Nolen's been touched by these people; it comes through in her writing. Her profiles are respectful and unflinching. She consistently shows the frustration felt by those who are trying to survive something that threatens whole societies. Almost everyone wants to know where the help is. Whether it is Siphiwe Hlophe in Swaziland — "HIV is like the Asian tsunami: they don't say, 'There is a tsunami but you are not democratic so we are not rescuing you.' AIDS is an emergency just like that." — or Nelson Mandela — "When historians write about HIV/AIDS, when they write about this period in time, they will ask - 'Where were the leaders of Africa?'"— the question is, where is the help? The question is: Does anybody care?

If they do — and even more, perhaps, if they don't — Stephanie Nolen's book is a key piece to increasing understanding. Understanding of the scale of this crisis. Understanding of the injustices of treatment. Understanding of the humanity of the 28 million mothers, husbands, sons and sisters struggling to live with the killer in their blood. Understanding that we are them, and they are us, and this is not acceptable. The future will not be forgiving.