the System," "Monitoring Your Health," "Seeking Treatment," "Managing Your Doctor," "Obtaining Experimental Drugs," "Reordering Your Priorities," and "Life Goes On." A recommended book for anyone who is HIV positive and recommended for public, academic, and medical libraries. 564. Creating Compassion: Activities for Understanding HIV/AIDS, by Phyllis Vos Wezeman. 1994. Pilgrim Press/United Church Press, 700 Prospect Ave. East, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. 167p. ISBN 0-8298-0996-1. $13.95. (Descriptors: Religious Aspects, Christianity, Activity Programs in Christian Education) Just because this book is from a religious press should not discourage you from looking at it and considering it as a useful book to teach everyone, especially young people, how to understand AIDS and all of its ramifications on life around us. It provides creative activities and learning experiences to enable youth and others to explore HIV/AIDS as it relates to nine themes: World, Nation, State, Community, Neighborhood, School, Congregation, Family, and Self using the following art forms: Architecture, Art, Banners/Textiles, Cartoons, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Drama/Clown/Mime, Games, Music, Photography, Puppetry, and Storytelling. This is an excellent book that is broad based and open minded in all of the activities that are presented. In the chapter on Self, the use of cartoons includes using the Rubber Brothers Comics and advocates the use of condoms as a method of prevention of HIV infection. Highly recommended for school libraries, educators, public libraries, and teachers.