Sarah Schulmam's writing is always wonderful: beautifully crafted, intellectually challenging, and deeply engaging, but Let the Record Show rises even higher than that offering the definitive history of a movement that has provided on-going inspiration for activists looking to confront as much as persuade. For LGBTQI+ people. for their friends and families, for activists and seekers of justice of any stripe, Let the Record Show is essential reading.

Such a vital book full of necessary history of ACT UP and queer activism amidst the devastating tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Glad to see it all collected together in this volume.

Forty years ago this month, the first AIDS cases were reported in the U.S. The book by Randy Shilts, "And the Band Played on: Politics, People and the AIDS epidemic was published in 1987.. It was an important book at the time, and in retrospect, got some things very wrong (for example, the idea that there was a "patient zero" - a French-Canadian Flight Attendant. His book focused on the failure of government and big Pharma and national health organizations to take AIDS seriously and put the resources behind it. These themes continue in Sarah Schulman but she also unveils so much more. So if you think you have already read about the AIDS Crisis and don't need to read anymore, I strongly encourage you to read Schulman's book.

Schulman's book is a meticulously researched book comprised of oral histories of activists involved in Act-Up. Other books and documentaries I have watched about Act-UP == tend to focus on mostly white gay men and show the sit-ins and protests in the streets. What we have not had access to before, is the diversity of people involved in the movement (race, age, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc.). Schulman is able to open up the frame to not only see the multitudes of unsung heroes but also get a greater sense of the inner workings of Act-Up. Beyond the public activism, we also learn about all of the behind-the-scenes work to secure housing for people who are HIV positive, advocate for getting women to be included in drug trials, to the hands-on care of community members living with AIDS.

Her book also serves as a primer for activists, providing lessons learned along the way.

I highly recommend this book. This is one of the best books I have read this year. It is a long book so took me awhile to get through but I was completely absorbed and found it difficult to put down.

This book has been deservedly successful. The personal score-settling by Schulman gets a little tiresome at times, but the first section alone is some of the best advice on activism I've ever seen.

This is a fascinating history of ACT UP, but it's also (as so many reviewers have noted) a handbook on how to use direct action to make marginalized voices heard. (I also think it's a good illustration of what happens when privilege gets in the way of progress, as the split of ACT UP reveals a lot about what happens when wealthy white men get what they want and stop fighting.)

It's A LOT though, so only read when you're ready to really do the work of reading a heavy non-fiction book.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

Heading toward Pride month 2021, this was the perfect time to read Sarah Schulman’s splintering account of ACT UP and their relentless fight during the AIDS crisis. Their activism knew no bounds. Public awareness became essential in their plight as they faced the FDA in Washington D.C., pharmaceutical giants, doctors, scientists, rallied in Grand Central, started needle exchange programs and fought for those afflicted and neglected. The pain and abandonment, the bigotry, the struggle and the strength of and in their voices was palpable on every page.
Sarah Schumann relives these moments through countless interviews and pays an homage to the power of love, commitment, dignity and respect that turned the world around in the darkest of times. The endless spirit of each individual changed America’s way of thinking. The future looked brighter because of the shining light they caste.
Thank you NetGalley, Farrah, Straus and Giroux and Sarah Schumann for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.
Highly Recommended.

This was a fantastic book about the history of ACT UP. The interviews were great. A must-read for anyone interested in this subject.

Let the Record Show bridges the gap between a thorough historical account of ACT UP and the members at the heart of their work and a toolkit for activists and organizers of today. Schulman draws on interviews from various members of ACT UP as well as her own experience during her participation while also focuses on the voices of those who have often been left out of histories of ACT UP and HIV/AIDS activism in general.

All I can say is wow! This book is an in depth and thorough history of Act Up. A must read! I would recommend it to friends.

Read if you: Want a comprehensive, informative, and moving account of the influential ACT UP New York organization during the early days and peak of the AIDS crisis. The inclusion of women activists is especially welcomed; I doubt many know that the original definition of AIDS did not include women's symptoms, which can differ from men's symptoms, as they often do in serious health situations. This is a remarkable and much needed book, as the generation that lived through this is aging, survivors are dealing with the longterm affects of HIV/AIDS and the early medications, and are once again vulnerable during a new pandemic.

Librarians/booksellers: Although this is a massive book, it's very compelling and intimate. A must read for anyone wanting an in-depth look at what it was like to live through this devastating era.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Topical now and informative if you don’t know the history of the LGBTQ struggles in NYC. Or anywhere else to be fair. Inform yourself with the facts rather than clips from social media.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book provides new context and analysis of the rise, development, and eventual splintering of ACT UP.

I still don’t love Schulman’s tendency to insert her own personal stories in historical text- but you have to give her credit for *being* there.

Oh and it is real weird reading about one pandemic in the middle of another. I thought Dr. Fauci got a fairly even handed portrait here despite not being one of the interviewees for the book.

Spectacular history of the ACT UP movement from esteemed historian and novelist Sarah Schulman. Schulman has been on the front lines of the first pandemic of our lifetime since the first cases, and has been part of the reason we have medications that allow people to live long and productive lives with HIV today.

In addition to Schulman's astute observations and recollections of her own experiences paricipating in ACT UP meetings and actions, she includes extensive interviews with the dozens of main players who spearheaded the various facets of ACT UP and HIV/AIDS community who worked tirelessly to affect change.

It's impossible to read this tome and not relate it to our current pandemic . The death sentence of AIDS has transformed to a livable, controllable immune disorder. In time, this may be true of Covid. The slow, steady pace and actions of the many who are affected by Covid-19 are more effective than the politicians who claim to have 'the people's' best interest at heart.