A touching and gripping, absolutely true story about how compassion, willpower, and an inner belief in truth change the world and ourselves.

This autobiography tells the story of American Ruth Coker Burks, who launched the first voluntary aid program for HIV-positive people in the United States. In 1986, 26-year-old single mother Ruth accidentally entered a hospital ward housing young people with AIDS. Fearing the infection of a little-known disease, the clinic staff offered virtually no assistance to these patients, and they died without care or attention. Ruth began caring for these new acquaintances and even organized a burial plot on her plot of land for those dying from the disease, as no one wanted to bury them. Year after year, Burks became involved in the lives of those sick, eventually becoming a human rights activist and doing much to popularize HIV awareness and destigmatize the disease.

This nonfiction novel is a thrilling read and renews our faith in the progress made possible by people like the author.

A finalist for the Lambda Literary Prize, and a Best Biography of 2020 by Library magazine.