We Are All the Same

A Boy's Courage and a Mother's Love

By: Jim Wooten

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the extraordinary story of the South African boy whose bravery and fierce determination to make a difference despite being born with AIDS has made him the human symbol of the world's fight against the disease, told by the veteran American journalist whose life he changed.

Five million more people contracted HIV last year alone. We've all seen the statistics, and they numb us; on some level our minds shut down to a catastrophe of this scope. As with other such immense human tragedies in the past, it can take the story of one special child's life to make us open our minds and our hearts.

While the majority of all AIDS cases occur in Africa, a South African boy named Nkosi Johnson did not become "an icon of the struggle for life", in Nelson Mandela's words, because he was representative but because he was so very remarkable. Everyone who met Nkosi Johnson was struck by his blinding life force, his powerful intelligence and drive, his determination to make something of his short life. By the time of his death, the work he had done in his 11 years on earth was such that The New York Times ran his obituary on the front page, as did many other papers, and tributes appeared on the evening news broadcasts of every major network.

Nkosi Johnson did not live to tell his own story, but one writer whose life he changed has taken up the work of telling it for him. In the hands of Jim Wooten, We Are All the Same is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit, even as it bears witness to the scope of the tragedy that is unfolding in Africa and around the world. Written with the brevity and power of a parable, We Are All the Same is a book that is meant to be read by all of us, of all ages and walks of life. Its beginning and ending are terribly sad, but in the middle is the extraordinarily inspiring story of a very unlucky little boy who said, "Never mind. I'm going to make my life matter." And he did.

©2004 Jim Wooten (P)2004 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Biography/Memoir

"This powerful account puts a human face on a catastrophic epidemic that grows worse daily." (Publishers Weekly)
"Clear dramatic narrative that personalizes the apartheid politics as well as the present devastating statistics and the struggle against prejudice." (Booklist)

Inspirational and Insightful

This is one of those books you will not want to "put down." It tells how 11-year old Nkosi Johnson and his unofficially adoptive mother Gail struggle in the fight against AIDS, both within himself and across South Africa. Because of Gail's determination to help the poor victims of HIV/AIDS, she was able to open Nkosi's Haven, originally a single shelter for HIV-positive women and children that continues expanding and accommodating more each day. This book really opened my eyes about the extreme impact of AIDS on South Africa and other sub-Saharan countries and how education and acceptance goes a long way. The epidemic would be worse still in South Africa if Nkosi and Gail had not done more than their share in making others aware.

Moving story of crisis and resourcefulness

I hadn't believed the denial of aids treatment by So. African government until I heard this book. One little boy and his tenacious foster mom helped me understand the tragedy of the epidemic.

Very Touching Story

I recommend listening to Nkosi Johnson's speech "We Are All The Same" on YouTube.

Check out his page in Wikipedia too.

Inspiring true story

Touching true story that puts a human face on the AIDS tragedy in Africa through the lives of Nkosi, a Zulu boy born with HIV, And Gail, the white woman who ends up raising him. I was moved by their story and by the way that Wooten wove together details of their lives along with the bigger picture of what was going on politically and in healthcare in South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent.

We Are All The Same

This is an excellent book about aids. It made me cry and chuckle. It is a very compassionate book written with Love and appreciation for a boy who was grown up, in so many ways with HIV. The boy and book was inspiring and moving. I would recommend all people read this book, especially the LGBT community. We are indeed all the same.

Excellent book.

I have given away over a dozen copies of this book. I first purchased a copy of this book about 15 years ago, after watching Jim Wooten discuss the book during an interview on a Sunday morning TV show that I stumbled upon. I never thought that a small child in South Africa who died from AIDS, and one who I never met, could have made such an impression on my heart. if you listen to this book, you will walk away believing the 5 simple words that Nkosi Johnson wanted the whole world to hear. "We are all the same". IMHO, this book should be required reading in every school in the world.

Loved it!

As a mother, this story was hard at times to hear. As a nurse, it reminded me AIDS is still very prevalent. Kudos to the author for telling this story. Mostly, I am grateful there was a little brave boy named Nkosi. His fight and Gail's dedication to this issue reminds me to never give up! WE ARE ALL THE SAME!

wanders to the end

I looked for this book after hearing an interview with the author on radio. The interview introduced the wonderful child this book is supposed to be about. He is in there if you can listen long enough for his part to emerge. I appreciate the author's insight into the AIDS epidemic but I wanted to hear the child’s story and insights particularly. An abridged work might be less tedious. The narrator is excellent.