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 labor activist.
"When We Rise is a song to what's best in us, when we join together
in a movement that takes us higher. The story Cleve Jones tells-of
a bullied boy from the sun-blasted Arizona suburbs, who finds an
extended family among the street kids of San Francisco and then
within the gay movement that revolutionized the world-is thrilling
to read. The path to freedom is littered with the names of fallen
loved ones. But through all the sorrows and setbacks, Jones
persevered-and the movement for human liberation that he helped
lead still rises."--David Talbot, bestselling author of The Season
of the Witch and The Devil's Chessboard
"When We Rise...brims with fondness, love, lust, inspiration,
dedication and tenacity. Older readers will recall each
headline-grabbing fight along the way. If I ran the nation's
curriculum, it would be required for younger readers."--The Star
Tribune
"[A] brilliant memoir."
--The Daily Beast
"[A] love song to San Francisco ... This unvarnished, uplifting,
opinionated memoir is a testament to Jones' courage."--The Bay Area
Reporter
"A front row seat to history .... Compelling .... A mandatory read
for future scholars of LGBT history and for queer millennials to
learn about their heritage."--Lambda Literary
"An ambrosial read, masterfully interweaving major historical
events with juicy personal details of romance and
heartbreak."--Mother Jones
"An ode San Francisco.... an inspiring reminder that one can go
from 'daydreaming about sex and revolution' to making them
reality."--Publishers Weekly
"Cleve Jones is a history buff who has himself become part of
history. He has been at the epicenter of the LGBT movement for over
45 years. Now, in When We Rise, Cleve takes us along on his
personal journey in the fight for equal rights--a journey filled
with humor, sadness, love and ultimately profound change."--Rob
Reiner
"Enlightening.... Unsparing.... Powerful."--Booklist (starred
review)
"Essential reading."--Village Voice
"I loved this amazing, inspiring, and sometimes outrageous book.
When We Rise is about the building of a movement--and the building
of Cleve Jones, who came to San Francisco as a teenage adventurer
and transformed into an activist whose contributions helped change
the course of gay history."--Gus Van Sant
"In this touching and timely memoir, Cleve relives his fascinating
life, from adolescent blunders to his conception of the
world-famous AIDS Memorial Quilt."--Brit + Co
"Jones takes readers on his thrilling, if perilous, voyage from
fey, long-haired teen hitching his way from his home in Arizona to
San Francisco, to becoming the mentee of Harvey Milk ... Jones
survives San Francisco's viciously homophobic police in the '70s
and, later, the AIDS epidemic that took his dearest friends. In the
process, he helps mobilize the anguished, fiery momentum of LGBTQ
rights in the United States."--Slate
"Now more than ever we must understand the history of queer
activism in order to successfully continue on the legacy of those
who came before us... We all need to read [When We
Rise]."--Gayletter
"Powerfully written... Jones is a tireless fighter.... By the end
of the book, we practically feel the heartbeat of America, and
maybe it's a good heart, one that can accept love for what it truly
is--love."--Bookreporter
"Some people witness history; other actually make it happen. Cleve
Jones, by planting himself boldly in the eye of the storm, has
succeeded brilliantly at doing both."--Armistead Maupin, New York
Times bestselling author of the Tales of the City series
"Sweeping and profoundly moving... At a critical time in our
nation's history when many are afraid and so much is uncertain,
When We Rise is a pertinent reminder to all to stand up and
continue fighting for what we believe in."--Accidental Bear
"You could read Cleve Jones's 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. It's an incredibly vivid evocation of a
bygone era and a poignant story of someone who started out feeling
like the only gay person in the world and ended up organizing
millions of them. I loved it for the firsthand history, and the
crazily great details about drag queens, radical excess, passionate
idealism, how to change the world and everything else that matters
most."--Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
