
We Can Be Heroes
A Survivor's Story
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Buy Now for £18.99
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Narrated by:
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Paul Burston
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By:
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Paul Burston
About this listen
"This memoir is brutally honest… Wonderful!”–Russell T. Davies
Activist. Journalist. Survivor. One man’s journey from prejudice to Pride.
Paul Burston wasn’t always the iconic voice of LGBTQ+ London that he is today. Paul came out in the mid-1980s, when ‘gay’ still felt like a dirty word, especially in the small Welsh town where he grew up. He moved to London hoping for a happier life, only to watch in horror as his new-found community was decimated by AIDS. But even in the depths of his grief, Paul vowed never to stop fighting back on behalf of his young friends whose lives were cut tragically short.
It’s a promise he’s kept to this day. As an activist he stormed the House of Commons during the debate over the age of consent. As a journalist he spoke up for the rights of the community at a time of tabloid homophobia and legal inequality. As a novelist he founded the groundbreaking Polari Prize.
But his lifestyle hid a dark secret, and Paul’s demons—shame, trauma, grief—stalked him on every corner. In an attempt to silence them, he began to self-medicate.
From almost drowning at eighteen to a near-fatal overdose at thirty-eight, this is Paul’s story of what happened in the twenty years between, and how he carved out a life that his teenage self could scarcely have imagined. Emotional but often witty, We Can Be Heroes is an illuminating memoir of the eighties, nineties and noughties from a gay man who only just survived them.
©2023 Paul Burston (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.The Pride List of Queer Storytelling
Critic reviews
“Journalist Paul Burston narrates his memoir about growing up gay in South Wales, his transformation into an AIDS activist and author in London, and the establishment of Polari salon in 2007 and the first Polari Prize in 2011.… His narration is clear and understated. He lets the drama of events speak for themselves. The result is an audiobook that is an intimate conversation—a story of powerful emotions told simply.”—AudioFile Magazine
“A compelling and hugely enjoyable memoir about a fearless life lived to the full.”—Bernardine Evaristo, author of the Booker Prize winning Girl, Woman, Other
“This memoir is brutally honest…Wonderful!”—Russell T. Davies
We need more heroes like Paul to make the world better, thank you for sharing your life with the reader.
Powerful storytelling.
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Congratulations Paul on another amazing book.
Just loved it....
Honesty and the insight into the highs and lows of your life. Thank you
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But so much more than that, Paul is a survivor, of so many things that would make a lesser man buckle.
Oh yes, he buckled, but always managed to pull himself back on the right track and be a prolific author of the sort of fiction that stays with you.
Loss, love, anger, pain, diligence, determination and humour can all be felt as you listen to Paul speak his truth, often in an almost blase fashion, when your jaw is dropping at what you've just heard. Paul isn't jaded, he's pragmatic.
An essential listen for anyone interested in hearing about how bad things were for the LGBT+ community in the mid 80s onwards and so much more besides. Thanks for opening your heart Paul. Keep on keeping on.
It's never too late to become the man you always were.
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Both inspiring and nostalgic
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Deeply relatable
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Giving a great history of some of the moments in the lgbti timeline from a ground point view
A great listen
A great book
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A must-read for queer history!
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