The Life and Death of Ryan White

In the 1980s, Ryan White, a straight white teenager with hemophilia, became a prominent figure in the HIV/AIDS epidemic after contracting the virus from contaminated blood products. His fight to attend school after being barred drew national attention, leading to a blend of celebrity status and public discourse around the epidemic. In this insightful biography, Paul M. Renfro explores the complexities of Ryan's impact, highlighting how his "innocent" narrative both challenged misconceptions about AIDS and inadvertently reinforced existing stigmas. Renfro's analysis reveals the enduring effects of this stigma on contemporary policy and cultural perceptions of HIV/AIDS.