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Three Letter Plague

A Young Man’s Journey Through a Great Epidemic

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Three Letter Plague

By: Jonny Steinberg
Narrated by: Grant Ross
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About this listen

At the end of a steep gravel road in one of the remotest corners of Lusikisiki in the old Transkei lies the village of Ithanga.

Home to a few hundred villagers, the majority of them unemployed, it is inconceivably poor. In the broader world, most would consider it entirely inconsequential. It is to here that award-winning author Jonny Steinberg travels to explore the lives of a community caught up in a battle to survive the ravages of HIV/AIDS.

He befriends Sizwe, a young local man who runs a spaza shop who refuses to be tested for AIDS despite the existence of a well-run testing and anti-retroviral programme. It is this apparent illogic that becomes the key to understanding the dynamics that thread their way through a complex and traditional rural community.

As Steinberg grapples to get closer to finding answers that remain maddeningly just out of reach, he realises that he must look within himself to unravel certain riddles.

©2008 Jonathan Steinberg (P)2019 Audible, Ltd Africa Cultural & Regional Physical Illness & Disease Policy & Administration Village

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Investigation into an overlooked epidemic

Jonny Steinberg doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult topics and this book has much to say about why the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa continues to cause unnecessary suffering,

He focuses in on an area in the Eastern Cape (Pondoland) and highlights the roles played by colonialism, apartheid, decrepit health services, government neglect and community beliefs. It’s an easy and thought provoking listen and it was also interesting to learn about the role of MSF in the Transkei/Pondoland at the time this work was written.

The book is as much about the community and presents interesting insights. The narration is good but the accents used for dialogue are not, sounding more like those from an Afrikaans dorp - most peculiar. Despite that, well worth a listen. Steinberg is a writer who would receive greater acclaim but for the fact that challenging topics focus on South Africa.

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