Infectious Ideas

“This important book provides a rich history of the AIDS pandemic and its place in U.S. politics. Brier uncovers curious alliances — and furious debates — among activists, policy makers, and philanthropists, and along the way she reshapes our understanding of the 1980s, conservatism and left-liberalism, poverty and public health, and feminist and gay liberation movements. Highly recommended.”—Joanne Meyerowitz, author of How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States

“Brier’s careful research into the 1980–2000 period contests the popularized history of the AIDS epidemic that has helped justify a neoliberal policy frame for AIDS in the U.S. She adds to the historical record by explicitly treating the relationship between early AIDS activism and gay liberation, by drawing out the influence of (and backlash against) the reproductive rights movement on AIDS policy, and by showing the inter-relationship and transformation of local AIDS politics and global anti-AIDS efforts. The book is very well researched and beautifully written.”—Cindy Patton, Simon Fraser University

“Brier’s exploration of the AIDS crisis disrupts conventional historical narratives and demonstrates how the history of sexuality is always a history of politics, the economy, and culture. Her brilliant approach places this book on the cutting edge of American history work that seeks to place the U.S. in a global context.”—Leisa D. Meyer, College of William and Mary

“A compelling history of health politics in a critical decade. . . . It seeks to understand the past with a keen awareness of the need to change the present and envision new futures.”—Global Public Health

“Helps readers make sense of political history as more than just red or blue states. . . . Redefines our understanding of the mainstream. . . . Read it.”—Journal of American History

“Any historian studying this period would do well to read Jennifer Brier’s Infectious Ideas, which uses AIDS as a lens through which to view the period.”—History News Network

“Places recent social, cultural, and political events in a new light, making an important contribution to our understanding of the US at the end of the 20th century.”—Abstracts of Public Administration, Development, and Environment

“An important addition to the literature on AIDS. . . . The chapter on Reagan alone, with excellent original source material, is worth the price of admission.”—Windy City Times

“Offers a more comprehensive and complex understanding of how marginalized communities engaged the state of neglect by linking the politics of sexuality to politics, culture, and the economy, thereby shaping the political landscape. . . . Thoroughly researched. . . . An insightful analysis.”—CHOICE

“There is no comparable book on the market that ties an event such as the AIDS crisis to the historical/political landscape nor one that shows the impact of a disease such as AIDS on government and politics.”—Doody Enterprises