*Starred Review* In an unusual way to approach the topic of AIDs, acclaimed author and historian Duberman offers a dual biography of two very different gay men battling a mysterious illness during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Singer and activist Michael Callen was a white Ohioan who moved to New York and became a pioneering figure in the movement to increase AIDS awareness during the Reagan years. Essex Hemphill was an African American poet who contributed to the black gay and lesbian cultural scene in Washington, DC. Duberman sees their stories as opposite sides of the same coin; although they never met, they were both undersung and inadvertent heroes. The book is being released as public concern in the U.S. about AIDS continues to decline, even as the disease continues to spread. One reason for this turn of events, Duberman maintains, is that AIDS has become less a white disease and more a disease associated with people of color, both in the U.S. and globally. (Although black men make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 45 percent of new AIDs diagnoses.) An important and, unfortunately, still timely book.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2014 Booklist

In this insightful history, gay rights activist and distinguished historian Duberman (Stonewall) attempts to revive AIDS awareness by detailing the early years of the epidemic, particularly the period of 1981-1995. He sets the details within a framework constructed around the experiences of two men: white singer/activist Michael Callen and black poet/cultural worker Essex Hemphill, both of whom lived with AIDS for years and died at age 38. Duberman pulls no punches in capturing the chaos, uncertainty, and ignorance of the era, looking at the sexual culture that allowed the disease to thrive; he also examines the fear and contradictions of the political environment. Through interviews, writings, personal experience, and Hemphill's poetry, Duberman creates a vivid, complex snapshot of the fractured, conflicted gay community as it responded to the growing problem. It's a sobering narrative, replete with the sexism, racism, homophobia, and false leads that marked the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Most importantly, it addresses the role of AIDS as a "gay disease" and exposes the differences between the white and black gay communities in their responses. Duberman's accessible, open, and honest prose reminds us that AIDS is not over; only the sense of urgency has waned. Agent: Frances Goldin, Frances Goldin Literary Agency. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Concerned about the current indifference to the continuing scourge of HIV/AIDS among gay men (especially those of color) in North America, Duberman (history, emeritus, CUNY Graduate Sch.; Stonewall) revisits the early days of the epidemic in this case study of two men: singer and AIDS activist Michael Callen (1955-93) and African American poet Essex Hemphill (1957-95), both of whom died just before the advent of effective drug therapies. The author interweaves their stories-Callen in New York and Los Angeles and Hemphill in Washington, DC-with the now familiar socio-political history of the disease: the apathy of the Reagan administration and the initial failure of the public health system to come up with useful treatments. Duberman stresses the undertones of racism toward black and Hispanic victims that still linger today. VERDICT This combination of cautionary tale, history, and dual biography of compelling, if obscure, artist-activists is fluidly written. Its style will hold readers' attention as Duberman keeps the dis-parate elements together, fulfilling his intent to "shed additional light on our current approach to AIDS by scrutinizing more closely the earlier years (1981-95) of the epidemic...."-Richard J. Violette, Victoria P.L., BC (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An acclaimed historian and biographer returns with an intimate history of the AIDS crisis and its devastations. Bancroft Prize winner Duberman (Emeritus, History/CUNY Graduate Center; Howard Zinn: A Life on the Left, 2012, etc.) employs an effective structure, focusing on two young men (both died of AIDS at age 38), one white (Michael Callen), the other black (Essex Hemphill), and alternating the narratives of their lives, pausing occasionally to sketch the experiences of other young men and to inject accounts of his own memories as a gay man. As the author notes, the amount of material on Callen is more plentiful, but he has unearthed some affecting information about Hemphill as well. Callen was much more aggressive about pursuing sexual experiences (more than 1,000 different partners), and he soon became involved in various musical groups and even managed to produce recordings near the end of his life. He also became an outspoken, sometimes-fiery, advocate for gay rights and for AIDS research. Duberman highlights the disgracefully slow responses of the government and the medical community to the spreading crisis. (The Reagan administration, in particular, comes under heavy attack.) Hemphill was a poet and essayist and wrote a draft of a novel that Duberman examines and analyzes. The author shows the reactions to AIDS in the black community, noting the slow acceptance of gay blacks in black churches, and he charts the various medical responses to the crisisthe fear, the uncertainty and the desperation to try just about anything. The politics, no surprise, are both complicated and unpleasant. Duberman also discusses the effect of AIDS announcements from Magic Johnson, Arthur Ashe and other notables. The final sections are hard to read as we witness the declines of two young men we've come to know and admire. A powerful book that displays both the malice and the nobility of our species.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.