I understand the point of narrative nonfiction is to avoid embellishment at all costs, but in this case I think the obvious concern for utmost accuracy robbed the story of much of its emotion. Here we have a true story about a teenage mother who was born HIV-positive, and I came away from it feeling about as moved as from your average low-budget after school special. Details about people's personalities were almost completely absent, to the point where I never felt like I knew where Ana or anyone else was coming from or why they did the things they did. As sad as it sounds, this story probably would have been more touching had it been a completely fictionalized version of real events. However, this book isn't a complete waste of time. I do appreciate the resources and discussion topics at the back of the book. It would probably be a reasonable reading assignment for someone completely naive about HIV. Unfortunately, to those of us pay even the vaguest attention to the news, this dispassionate story is easily forgotten. ( )

This is a book about a young woman struggling to survive. Born HIV positive, Ana lives with abuse, loneliness, and fear as she grows into womanhood. I found this story engrossing and Ana endearing. The author has done a great job of communicating Ana's feelings and experiences in a manner that's easily understood. The story flows well and reads quickly. While the book is aimed at young adults, I recommend it to readers of any age. ( )

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

First Daughter Jenna Bush spent time during an internship with UNICEF working throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. During that time, she met a young girl named Ana. This is Ana's story, and it's one filled with hurt and abuse, with illness and disease, but also with hope and triumph.

Ana was born with HIV/AIDS. She knew, from the time she was young, that she was different from many other children. She was sick, and she didn't understand why. When she loses first her mother and then her father to AIDS, Ana knows pain and heartbreak. And then the abuse starts, from uncaring relatives to whose homes she gets shuffled around to.

Ana's life seems to take a turn for the better when she finds a center that specializes in the treatment of her disease -- and when she meets Berto, a young man with whom Ana can, for the first time, share the secret of her illness. What once seems like a death sentence turns into the longing to have as normal a life as possible, including an education, a family, and a future with Berto.

ANA'S STORY is both Miss Bush's story of serving as a UNICEF ambassador and Ana's story of wanting a better life for her young daughter, who was born without the HIV/AIDS virus. It's at times both sad and uplifting, but above all serves as a reminder that this disease is a very real problem that demands a solution. Filled with several photographs and written in short, easy-to-read chapters, it's the story of one brave young adult for all young adults. ( )

Ana is one that just wants to fit in. She has her secrets that everyone tells her she has to keep to herself. When everything in her life starts going down hill, she leaves her home and goes to a new home. There she meets a guy that she feels comfortable with. Ana decides she can open up to him and they discover they have more incommon than they think. Ana soon has to become more of a woman as her life changes dramatically. This is a book full of secrets, love and family issues. Though it can be depressing at times, it is a very good book. ( )

This was a very wonderful book. It is was very touching and emotional. ( )