{"product_id":"bitter-pill-randy-shilts-and-the-dawn-of-the-hiv-aids-epidemic","title":"Bitter Pill: Randy Shilts and the Dawn of the HIV\/AIDS Epidemic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA deadly mystery and one reporter's fight to expose the truth during the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic. With hospital beds filling up, the clock was ticking. . . . What would it take to wake up the nation? A masterful and eye-opening historical graphic novel.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSan Francisco, 1981.\u003c\/b\u003e Randy Shilts--biographer of Harvey Milk and the first openly gay journalist hired by a major U.S. newspaper--receives a chilling call at the \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e: a Los Angeles patient is being treated for a rare and aggressive cancer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Shilts digs deeper, a disturbing pattern emerges. The illness seems to strike only gay men, with early cases linked to a Castro-district bathhouse. A meeting with an infectious disease researcher confirms his worst fear: this so-called \"gay cancer\" is neither rare nor isolated--it's the beginning of a national health crisis. Barred from reporting on it directly, Shilts resorts to sensationalist tactics to force attention on the unfolding HIV\/AIDS epidemic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis relentless pursuit of the truth would change history, exposing a catastrophe the world tried to ignore. In this vivid graphic biography--at once urgent, insightful, and unapologetically bold--the creators bring to life a story that remains as vital as ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRandy Shilts's groundbreaking reporting and books (\u003ci\u003eThe Mayor of Castro Street\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAnd the Band Played On\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eConduct Unbecoming\u003c\/i\u003e) became cornerstones of journalism and LGBTQ+ history. This is the first graphic novel to spotlight this pivotal figure and the transformative moment that defined his legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Michael Lee, Clément Xavier, Héloïse Chochois","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47290212778220,"sku":"9781419788697","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9781419788697.jpg?v=1770605169","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/bitter-pill-randy-shilts-and-the-dawn-of-the-hiv-aids-epidemic","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}