Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope

By: Jenna Bush

This book is about a 17 year old single mother living with HIV in Latin America.  Ana’s earliest memory is learning that her baby sister has died…and she doesn’t know why. Her mother dies later on and she is told that her little sister, her mom, and her dad, all have HIV. She was told by her abusive grandmother that she must keep this a secret or else people will judge her. Her life is tough, she is moved from family to family, to a group home, molested by her grandmothers boyfriend, and physically abused. All the while she remains strong. She falls in love at a group home with a young man who is also HIV positive and that is how her baby, Beatriz was conceived. Ana’s baby is HIV negative. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was moving and really touching. It is written by Jenna Bush, former first child, and it is based on her work with Unicef. The book has 102 chapter, although some of them are as short as 3 or 4 sentences. There are also photographs in the book, none revealing Ana’s identity. At the end of the book there is info on AIDS, Unicef, and physical abuse.

I love the idea of this book and I can certainly tell that Jenna Bush was doing what she felt was right, but I wish she could have “told” the story more. I just think she could have made Ana’s actual story a little stronger. However, this book is great read, especially for teenagers. It helps you get the facts about HIV/AIDS and is a story that does need to be told. 

What are you reading this summer?