{"title":"Ruth Coker Burks","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover the incredible and inspiring stories penned by Ruth Coker Burks, an author whose work shines a light on compassion and courage during one of history's most challenging times. Her collection, primarily comprised of \u003cem\u003ebiography\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ememoir\u003c\/em\u003e, offers readers a deeply personal glimpse into the human experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRuth Coker Burks is perhaps best known for her powerful memoir, \u003cem\u003eAll the Young Men\u003c\/em\u003e. This moving account chronicles her unexpected and selfless journey in the 1980s, when she became a caregiver for patients with AIDS in the American South, at a time when fear and misunderstanding surrounded the disease. Her narrative not only captures the intense prejudice of the era but also the enduring strength found in empathy and friendship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBooks by Ruth Coker Burks provide more than just factual recounting; they are heartfelt narratives that blend historical context with personal reflection. Her writing reminds us of the importance of kindness, understanding, and the impact one individual can have in the lives of others. Profound and uplifting, this collection is a must-read for those interested in memoirs that illuminate the challenges and triumphs of the human spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"all-the-young-men-by-ruth-coker-burks-9781409189121","title":"All the Young Men","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis book will make you love her as much as I do\u003c\/b\u003e — FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBreath-taking courage and compassion [...] a beautiful book\u003c\/b\u003e — \u003ci\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA renegade Florence Nightingale cares for the ill in a remarkable tale of compassion and combating prejudice\u003c\/b\u003e — \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary tale\u003c\/b\u003e — \u003ci\u003eEVENING STANDARD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf I have one message with this book it's that we all have to care for one another. Today, not just in 1986. Life is about caring for each other, and I learned more about life from the dying than I ever learned from the living. It's in an elephant ride, it's in those wildflowers dancing on their way to the shared grave of two men in love, and it's in caring for that young man who just needed information without judgement.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn 1986, 26-year-old Ruth Coker Burks visits a friend in hospital when she notices that the door to one of the patient's rooms is painted red. The nurses are reluctant to enter, drawing straws to decide who will tend to the sick person inside. Out of impulse, Ruth herself enters the quarantined space and begins to care for the young man who cries for his mother in the last moments of his life.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd in doing so, Ruth's own life changes forever.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAs word spreads in the community that she is the only person willing to help the young men afflicted by the growing AIDS crisis, Ruth goes from being an ordinary young mother to an accidental activist. Forging deep friendships with the men she helps, Ruth works to find them housing and jobs, and then funeral homes willing to take their bodies - often in the middle of the night. She prepares and delivers meals to 'her guys,' supplementing her own income with discarded food found in the dumpsters behind supermarkets. She defies local pastors and the medical community to store rare medications for her most urgent patients, and teaches sex education to drag queens after hours at secret bars. Emboldened by the weight of their collective pain, she fervently advocates for their safety and visibility, ultimately advising Governor Bill Clinton on the national HIV-AIDS crisis, and in doing so becomes a beacon of hope to an otherwise spurned group of ailing gay men on the fringes of society.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRuth kept her story a secret for years, fearful of repercussions within her deeply conservative community. But at a time when it's more important than ever to stand up for those who can't, Ruth has found the courage to have her voice — and the voices of those who were stigmatised, rejected and abandoned — heard.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46820297179372,"sku":"9781409189121","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781409189121.jpg?v=1757980314"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/ruth-coker-burks.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}