The Virus, Vitamins & Vegetables

This collection of essays by some of South Africa's foremost HIV/AIDS writers, doctors and activists takes us down the rabbit hole of AIDS denialism. It's a lively reconstruction of one of the most bewildering events of post-apartheid South Africa, when the democratic government questioned the link between HIV and AIDS and disputed the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs. It's a must-read for everyone seeking an understanding of the underlying political machinations that saw South Africa's political leadership decide over what treatments to nothing short of a genocide. It chronicles the tragedy that unfolds when leaders choose to play with people's lives by ignoring evidence and science and embracing theittest remedies and theories of those on the lunatic fringe. It challenges us to consider our choices and responsibilities in a time of deep crisis. It forces us to ask ourselves, 'Isn't there more we should have done to stop the madness?!'