Love Is the Cure: On Life, Loss, and the End of AIDS [Hardcover]

Elton John (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 17, 2012

A deeply personal account of Elton John's life during the era of AIDS and an inspiring call to action.

In the 1980s, Elton John saw friend after friend, loved one after loved one, perish needlessly from AIDS. He befriended Ryan White, a young Indiana boy ostracized because of his HIV infection. Ryan's inspiring life and devastating death led Elton to two realizations: His own life was a mess. And he had to do something to help stop the AIDS crisis.

Since then, Elton has dedicated himself to overcoming the plague and the stigma of AIDS. The Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised and donated $275 million to date to fighting the disease worldwide. Love Is the Cure includes stories of Elton's close friendships with Ryan White, Freddie Mercury, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, and others, and the story of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Sales of Love Is the Cure benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"My friend Elton John has touched us all with his music and with the countless lives he has saved through his AIDS Foundation. Now he has given us a deeply personal story of struggle and perseverance in the fight against this terrible disease. Few people know more than Elton about what it will take to end AIDS. His wonderful new book will convince you there's cause for hope--and inspire you to be part of the solution."--President Bill Clinton

"Love is the Cure is strong medicine, and Elton is an inspiration."--Joan Rivers

"Heartbreaking....A resounding message of hope."--The Miami Herald

About the Author

Sir Elton John is one of the most esteemed, beloved, and best-selling songwriters, performers, and recording artists in history. His monumental career has spanned five decades, during which time he has sold 250 million records worldwide. His single, "Candle in the Wind 1997," a tribute to his friend Princess Diana, is the best-selling single in Billboard history. Sir Elton has received numerous Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for The Lion King, and Tony Awards for The Lion King, and Aida, and Billy Elliot. In 1998, the Queen of England knighted him Sir Elton John, CBE. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2004, Sir Elton received the Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contributions to American culture and excellence through the performing arts. The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), founded in 1992, has raised $275 million to fight the AIDS epidemic and help those affected by it. EJAF has supported hundreds of projects in 55 countries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (July 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316219908
• ISBN-13: 978-0316219907
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > AIDS

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you care about the AIDS epidemic, buy this book! July 30, 2012

By Elizabeth Rosenthal

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you want a book about Elton's life, with all the gossip, the music, the costumes, the flowers, the feathers, the tiaras, the tantrums, the ups, and the downs, not to mention his genius, you will have to look elsewhere. This book is not for you. But if you are interested in Elton's charitable endeavors, or the AIDS epidemic, or the social and health issues that face humanity, or if you would like to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation, you should buy this book (proceeds from which benefit the EJAF) and read it.

Elton John should be commended for making his first book not a self-congratulatory autobiography but a plea for help in his chief passion, the fight against AIDS. Yes, Love is the Cure contains many autobiographical elements. Elton explains how his young friend, AIDS victim and activist Ryan White, unwittingly placed the musician on the path to recovery from life-threatening multiple addictions. This, in turn, enabled Elton to do what he wishes he'd done sooner - become a volunteer, activist, and fundraiser extraordinaire to rid the world of AIDS and the mass suffering, social and economic disruption, and terrible deaths it causes.

We read how Elton took many valuable lessons from his own experiences - before, during and after rehab - and applied them to his work against AIDS. For example, through his leadership, the EJAF has been very aggressive in reaching out to marginalized populations, including not just men who have sex with men, but sex workers, intravenous drug users, prison inmates, and the desperately poor, in countries around the globe. EJAF monies are funneled to local organizations in such diverse places as South Africa and Ukraine designed to meet very specific needs. The epidemic of rape against women in South Africa and homophobia in Ukraine are the stuff of outrage, but, as Elton points out, so are politicians and religious leaders in the U.S. who stand in the way of sex education and clean needle exchanges, as well as adequate funding for local AIDS programs that could reach the most vulnerable people.

