Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope

by Jenna Bush Hager, Mia Baxter (Illustrator)

Overview

Ana’s story begins the day she is born with HIV, transmitted from her mother, who dies just a few years later. From then on, Ana's childhood becomes a blur of secrets—about her illness, her family, and the abuse she endures. Shuffled from home to home, Ana rarely finds safety or acceptance. But after she falls in love and becomes pregnant at seventeen, she embarks on a journey that leads her to new beginnings, new sorrows, and new hope.

Based on her work with UNICEF and inspired by the framework of one girl's life, Jenna Bush tells the story of many children around the world who are excluded from basic care, support, and education. Resources at the back of this book share how you can help children like Ana and protect yourself and others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061379093
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/22/2008
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	355,500
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.64(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mia Baxter graduated from University of Texas with a degree in photojournalism. She has worked as a freelance editorial documentary photographer in New York before interning for UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mia Baxter se graduó de Fotoperiodismo en la Universidad de Texas. Trabajó como fotógrafa editorial y documental independiente en la ciudad de Nueva York antes de participar en un programa de experiencia práctica con UNICEF en Latinoamérica y el Caribe.

Table of Contents

Preface     1
Ana's Story     7
Afterword     242
A Letter from Jenna Bush     245
You Can Make a Difference     249
Protect Yourself, Protect Others     259
Websites and Help Lines     269
What's the Real Deal? Ten Myths about HIV/AIDS     275
Do You Know the Whole Story? Ten Myths About Abuse     280
Discussion Questions for Ana's Story     285

Editorial Reviews

As an intern with UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean, Bush, the daughter of the president, was assigned to document the lives of poor children; in a preface, she writes about how impressed she was to hear a 17-year-old single mother resolutely announce, in a group for people with HIV/AIDS, "We are not dying with AIDS; we are livingwith it." For more than six moths, Bush met with the mother, Ana, and later interviewed others, inspired by Ana's resilience. Here, in what she terms narrative nonfiction, she creates "a mosaic of [Ana's] life, using words instead of shards of broken tile to create an image of her past and a framework for her future." Short segments reveal Ana's scarred childhood. Ana is orphaned, told never to reveal her HIV status lest she be ostracized, sexually abused by her grandmother's boyfriend, beaten and sent to reform school. Not until she lands in a group home for people with HIV/AIDS do things begin to look up, and then only temporarily: Ana falls in love with a boy resident, gets pregnant the one and only time they don't use a condom, and the boy grows too sick to be of much help (the thought of terminating the pregnancy never comes up). Despite unexceptional, sometimes awkward writing ("The passion, the attraction, the butterflies had flown away"), Bush's compassion for her subject comes through clearly. Even (and maybe especially) when Ana behaves imperfectly or questionably, Bush focuses on Ana's pain and ability to transcend it, helping readers to avoid judging Ana and to feel strong empathy. Back matter includes information on HIV/AIDS and abuse, notes on ways to help others and a discussion guide; the final art, which includes color photos,was not seen by PW. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)

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Publishers Weekly

Jenna Bush's protagonist, Ana, is an amalgam of the poor, abused, neglected, and ill young women she met while working with UNICEF in Latin America. Bush's performance in the reading of Ana's story is straightforward. Her voice is pleasant, soft, and clear, and the story’s frequent use of Spanish allows her to demonstrate her facility with the language. The structure of the book, however, offers a challenge to the audio format. Chapters are short, sometimes only a few sentences in length. The resulting fragmented presentation breaks the flow of the narrative in a manner that can become an annoying distraction. Further, President Bush’s daughter’s voice lacks a broad emotional range. Nonetheless, she conveys an intensity and sincerity that make her inaugural foray into print and audio a success. M.O.B. 2008 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile