Seven top books for World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day, an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease.

In 2020 Laura Sackton tagged seven titles to help you brush up on your World AIDS Day history, books that are "full of inspiring stories about the bravery and determination of ordinary citizens in the face of a terrifying crisis," including:

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

If reading a sweeping history feels too daunting, you might want to pick up The Great Believers instead. In this beautiful novel, Rebecca Makkai tells a story about the AIDS crisis through the intimate stories of one group of friends. In 1985, Yale, a young man working for a Chicago art gallery, tries to keep his life together as he watches his friends die. In 2015, Fiona, the sister of one of Yale's deceased friends, travels to Paris, searching for her missing daughter. Makai masterfully weaves these two stories together, exploring how pain of the AIDS crisis continues to reverberate today.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Great Believers is among Joanna Hershon's seven darkly fascinating books about cults.

My Book, The Movie: The Great Believers.

--Marshal Zeringue