Love Is the Cure

August 27, 2012
In addition to having sold over 250 million records, John is a vocal advocate of AIDS awareness whose namesake foundation has raised over $275 million toward fighting the disease. Inspired by the bravery of Ryan White, a young Indianan who contracted AIDS via a blood transfusion, John embarked on a mission to educate others and eradicate the affliction. He admits that the fight against AIDS has been an uphill battle beleaguered by homophobia, ignorance, indifference, and stigmatization on the part of governments and citizens alike, and while he certainly isn't afraid to call out obfuscators, his aim is to make it clear that though treatments have come a long way, AIDS remains a very real threat to people around the world. Since 1992, the number of diagnosed cases of HIV/AIDS has risen from 1.5 million to 34 million. But it's not all bad newsâJohn highlights efforts made in Louisiana and New York that have made a real difference in the lives of patients, as did the Clinton Foundation's efforts to make drugs more affordable. Nevertheless, John insists that it will take a great deal of resolve and commitment on the part of citizens, governments, and corporations to put an end to the disease. This inspirational cri de coeur is sure to encourage those in the trenches and compel those on the sidelines to get involved.

September 1, 2012
The legendary entertainer shares the story of how he created the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which works to fund initiatives for prevention, outreach and treatment. In 1985, a depressed and drug-addicted John read a magazine article about Ryan White, the teenager who had contracted HIV through a tainted blood transfusion. Inspired by White's optimism in the face of overwhelming prejudice, John befriended the boy and his family. After White died of AIDS in 1990, John had an epiphany. He checked into rehab, got clean and set out to rectify the mistakes he had made during the 1980s, a decade that had witnessed the emergence of AIDS and the ensuing stigma surrounding it. With the support of fellow AIDS activist and gay rights supporter Elizabeth Taylor, he launched EJAF, first in the United States and then in the U.K. EJAF has not only funded programs in the West, but has also partnered with organizations in countries that face particularly daunting challenges such as homelessness (Ukraine), extreme poverty (Haiti) and high incidences of rape (South Africa). John's commitment to tolerance and compassion shines through this testimonial, even as he relays his anger at governments that have either ignored the AIDS crisis or condemned their HIV-positive constituents. The author saves most of his justifiable ire for Bayer, which sold contaminated blood-clotting drugs overseas to save money, and for the Catholic Church, which continues to censure condom use. Still, many of the stories he recounts are uplifting, including that of Simelela, the first health clinic in South Africa to address the struggles of rape victims, and Project FIRST, the New York City-based program that supports former prisoners with HIV. John even relays a surprisingly heartwarming anecdote about meeting with George W. Bush, whose administration established the largest federally funded disease initiative in history. An impassioned plea for understanding and a good layman's guide to the current state of the AIDS crisis.

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