Book Post 2
All the Young Men - Final Thoughts
- Book's Plot
- I'll try not to give too much away, but All the Young Men is a true story that is focused on Ruth Coker Burks, the author herself. A mother living in Arkansas during the 1980's, Ruth became a beacon of light through her actions and kindness towards gay men whom were dying from AIDS. At the time, other people (even nurses) were too scared to help these men because they thought they would get infected with AIDS themselves. However, as a Christian, Ruth put all of her fears aside to care for them. Eventually, she becomes well-known in the area as the person that will aid these men until they pass. Aside from that, she helps drag queens, searches through funeral homes for their bodies, and even chats with her friend Bill Clinton. Overall, this book takes us on a journey through what Ruth went through as a young adult.
- Key Takeaways
- For me, I think the biggest key takeaways were not only realizing how important just basic human decency and kindness really, but also how fear can truly push people to hatred. For the latter, there were just some scenes in the novel that blew my mind. In one case, Ruth contacted a dead man's mother, and she repeatedly stated how she wants nothing to do with his corpse and how she stopped caring about him a long time ago. These scenes were unfortunately common. They made me think about how for many people, instead of wanting to learn more about AIDS and help its victims, they continued to stay scared and used that fear to fuel their hatred. That being said, I took these scenes to heart as well because they make me want to be kinder with those I might not know. I learned that even a little kindness can go a long way in someone's life.
- How Book was Written
- I'll try not to give too much away, but All the Young Men is a true story that is focused on Ruth Coker Burks, the author herself. A mother living in Arkansas during the 1980's, Ruth became a beacon of light through her actions and kindness towards gay men whom were dying from AIDS. At the time, other people (even nurses) were too scared to help these men because they thought they would get infected with AIDS themselves. However, as a Christian, Ruth put all of her fears aside to care for them. Eventually, she becomes well-known in the area as the person that will aid these men until they pass. Aside from that, she helps drag queens, searches through funeral homes for their bodies, and even chats with her friend Bill Clinton. Overall, this book takes us on a journey through what Ruth went through as a young adult.
- For me, I think the biggest key takeaways were not only realizing how important just basic human decency and kindness really, but also how fear can truly push people to hatred. For the latter, there were just some scenes in the novel that blew my mind. In one case, Ruth contacted a dead man's mother, and she repeatedly stated how she wants nothing to do with his corpse and how she stopped caring about him a long time ago. These scenes were unfortunately common. They made me think about how for many people, instead of wanting to learn more about AIDS and help its victims, they continued to stay scared and used that fear to fuel their hatred. That being said, I took these scenes to heart as well because they make me want to be kinder with those I might not know. I learned that even a little kindness can go a long way in someone's life.
- I thought the book was pretty easy to read, especially because it was written from her account! There weren't any crazy vocabulary words, no confusing time jumps, and everything she wrote just made sense (especially chronologically). When she would write about an event she experienced, I feel like she added enough imagery where I could literally see what was going on in my head. As a visual person, I absolutely love writing that can paint pictures for me. I wish that more books were written like that, as they're both fun and easy to read.
- I thought the book was pretty easy to read, especially because it was written from her account! There weren't any crazy vocabulary words, no confusing time jumps, and everything she wrote just made sense (especially chronologically). When she would write about an event she experienced, I feel like she added enough imagery where I could literally see what was going on in my head. As a visual person, I absolutely love writing that can paint pictures for me. I wish that more books were written like that, as they're both fun and easy to read.
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy what the stigma of AIDS was back then when thinking about it now. People would abandon their family members who contracted it and would cut them out of their lives. In 1992, Magic Johnson contracted HIV and had to retire from basketball. He came back and played a few years later and people were very skeptical of it and players didn't want to play on the court with him in fear of them contracting the disease. In the end, Magic was able to fight through it and he helped changed the stigma about HIV and AIDS. Thanks for sharing.
Elan
Hey Angelica, great post. It shocks me as well that somebody's mother could ever say they want nothing do with her son's body and even more shocking that she stopped caring for him a long time ago just because of who he was. It really is mind blowing to think how cruel people can become just because they are scared of something. I like what you said about just a little bit of kindness going a long way because I feel like that is underrated in society today. People seem to say that they understand what that means but I find it rare that people actually put in effort to be kinder, especially to strangers. I relate to what you said about books that paint pictures in your head as well because I'm the same way. Whenever I'm reading, the first thing I try to do is create an image of what is going in my head.
ReplyDeleteHi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of courage to read a book like this because you're confronted to hear about the worst of humanity. I would love to learn more about how Ruth did/didn't lose hope in people after witnessing so many being ostracized, even by their own mother's. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed this book and have a new goal for how you want to live your life. It's hard for author's to create a change in their readers, but Ruth was able to influence you through her story.
- Ellie
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteI also read this book and I can agree that I was absolutely appalled by how people treated the AIDS victims and, by extension, Ruth. I was particularly shocked by the burning crosses and no one showing up to her daughters' birthday party. I'm glad Ruth stuck around to help though. I also loved the pictures in the middle of the book because they helped me to visualize everything so well.
-Samantha
Angelica,
ReplyDeleteWow. Your response and takeaways to this book are so real. Thank you. What an awful thing hatred is. I completely agree with you that fear can push people to hate. What a wonderful woman Ruth Coker must be to be there for people who had nobody. You have really inspired me to read this book. I will be carrying your realness throughout the rest of my day.
Thank you so much,
Mason
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between fear and hatred is something I think about a lot, and how important books and resources like this are for combatting those negative associations. Kindness is so underrated and under-extended. I can't imagine someone having such hate and ill intentions towards their own child like that mother on the phone. This book and your review reminded me of a previous mentor who started talking to young men across LA about the impact of AIDS on their communities/circles as an outreach project with a local hospital. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and some of the scenes that stood out for you. I'm definitely adding this book to my list of next reads.
- Francesca