Love is the Cure
On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS
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4.3 • 10 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The first ever book by music legend and author of the bestselling Me, Sir Elton John: a personal, passionate and illuminating journey of his fight to end the AIDS epidemic.
In the 1980s, Elton John saw friend after friend, loved one after loved one, perish needlessly from AIDS. In the midst of the plague, he befriended Ryan White, a young Indiana boy ostracized by his town and his school because of the HIV infection he had contracted from a blood transfusion. Ryan's inspiring life and devastating death led Elton to two realizations: His own life was a mess. And he had to do something to help stop the AIDS crisis. Since then, Elton has dedicated himself to overcoming the plague and the stigma of AIDS. He has done this through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised and donated $275 million to date to fighting the disease worldwide. Love Is The Cure is Elton's personal account of his life during the AIDS epidemic, including stories of his close friendships with Ryan White, Freddie Mercury, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, and others, and the story of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
With powerful conviction and emotional force, Elton conveys the personal toll AIDS has taken on his life - and his infinite determination to stop its spread. Elton writes, 'This is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers and to build bridges of compassion. Why are we not doing more? This is a question I have thought deeply about, and wish to answer - and help to change - by writing this book.' The sale of Love Is the Cure will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In addition to having sold over 250 million records, John is a vocal advocate of AIDS awareness whose namesake foundation has raised over $275 million toward fighting the disease. Inspired by the bravery of Ryan White, a young Indianan who contracted AIDS via a blood transfusion, John embarked on a mission to educate others and eradicate the affliction. He admits that the fight against AIDS has been an uphill battle beleaguered by homophobia, ignorance, indifference, and stigmatization on the part of governments and citizens alike, and while he certainly isn't afraid to call out obfuscators, his aim is to make it clear that though treatments have come a long way, AIDS remains a very real threat to people around the world. Since 1992, the number of diagnosed cases of HIV/AIDS has risen from 1.5 million to 34 million. But it's not all bad news John highlights efforts made in Louisiana and New York that have made a real difference in the lives of patients, as did the Clinton Foundation's efforts to make drugs more affordable. Nevertheless, John insists that it will take a great deal of resolve and commitment on the part of citizens, governments, and corporations to put an end to the disease. This inspirational cri de coeur is sure to encourage those in the trenches and compel those on the sidelines to get involved.
