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How Activism, Art, and Protest Changed the Course of a Deadly Epidemic and Reshaped a Nation
by Michael G. Long
Acclaimed author Michael G. Long tells the story of the devastating AIDS crisis and the trailblazing activists who fought for dignity, compassion, and treatment.
Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!
This was the slogan for ACT UP―or AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power―an activist organization that emerged in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS epidemic. The group was loud, direct, and confrontational as it fought for access to treatment, compassionate care, and recognition for everyone with HIV and AIDS.
Tracing the history of the LGBTQ+ community from the Stonewall Riots and "gay liberation" movements to the groundbreaking protests of the 1980s and 1990s, Fight AIDS! is a gripping narrative of the AIDS epidemic for young readers, told through the lens of the activism it fostered. Focusing on the people most directly affected by the crisis and on the individuals who fought for justice, it is an intimate and humane account of one of the most devastating eras in United States history and an electrifying celebration of the power ordinary citizens have to enact meaningful change.
"Mixing wrenching, atmospheric narrative with frank, informative prose... It's a compassionate offering that celebrates the community's perseverance just as loudly as it mourns its losses." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A comprehensive sociopolitical history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through an American lens… This work will provide readers with hope as they learn about their fierce ancestors who fought for dignity in the face of institutionalized homophobia from the government and medical establishment. Long clearly shows how these activists effectively asserted their right to have a say in their own healthcare through marches, civil disobedience, fundraising and the arts… Informative, heartbreaking, and inspiring." ―Kirkus Reviews
This information about Fight AIDS! was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michael G. Long writes about politics, nonviolent protests, and civil rights history. His books for young readers include More Than a Dream, Call Him Jack, and Troublemaker for Justice. He lives in southeastern Pennsylvania.
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