9.5 Ruth Coker Burks, Carer and Advocate

If you don't take risks, have you really lived? Viv Groskop talks to Ruth Coker Burks, author of the memoir All The Young Men, who risked everything to care for men dying of AIDS. She describes how being present and listening can express more than words. She talks about the power of believing in her message, even when she was shunned by the community and crosses were burnt on her lawn. Feeling fear? Ruth says walk through the fear and do it anyway.

Ruth's book, All the Young Men, is out now.

Viv's books, including How to Own the Room, are out now.

And you can subscribe now to Viv's new podcast, We Can Rebuild Her; a series of intimate conversations about reinventing yourself in the age of pandemic.