[In the following review, Cohan offers a positive assessment of And the Band Played On.]

Although a number of books and articles have appeared dealing with all aspects of the AIDS epidemic, Mr. Shilts has produced the most comprehensive and moving account of the spread of the condition and its implications thus far written. His work as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle placed him in one of the two American cities hardest hit by AIDS and allowed him to follow the story from the beginning. Also he has accumulated a human interest content which social scientists would probably have avoided but which ultimately makes [And the Band Played On] such compelling reading. Public officials in the United States congratulate themselves for the speed with which they confronted the problem; Shilts condemns them for the slowness with which they responded in spite of multiple warnings, and attacks the system which has given rise to empire-building and exclusivity rather than cooperation to confront a common foe. He attacks also those within the gay communities in the United States who confused questions of public health and common sense with those of civil rights in the Bath House controversies. His praise is reserved for assorted politicians, straight [and] gay, some of whom are now dead; medical researchers, particularly individuals in the Centre for Disease Control; and the French team which first isolated HIV, the cause of AIDS. Although some may object to the technique of inventing thoughts and dialogue for people now dead, I found the staccato writing technique riveting. In short, this is a sensational book, in all senses of the word. One regrets only that the condition existed which created the opportunity for Mr. Shilts to write such a compelling and important work.