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Published Sep 2007
304 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
"I want to be in a house without shame. I am tired of the bruises that cover my body and the darkness in my heart. I wish my parents were here. Protect me, Dios."
This is Ana's hope for the future. Her mother, father, and youngest sister all died from AIDS. Ana is seventeen, a mother, and HIV-positive. But Ana is bravely living with HIV—not dying from it. With incredible spirit, strength, and determination, she struggles to break the cycles of silence, abuse, and fear. She wants a brighter future for herself and her child. This is Ana's story.
Based on her work with UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean, Jenna Bush has written a powerful and personal nonfiction account of a girl who fights against all odds to survive. But Ana's experience is not unique. She symbolizes many children in peril and puts a face on the shocking statistics—according to UNICEF, 2.3 million children worldwide live with HIV/AIDS. Millions more suffer from abuse, poverty, and neglect. Jenna's message of hope and call to action will inspire you to make a difference for children like Ana. This book also includes resources for helping others and where to get help if you need it.
"A few jarring passages point to Bush's outsider's view (a comparison between Ana and "the exotic subjects in Gaugin's Tahiti paintings" stands out), but the wrenching story, illustrated with a few photos, effectively sends an urgent message: too many children are unsafe and burdened by secrets." - Booklist.
"Despite unexceptional, sometimes awkward writing (“The passion, the attraction, the butterflies had flown away”), Bush's compassion for her subject comes through clearly." - Publishers Weekly.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jenna Bush is the daughter of President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 with a degree in English. Jenna was an elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C., for a year and a half before embarking on an internship for UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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