Love is the Cure: On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS

Description

In the 1980s, Elton John saw friend after friend, loved one after loved one, perish needlessly from AIDS. In the midst of the plague, he befriended Ryan White, a young Indiana boy ostracized because of the HIV infection he had contracted from a blood transfusion. Ryan's inspiring life and devastating death led Elton to two realizations: his own life was a mess; and he had to do something to help stop the AIDS crisis. Since then, Elton has dedicated himself to overcoming the plague and the stigma of AIDS. He has done this through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which to date has raised and donated $275 million towards fighting the disease worldwide. Love Is The Cure is Elton's personal account of his life during the AIDS epidemic, including stories of his close friendships with Ryan White, Freddie Mercury, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor and others, as well as the story of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. With powerful conviction and emotional force, Elton conveys the personal toll AIDS has taken on his life - and his infinite determination to stop its spread. Elton writes, 'This is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers and to build bridges of compassion. Why are we not doing more? This is a question I have thought deeply about, and wish to answer - and help to change - by writing this book.' The sale of Love Is the Cure will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Elton John is one of the most esteemed, beloved, and best-selling songwriters, performers, and recording artists in history. His monumental career has spanned five decades, during which time he has sold 250 million records worldwide. His single, Candle in the Wind 1997, a tribute to his friend Princess Diana, is the best-selling single in Billboard history. Elton John has received numerous Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for The Lion King, and Tony Awards for The Lion King, Aida, and Billy Elliot. In 1998, the Queen of England knighted him Sir Elton John, CBE. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2004 he received the Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contributions to American culture and excellence through the performing arts. The Elton John AIDS Foundation 'EJAF', founded in 1992, has raised $275 million to fight the AIDS epidemic and help those affected by it. EJAF has supported hundreds of projects in 55 countries.

My friend Elton John has touched us all with his music and with the countless lives he has saved through his AIDS Foundation. Now he has given us a deeply personal story of struggle and perseverance in the fight against this terrible disease. Few people know more than Elton about what it will take to end AIDS. His wonderful new book will convince you there's cause for hope - and inspire you to be part of the solution. - Bill Clinton Heartbreaking and inspiring... truly unforgettable. - The Star It is gripping, emotional reading, penned beautifully by Elton. - Mail on Sunday This is a well researched, thoughtful book that should be required breading for anyone involved in the fight against any horrible disease, especially one that carries the stigma AIDS still does. It provides a lesson in how to fight both illness and prejudice. Sir Elton has every right to be proud. - Sunday Express Engaging. - Sunday Times Sincere, impassioned... powerful, persuasive... He is convincing in his belief that the eradication of AIDS is not an impossible dream. - The Herald What makes this book so important and readable is Elton's eloquent voice as an activist... Even if you know all the facts and figures, he has a way of presenting them and his case in such a simple and clear headed way. .. You'll be hard pushed to find such a compassionate and pragmatic case for the eradication of AIDS through basic human compassion. - Gay Times The book provides a lesson in how to fight illness and prejudice. Sir Elton John has every right to be proud. - International Express