Boy with the Bullhorn: A Memoir and History of ACT UP New York

Boy with the Bullhorn is a memoir and an immersive history of the original New York chapter of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, from 1987 to 1995. It is written with great humor, heart, and insight and provides an intimate look into how activist strategies are developed and deployed. It also provides a snapshot of life in New York City during the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic.

Format: Hardback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 06 September 2022
Publisher: Fordham University Press

Winner, Gold Independent Publishing Award (IPPY) for LGBTQ+ Nonfiction

Winner, The Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, 34th Annual Triangle Awards 2023 Lammy Finalist, Gay Memoir/Biography

A coming-of-age memoir of life on the front lines of the AIDS crisis with ACT UP

New York.

From the moment Ron Goldberg stumbled into his first ACT UP meeting in June 1987, the AIDS activist organization became his life. For the next eight years, he chaired committees, planned protests, led teach-ins, and facilitated their Monday night meetings. He cruised and celebrated at ACT UP parties, attended far too many AIDS memorials, and participated in more than a hundred zaps and demonstrations, becoming the group's unofficial "Chant Queen," writing and leading chants for many of their major actions.

Boy with the Bullhorn is both a memoir and an immersive history of the original New York chapter of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, from 1987 to 1995, told with great humor, heart, and insight. Using the author's own story, "the activist education of a well-intentioned, if somewhat naïve nice gay Jewish theater queen," Boy with the Bullhorn intertwines Goldbergs experiences with the larger chronological history of ACT UP, the grassroots AIDS activist organization that confronted politicians, scientists, drug companies, religious leaders, the media, and an often uncaring public to successfully change the course of the AIDS epidemic. Diligently sourced and researched, Boy with the Bullhorn provides both an intimate look into how activist strategies are developed and deployed and a snapshot of life in New York City during the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic.

On the occasions where Goldberg writes outside his personal experience, he relies on his extensive archive of original documents, photographs, and recordings to provide a comprehensive and nuanced account of the AIDS crisis.

In conclusion, Boy with the Bullhorn is a powerful and essential book for anyone interested in the history of the AIDS epidemic, the activism that changed the course of the crisis, and the personal stories of those who lived through it. Goldberg's memoir is a testament to the resilience and determination of the LGBTQ+ community in the face of unimaginable adversity, and his book provides a valuable insight into the origins and evolution of ACT UP, one of the most influential grassroots organizations in American history.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781531500979