When We Rise: My Life in the Movement - Softcover

Jones, Cleve

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472126653 ISBN 13: 9781472126658

Publisher: Constable, 2017

Synopsis

The partial inspiration for the acclaimed mini-series from Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black

Born in 1954, Cleve Jones was among the last generation of gay Americans who grew up wondering if there were others out there like himself. There were. Like thousands of other young people, Jones, nearly penniless, was drawn in the early 1970s to San Francisco, a city electrified by progressive politics and sexual freedom.

Jones found community - in the hotel rooms and ramshackle apartments shared by other young adventurers, in the city's bathhouses and gay bars like The Stud, and in the burgeoning gay district, the Castro, where a New York transplant named Harvey Milk set up a camera shop, began shouting through his bullhorn, and soon became the nation's most outspoken gay elected official. With Milk's encouragement, Jones dove into politics and found his calling in 'the movement.' When Milk was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1978, Jones took up his mentor's progressive mantle - only to see the arrival of AIDS transform his life once again.

By turns tender and uproarious - and written entirely in his own words - When We Rise is Jones' account of his remarkable life. He chronicles the heartbreak of losing countless friends to AIDS, which very nearly killed him, too; his co-founding of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation during the terrifying early years of the epidemic; his conception of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community art project in history; the bewitching story of 1970s San Francisco and the magnetic spell it cast for thousands of young gay people and other misfits; and the harrowing, sexy, and sometimes hilarious stories of Cleve's passionate relationships with friends and lovers during an era defined by both unprecedented freedom and possibility, and prejudice and violence alike.

When We Rise is not only the story of a hero to the LQBTQ community, but the vibrantly voice memoir of a full and transformative American life - an activist whose work continues today.

About this title

About the Author

Cleve Jones' career as an activist began in San Francisco in 1970s where he befriended pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk. After Milk's death, Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which memorializes over 85,000 Americans who have died from AIDS. He lives in San Francisco and works as a labour activist.

From the Back Cover

Born in 1954, Cleve Jones was among the last generation of gay Americans who grew up wondering if there were others out there like himself. There were. Like thousands of other young people, Jones was drawn in the early 1970s to San Francisco, a city electrified by progressive politics and sexual freedom.

Jones found community in the burgeoning gay district the Castro, where a New York transplant named Harvey Milk was to become the nation's most outspoken gay elected official. With Milk's encouragement, Jones dove into politics and found his calling in 'the movement', and when Milk was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1978, Jones took up his mentor's progressive mantle - only to see the arrival of AIDS transform his life once again.

By turns tender and uproarious, When We Rise is Jones' account of his remarkable life, chronicling the heartbreak of losing countless friends to AIDS, which very nearly killed him, too; his cofounding of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the conception of the AIDS Memorial Quilt; the harrowing, sexy and sometimes hilarious stories of Cleve's relationships with friends and lovers during an era defined by both unprecedented freedom and violence alike.

When We Rise is not only the story of a hero to the LGBTQ community, but the vibrantly voiced memoir of a full and transformative American life.

'Enlightening . . . unsparing . . . powerful' Booklist (starred review)

'You could read Cleve Jones' book because you should know about the struggle for gay, lesbian and transgender rights from one of its key participants - maybe heroes - but really, you should read it for pleasure and joy' Rebecca Solnit

'[An] amazing, inspiring and sometimes outrageous book' Gus Van Sant

'[Jones] takes us on [a] personal journey in the fight for equal rights - a journey filled with humour, sadness, love and, ultimately, profound change' Rob Reiner

Edition details

• Publisher: Constable
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472126653
• ISBN 13: 9781472126658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304