THREE-LETTER PLAGUE, a young man's journey through a great epidemic

342 pp., paperback, Reprint, Johannesburg., (2008) 2019

Jonny Steinbeg's investigation into why HIV-positive people who live close to well-administered antiretroviral treatment choose to stay at home and die. He explores the relationship between "Sizwe Magadla", a successful 29 year old trader who fears he has AIDS but refuses to be tested, and Hermann Reuter, a doctor with Medecins Sans Frontieres who establishes an antiretroviral treatment programme in "Sizwe's" village in rural Transkei.

Washington Post Book of the Year, South African Sunday Times Book of the Year 2008, and winner of the Recht Malan Prize 2009.

"If you want to know why AIDS is devastating southern Africa, you have to read this book. It is a brilliant exploration of the secret, intimate decisions that turn an epidemic into a catastrophe." Robert Guest, former Africa editor for The Economist

Jonny Steinberg has won the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award for literary non-fiction twice for his books, "Midlands" (2002) and "The Number" (2004). "In a Different Time" was shortlisted for the 2009 Alan Paton Award. He is currently Professor in the African Studies Centre at Oxford University.