When We Rise

My Life in the Movement

By: Cleve Jones

Narrated by: Cleve Jones

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The partial inspiration for the forthcoming ABC miniseries from Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and executive producer Gus Van Sant, starring Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker, Carrie Preston, and Rachel Griffiths.

From longtime activist Cleve Jones, here is a sweeping, beautifully written memoir about a full and remarkable American life. Jones brings to life the magnetic spell cast by 1970s San Francisco, the drama and heartbreak of the AIDS crisis and the vibrant generation of gay men lost to it, and his activist work on labor, immigration, and gay rights, which continues today.

Born in 1954, Cleve Jones was among the last generation of gay Americans who grew up wondering if there were others out there like himself. There were. As did thousands of young gay people, Jones moved to San Francisco in the early '70s, nearly penniless, finding a city electrified by progressive politics and sexual liberation. Jones met lovers, developed intense friendships, and found his calling in "the movement".

Jones dove into politics and activism, taking an internship in the office of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who became Jones' mentor before his murder in 1978. With the advent of the AIDS crisis in the early '80s, Jones emerged as one of the gay community's most outspoken leaders. He cofounded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and later the AIDS Memorial Quilt, one of the largest public art projects in history.

©2016 Cleve Jones (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"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)

"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 best-selling author of the Tales of the City series)

"Enlightening.... Unsparing.... Powerful." ( Booklist)

It's a Blue Whale! Oh, Mary don"t ask!

I purchased the Audible version and have listened to it on my daily walks. From the second chapter I got sad knowing that I would eventually come to the ending and wouldn't be able to hear it for the first time ever again. Today, that day came and i'm missing it already. I would recommend the audio version as Mr. Jones is an engaging speaker and it's always great to hear someone reading their own work. It made my daily (sometimes monotonous) walks fly by.

Be forewarned...

This is a memoir...not a history of the movement. Overall, it was good, especially the parts about the origins of the rainbow flag, the quilt, and the making of the movie Milk.

Inspiring!

I listened to Cleve's interview on Fresh Air w/ T. Gross. I was so captivated I then listened to Cleve's memoir. I was not disappointed. Many of the events happened in my childhood and were brought into full color and texture by Cleve's writing. The depth of the struggles and the remarkable courage to confront them is inspiring!

Essential reading

A heart-rending historical and personal account of the gay rights movement and the AIDS crisis. This book is essential reading for any involved in politics or activism of any kind.

Cleve’s book is riveting and timely for people to know who came before them

When We Rise is a heartwarming reflection of one mans part of the movement that gave many freedoms to those fortunate today. It shows how the pendulum swings and continues to do so. The authors tale of the aids epidemic is touching and sad. So many wonderful souls lost during a very scary time in the world. I highly recommend this book to all who want to know a bit about those that stood up for equality and justice so that some may have freedom today. It also shows that the fight is not over. The fight continues and others can model what Cleve and others have done. Bravo.

even better than reading it yourself

I read the book originally but nothing compares to hearing it from Cleve Jones himself.

History

So many things we owe thanks for. This book shares many of those things. I am a better person for having listened. If you are interested in where we started and how we got here, look no further! 🏳️‍🌈

Required reading for every activist!

This memoir is at once both magnificently beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking.

It begins with a colorful and fascinating recounting of his youth in San Francisco and his fearless and eye-opening travels abroad. I believe that he lived more life in his 20s than most of us will in an entire lifetime.

Cleve then goes on to paint a picture of the terrible fear and devastation that AIDS brought to the community. It is impossible to read this section without tears.

The post-AIDS crisis section is markedly more optimistic and provides a quick look at the political progress of the last decade or so.

I have been an LGBTQ activist for over a decade, and I still learned so much from this book! Cleve Jones is a living civil rights legend, and I hung on every word of this brilliant memoir.

Cleves passion shines through

What an inspiring life well lived from a beautiful soul. Long live the legacy of Cleve Jones 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🤍🤎🖤

Beautiful

The subject-matter can be difficult to listen about - such as the AIDS crisis. However, it's a beautifully written memoir covering important points in history.

Inspiring

I don’t think any words can describe the beauty and raw value of this book. Thank you Cleve for sharing and also educating a new generation.

Immersive and moving

This is one man's very moving memoir, which is as much a celebration of those he has loved as it is a tribute to those he lost. My knowledge of gay rights and activism begins in the mid 80s with AIDS, and it's refreshing to hear of the lives than came before... the isolation and despair but also the hope, the freedom and the joy.

Cleve Jones writes with such an authentic voice, there's nothing mawkish in his story. And much as I rarely like authors narrating their own books (brilliant writing does not necessarily equal brilliant acting and narration), his rendition of the book is beautiful....i felt like I was in San Francisco with him, and that I'd met his friends, lovers and inspirations.

I've read "And the band played on" by Randy Shilts which is purely about the AIDS crisis and response. It's a detailed and informative book but is so full of facts and specifics that his personal feeling gets kind of lost in the documentation of the crisis. Also it was written before the drugs started working and people started surviving. Cleve Jones brings a more rounded approach, though no less impactful for that.

This is a beauitful book, a hopeful book, everyone should read it.

Stunning!!

Brilliantly written and brutally honest.
Tear jerking, poignant and political memoir.
Thank you Cleve.
Thank you for your tireless work.

An excellent memoir

An eye-opening, moving and enlightening memoir for those of us, like me, who are a generation younger than the author and not from the USA. I was familiar with the more recent struggles (Prop 8 in particular), but much less so with those in the 1970s.

Wonderfully written and wonderfully narrated.