Book Duke

I recently read Helen Epstein’s The Invisible Cure, which I found to be a fascinating book that examines the current AIDS crisis in Africa. Epstein is a highly regarded molecular biologist and she utilizes her personal experiences in exposing the impact that HIV has on African communities and the challenges that need to be addressed. However, she not only focuses on the social implications of HIV and AIDS, but also explores the political consequences of the disease that are unfolding across Africa. Rather than reciting statistics, Epstein educates the reader through the use of various stories and personal encounters, interweaving them with factual information from a medical perspective. This book has challenged my understanding of AIDS both inside and outside of America and has furthered my passion to assist those suffering from this tragic disease. In the summer prior to my senior year of high school, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Kenya on a missions trip. For two weeks, I served as a volunteer for a orphanage for street kids that rescued children that were AIDS orphans or had lost their parents to intertribal violence. This experience brought me face to face with the shocking reality of AIDS in Africa. I met children and adults who were victims of this disease and were unable to seek proper care due to financial circumstances. They lived in slums of mud huts that were built using sticks and trash, shunned by their families and communities. As the week came to an end, I returned home with many questions and a heightened level of concern regarding the AIDS epidemic and its impact upon Africa. As a result, I became involved with organizations that serve to educate and empower local communities about the reality of HIV and AIDS. I have begun volunteering at a local AIDS care organization and also plan on returning to Africa this summer to serve at the same orphanage. Epstein’s book enabled me to expand the knowledge I had initially gained from my first-hand experiences in Kenya and better understand the reasons that Africa suffers from this pandemic. Epstein and several of her colleagues arrive at the same fundemental conclusion that proper public health education through local initiatives is the best approach to addressing this crisis. In support of her position, she provides startling statistics that reveal the ineffectiveness of national and religious efforts, and the dramatically higher success rates that have been achieved through the use of local programs. In summary, this book has allowed me to view the AIDS crisis in Africa in a new light and provide me with a better understanding of the most effective approaches in combating the disease.