We Are All The Same: A Story of a Boy's Courage and a Mother's Love

(Paperback)

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The moving and powerful story of one boy's fight against aids and the hope he inspired. The extraordinary story of a little South African boy whose bravery and fierce determination to make a difference despite being born with AIDS which made him the human symbol for the world's fight against the disease. 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 eleven 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. That writer is Jim Wooten. In his hands, "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, cutting down millions of boys and girls like Nkosi Johnson before they can reach their promise. 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 ages and by people from all 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 managed to inspire the world.

Reviews

"A fabulous book, written with grace and deep human feeling on an issue of profound importance to the world." - Bob Woodward."

Author Bio

Jim Wooten is the senior correspondent for ABC News's Nightline and White House correspondent for The New York Times. He lives in Washington DC.