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AIDS in America
by David Levithan, Gabriel Duckels
A thoughtful, poignant look at the AIDS crisis in the United States that includes primary source interviews, history, medical research, and cultural touchpoints.
The AIDS crisis in America is complex and composed of countless individual stories of grief, love, and advocacy. Its history shows the power of youth activism, how creativity and community can be vehicles for social change, and how bigotry and misinformation led to inequality in care.
The early days of the AIDS crisis saw LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities making strides in the fight for equality. As many people in positions of power were slow to act or actively didn't pay attention until their own communities were affected, the fight for equality turned into a fight for their lives. Grassroots efforts filled in gaps where mainstream medicine and politics failed, and over time, a cultural shift of awareness emerged, which led to more research and more treatments. And while the disease has transitioned from a death sentence to one that people can live full lives with, there are still people dying of HIV/AIDS today because they can't access the care they need. The fight may have begun decades ago, but is not yet over.
Award-winning author David Levithan and University of Cambridge PhD Gabriel Duckels detail a brief history of the epidemic, touching on key moments and figures, such as Ryan White, ACT UP, Larry Kramer and Anthony Fauci, Pedro Zamora from MTV's The Real World, and the Names Quilt. Threaded throughout are poems, essays, and other creative works, in addition to first-person interviews and narratives. The most important takeaway is that we must remember. We need to know what happened and why. Our voices are powerful, and they can make a difference.
"Balancing rigorous research with accessibility for teen readers is no small feat, but the co-authors achieve it by drawing on their complementary expertise....Honors the dead and inspires the living." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Levithan and Duckels apply their extensive experience in YA to craft an affecting, engaging, and accessible cultural history for teens and adults who want to learn about the AIDS crisis from the people who lived through it." —Booklist (starred review)
"[A]n emotionally resonant portrait of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S....It's a comprehensive and powerfully informative work about the pain, loss, and hard-won hope of the advocates, patients, and families of those affected." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An important and exceptional discourse on the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States that belongs in all libraries." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"I was a pre-teen during the AIDS Crisis. I watched my neighbors and family members disappear, first at the hands of judgement, then at the hands of the illness—a double death—and I wish I would've had this book to help me understand what was happening, so that I might better know how to fight and love." —Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
"This thoughtful and thorough book captures both the magnitude of the AIDS crisis and its personal intimacy. Full of heartache and sass, science and humanity. A towering achievement." —Eliot Schrefer, National Book Award finalist author of Queer Ducks (And Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality
This information about The Fight of Our Lives 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.
David Levithan is the author of several books for young adults, including Lambda Literary Award winner Two Boys Kissing; Every Day; Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (co-authored with Rachel Cohn); Will Grayson, Will Grayson (co-authored with John Green); and Boy Meets Boy. In 2016, David received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.
Gabriel Duckels is a writer and scholar based in Austin. He holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge and teaches at Texas State University.
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