When Communities Assess their AIDS Epidemics

When Communities Assess their AIDS Epidemics is a detailed ethnographic description of the AIDS epidemic in ten U.S. cities and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Employing a rapid ethnographic assessment methodology, cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific have implemented Project RARE (Rapid Assessment, Response, and Evaluation) efforts. These RARE projects examine the moving edge of the AIDS epidemic through descriptions of high-risk sites and identifications of segments of the populations at greatest risk. Utilizing a series of focus groups and street interviews, local field research teams gain an insider's perspective on HIV risk within social contexts. Dr. Benjamin P. Bowser, Dr. Ernest Quimby, and Dr. Merrill Singer have compiled these critical studies that analyze current conditions, challenges, and recommendations encountered by RARE. When Communities Assess their AIDS Epidemics is a powerful and engaging text that will appeal to those interested in public health and anthropology.

These detailed portraits of the AIDS epidemic in 11 US cities help us understand the dire consequences of failing to control a deadly disease. This book is must reading for those interested in AIDS as well as all who are concerned by threats to America's health.

Benjamin P. Bowser is professor of sociology and social services at California State University at Hayward. Ernest Quimby is graduate associate professor of sociology at Howard University. Merrill Singer is professor of anthropology and senior research scientist at the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention at the University of Connecticut.