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Bezig met laden... Stitching a Revolution: The Making of an Activistdoor Cleve Jones
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From the frontlines of one of the greatest human struggles of our time comes this powerful and moving tale. Both an important cultural history of the AIDS crisis and an intimate personal memoir, Stitching a Revolution is the story of a man who, besieged by discrimination, death, and despair, found the courage and strength of spirit to conceive and create a unique healing vision-the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Against the turbulent backdrop of politics and sexual liberation in San Francisco during the seventies, Jones recounts his coming-of-age alongside friend and mentor Harvey Milk -- and, later, Milk's assassination and the ensuing riots that threatened to tear down all they had accomplished. But Jones's political aspirations were put on hold after the emergence of an insidious, unexplainable "gay cancer" that would soon become known throughout the world as AIDS. Demoralized by the tide of death and despair sweeping his community, brutally assaulted by gay-bashing thugs, and faced with the specter of his own positive diagnosis, Jones sought a way to restore hope to a world falling apart beneath his feet. What started out as a simple panel of fabric stitched for his best friend now covers a space larger than twenty-five football fields and contains over eighty thousand names. The Quilt has affected the lives of many people, bridging racial, sexual, and religious barriers to unite millions in the fight against AIDS. Stitching a Revolution is a compelling, dramatic tale with a cast of memorable characters from all walks of life. At times uplifting, at times heartwrenching, this inspiring story reveals what it means to be human and how the power of love conquers all -- even death. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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 Google Books — Bezig met laden...GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)362.19697920092Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people People with physical illnesses Services to people with specific conditions Diseases Other diseases Diseases of immune system Immune deficiency diseases AIDS AIDS subdivisions AIDS standard subdivisionsLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde: (4.33)
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(Ghost written) autobiography of Cleve Jones, gay activist and founder of the AIDS quilt.
I've read part of Cleve's story before, as his is interlinked with that of Harvey Milk and is profiled in Randy Shilt's exemplary "And the band played on" about the onset of AIDS in San Francisco.
The salient points are these: Jones was an acolyte of Harvey Milk, and helped Milk get elected to the SF city council. When Milk was assassinated, Jones picked up the mantle and began his own political aspirations when AIDS hit San Francisco with a vengeance.
He got the idea for the AIDS quilt from a "quilt" of signs at a protest for Milk. He wanted the squares to be 6 feet by 3 feet--because that's the approximate size of a grave. it is impossible to see the quilt without realising that each square represents a real, vibrant person with loves, fears, hopes, dreams, that was killed by AIDS.
The most poignant parts of the book were the true stories of people who made quilt squares for their loved ones. Often these survivors were parents who had never acknowledged/ accepted their loved ones' homosexuality (or never even knew), or the partner of the deceased, who knew that their time was coming soon. Cleve fought to make AIDS be acknowledged as a human disease not a gay disease. It took time, too much time, but they were successful. And like AIDS is not a gay disease, this is not a book for gays. It is a human story and as a heterosexual who came of age in the late 80s, I am glad I read it.
Jones discusses the death of his partner of age, and knowing that he would likely succumb. He is open about his struggle with depression as his health becomes worse. He comes quite close to death, but does not acknowledge what happened (obviously the advent of medication) for him to miss the reaper. He was involved in the making of the documentary "Milk" and is still alive today (October 2013).
I saw the AIDS quilt when I was in college and it was very moving. I was inspired to see it again. It will be in Laguna Beach this November, and I intend to see it. (