And the band played on: politics, people, and the AIDS epidemic

Dramatis personae --

The bureaucracy --

Prologue --

pt. I. Behold, a pale horse : The feast of the hearts --

pt. II. Before/1980 : Glory days ; Beaches of the dispossessed ; Foreshadowing ; Freeze frames --

pt. III. Paving the road/1981 : Critical mass ; Good intentions ; The prettiest one ; Ambush poppers ; Golf courses of science ; Bad moon rising --

pt. IV. The gathering darkness/1982 : Enemy time ; Patient zero ; Bicentennial memories ; Nightsweats ; Too much blood ; Entropy ; Running on empty ; Forced feeding ; Dirty secrets ; Dancing in the dark --

pt. V. Battle lines/January-June 1983 : Let it bleed ; Midnight confessions ; Denial ; Anger ; The big enchilada ; Turning points ; Only the good ; Priorities ; Meanwhile ; AIDSpeak spoken here ; Star quality --

Pt, VI. Rituals/July-December 1983 : Marathons ; Just another day ; Politics ; Science ; Public health ; Journalism ; People --

pt. VII. Lights & Tunnels/1984 : Prisoners ; Bargaining ; The feast of the hearts, part II ; Squeeze play ; Traitors ; Political science ; Downbound train ; Republicans and Democrats ; Embarrassed ; Depression ; The war --

pt. VIII. Butcher's Bill/1985 : Heterosexuals ; Exiles ; Reckoning ; Exposed ; Awakening ; Acceptance ; Endgame --

pt. IX. Epilogue/after : Reunion ; The feast of the hearts, part III.