Elton fervently believes that, given the medical advances that have been made in the treatment of AIDS, if only governments, private companies, nonprofits, and individuals could shed their prejudices and shortsightedness, and do their fair share, we could see the end of AIDS in the foreseeable future. In other words, it's the lack of commitment to eradication of the disease rather than an inability to do what is necessary that is now the chief obstacle in the fight against AIDS. Love is the Cure is eye-opening and inspiring.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Luckiest Man In The World July 18, 2012

By Rooster

Format:Hardcover

Elton John is the rarest of celebrities. He is one of a handful of famous people who's talent and appeal allows them to remain an A list star decade after decade. We all know of his musical genius. I've always been fascinated by his larger than life...well ..life. I remember seeing him being interviewed by Tom Snyder many years ago on that late late night talk show. He admitted his "bi-sexuality" during that interview. It was a different time and it was scandalous to say the least. It was big news and of course the judgement and homophobia was quick to follow. It was at that moment that my admiration for Elton John began. Years later he became one of the very first celebrities to advocate for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. He and Elizabeth Taylor were the first and the biggest stars to tackle a very unpopular cause. His personal friendship and support for Ryan White and his family as well as his founding of The Elton John AIDS Foundation showed he will willing to walk the talk. My respect for Elton grew stronger. When he came out as a gay man, knowing the possible effects on his career, my respect for him grew even stronger. When he married his longtime partner David and later became a father, my respect and admiration, well you know -.
I've always wanted to know more about the man behind the public persona. I really never thought he would write an autobiography. Although he's been prolific as a performer and philanthropist, and has been interviewed many times, he has kept a great deal of his private life out of the public eye. He's certainly outspoken on almost any subject (and anybody) that he has an opinion on. He's done outrageous and provocative things and has offended countless celebs with his brutal honesty. But there was for me a great curiosity about what made him tick. I'm happy to report the book has been written and it's all that and a bag of chips!!
I loved this book. I finally have direct insight into one of the most interesting people on the planet. Elton is a man with many interests. His knowledge of music is vast to say the least. He knows more about music and about all genres of music than most anyone alive. His knowledge of modern and contemporary art is as vast as he and David's art collection. His circle of famous friends is legendary. This is a man who has seen and done it all, has had it all, and has lived to tell the tale.
Elton just did an interview in which he talked of his past substance addictions and of his past promiscuous lifestyle. It was the early years of the AIDS epidemic and his friends were dying all around him. He was deep in his addiction and felt invincible. It took meeting Ryan White to change his mind and his heart. He said in that interview that he somehow came through it HIV- and that he felt he was the luckiest man in the world. He reflected on those years of addiction and reckless behavior and commented that he felt he had wasted much of his life. That may be true, but in my opinion he has more than made up for it both in his philanthropy and by living life to the fullest since that time. I often wonder what Freddie Mercury's life would have been like if he had survived those early years of the AIDS epidemic. He and Elton lived very similar lives then. Both were very famous, rich, talented, etc. They were very good friends and contemporaries. I imagine that Freddie's life would have progressed similarly to Elton's and that we would have enjoyed the prolific and varied musical success that Elton has had. I believe Freddie's personal life would have progressed similarly to Elton's also. After reading this book, I know that Elton appreciates his life and luck, and that he remembers those who weren't as lucky. He lives this large life not only for himself, but for those who aren't here to live it themselves. He's a man who's experienced tremendous loss and great joy. Here's hoping that joy prevails from here on. Well done, Sir Elton!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for people who know nothing about HIV July 23, 2012

By Lee

Format:Hardcover

This book is half memoir, half social justice essay.

The book does a wonderful job of illustrating the course of the AIDS epidemic and explaining the problems that have been encountered in trying to stop the spread of HIV. Elton explains in "layman's terms" the way that things like racism and homophobia have killed people by denying treatment to the most vulnerable in society. That covers about half of the book.

The other half is about Elton's personal life, his recovery from alcohol and cocaine addiction as well as bulimia and the people who encouraged him to get treatment.

He talks extensively about Ryan White and his life.

In addition, the book is very easy to read. It feels like Elton is just talking to you. (And if you buy the audiobook, he will be!)