Written Nelson Price and published by the Indiana Historical Society, the book explores the courage of White and his mother, Jeanne, as they battled to have the 13-year-old boy rejoin his classmates after being diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. White’s diagnosis came after receiving contaminated blood-based products used to treat his hemophilia.
“Ryan became the face of young people with AIDS in the country because he was such an effective communicator, whether speaking to an assembly of thousands of attendees, a national TV audience or just one-on-one with a peer,” said Price. “He taught tolerance during an era of panic when tolerance was desperately needed.”