Sent in 2006 by the Salvation Army to bear witness to the work they were
doing in response to the AIDS pandemic, Rhidian Brook, his wife, and two
children follow a trail of devastation through communities still
shattered and being broken by the disease--truck stop sex workers in
Kenya, victims of rape in Rwanda, child-headed families in Soweto,
children of prostitutes in India. It is a remarkable journey among the
infected and the affected through a world that, despite seeming on the
brink of collapse, is being held together not by power, politics, guns,
or money, but by small acts of kindness performed by unsung people who
choose to live in hope.
The problem of AIDS and HIV is a cause supported by many well-known
people and events. The recent RED campaign has received publicity due in
part to its spokesman, Bono of U2. This book is aimed at a young,
politically aware audience who wants to make a difference.
Rhidian Brook is an award-winning novelist, the previous winner of
the Somerset Maughan Award, a Betty Trask Award, and a scriptwriter for
Silent Witness on an ongoing basis. He has written articles on faith,
travel, social issues, and education for newspapers including The
Observer, Guardian, and Daily Telegraph. He is also a regular
contributor to Radio 4's Thought for the Day program.