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All the Young Men
- How One Woman Risked It All to Care for the Dying
- Narrated by: Ruth Coker Burks
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
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All the Young Men
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Summary
'If 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.'
In 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.
And in doing so, Ruth's own life changes forever.
As 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.
Ruth 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.
Critic reviews
"This book will make you love her as much as I do." (Former President Bill Clinton)
"Breath-taking courage and compassion [...]a beautiful book." (The Sunday Times)
"A renegade Florence Nightingale cares for the ill in a remarkable tale of compassion and combating prejudice." (Guardian)
What listeners say about All the Young Men
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-07-21
Such a beautiful, heart wrenching true story.
I loved the book and hearing Ruth read it felt so real. When I could hear her almost crying I cries myself. What an amazing person and an amazing true story. Thank you 💕
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-02-21
Good read
Really enjoyed this eye opening story of what it was like for people with aids, so glad we’ve came a long way in terms of treatment since then!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- L. V. Smith
- 22-07-21
Fascinating account
I loved this. What a woman. A story of incredible bravery. Horrifying and exultant at the same time. Beautifully read, too.
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- Anonymous User
- 14-03-24
Moving and thoughtful title
I would recommend this read to anyone with compassion which gives another highly personal side to the aids crisis in the 80s.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jude Davis
- 12-02-21
everyone read it
Started to get book anxiety by half way though that I was hearting Ruth tell her story so much that I knew I'd be sad when it finished.
Amazing tale of caring for people amid the stark disdain of the supposed christian folk. That supercilious religious hypocrisy has always fascinated me and this book describes it so well.
What an incredible life Ruthie, I will never forget this lovely book and I will recommend it to everyone.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M.P
- 06-02-21
Beautiful and moving.
What a beautiful, moving read. Ruth paints a picture of the Aids crisis that tells the reality of the situation on the front lines for these young men. The harsh reality of being a member of a group so hated that their own mothers disowned them in their hour of need is told without filter, but with absolute care, it is obvious what a wonderful woman Ruth is, as well as her daughter Alison.
Listening to Ruth’s audio added a lot to this book, I could hear the emotion in her words, I found it incredibly moving and it made me cry on more than one occasion.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone, it will inform and move you.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Terry
- 15-06-21
A triumph
A is for awesome
I is for inspiring
D is for delicate
S is for sympathetic.
No more words are needed
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-22
Heartbreaking, shocking but so full of love
This is such a beautiful but horrendous book at the same time. Ruth’s dedication, determination, perseverance, guts and selflessness brought me to tears so many times. I can’t believe how awful people can be and my heart breaks for those young men who’s families deserted them when they needed them most. Thank god they had Ruthy and her loving support. I still can’t believe the medical community didn’t embrace her and use her extensive knowledge for good. I just hope she’s living a wonderful loving life now with her lovely family and is looking after herself too. Such a difficult listen but so important, especially for people who are too young to remember the AIDS crisis. Thank you Ruth for everything you did for all those wonderful souls and for bringing your story to us ❤️
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- Anonymous User
- 25-03-21
Laughter, tears and everything in between
A beautiful story narrated by a beautiful soul. Everybody needs to listen to this book!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-04-21
A profound book of courage, care and loss
Just so necessary to remember to be supportive , inclusive and an ally of all those for whom the status quo refuses to exist. What a woman!
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