Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

32 reviews

acepersephone's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

A difficult but moving read. What an honor it is to know of Ruth's story and the countless lives she touched, the countless lives that touched her. I highly recommend this memoir and also recommend that you keep some tissues handy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Violence and Car accident

bobbybluech's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Blood

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Car accident

ellianderjoy's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use

hannahpicton's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

maet's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

This book reads like you sat down with a friend for a catch up, but will break your heart over and over and over again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Car accident

wayharshtai's review

challenging sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and Suicide

happiestwhenreading's review

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

If there is one time period in history that completely breaks my heart, it has to be the way the AIDS crisis of the 1980s was handled. Not only were many queer people shunned from their families and loved ones, but then we had a government that refused to acknowledge what was happening in regards to HIV and AIDS. Queer people were left to die alone, stripped of their dignity and without an ounce of love or compassion from so many in the medical fields.

Thank goodness for people like Ruth Coker Burks…a woman who selflessly inserted herself into a crisis with her whole heart and soul. What was a chance encounter with a gay man on his death bed in a hospital that treated him like a leper, turned into a calling that changed Burks’ life forever. She became a tireless advocate for people with AIDS; she loved them when no one else would, she gave them dignity in their death, and she advocated for the entire community to help them get funds and resources.

This is an incredible memoir – one of the best I’ve ever read. Not only do I admire Burks for her work within the AIDS context, but I was beyond impressed with her resilience, determination, and attitude in the face of so many challenges. If I could have just an ounce of her moxie, I’d be set!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, and Grief

raelemkesprung's review

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

unknight's review

challenging dark sad

5.0

Raw and emotional while being utterly unflinching in its descriptions, this book is a tearjerker. I could easily recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the AIDS crisis in the US, and how it looked outside of the big cities. I think I started crying halfway through and couldn't really stop-- nothing puts life so well into perspective as a book about death. That's not to say that the book is all about Death: It's mostly a book about being human, and living, and trying really, really hard. I picked it up, thinking I'd read one chapter, and only put it down four hours later when I was done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Terminal illness

Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse