Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope

Reader reviewed by Jordana

I thought this book had some good things about, and some not so great stuff.
The Not So Great:
Alright, Bush is the GREATEST writer on the face of the earth.

Good:
The design and photography in this books is very nice.  And what really made the book stand out for me was the tragic circumstances Ana had to go through, and how unfair it would be for a human being to live through such things-- orphaned, abused, being separated from her family, becoming teenage mother, and not to mention, being born HIV positive.

Reader reviewed by ashley

Anas story a Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush is a narrative nonfiction book based on her work with UNICEF. This book is about a girl who has AIDS/ HIV named Ana who lives in Latin America. This book tells about her hard childhood which included getting raped and abused, her time in the centers, Anas schooling, as well as her going through pregnancy, her teenage years and her relationships. This girl had family problems. After Ana is taken away from her family she is put into a center for other people who have AIDS/HIV. As she got older, her life got more confusing but at the same time she realized many things about her self and the world she lived in.

Reader reviewed by Morgan Drew

A book that I read this past term was called Anas Story written by Jenna Bush. Jenna Bush traveled to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2006, as an intern with UNICEF. On one of her stops, she met a 17-year-old girl named Ana. Ana was born with HIV and struggled with it throughout her childhood. When she was an infant at 3 years old, Anas mother died of the disease and her father died not too long after. As a result, Ana and her sister had to move to their grandparents house where they were abused. Ana was told how she would be made fun of if she let the secret out, so no one was notified of her disease. Later as a teen, Ana was taken to an HIV house where she met Berto, an individual whom she trusted deeply. She became pregnant and had a baby at 17-years-old, while struggling with HIV. That was when Ana began her journey of hope. This story is very heartbreaking, but at the same time inspirational. Ana is an extremely brave girl and she has helped increase awareness for HIV/AIDS. I would recommend this nonfiction book to everyone, especially teenage girls. This story really made me realize how lucky I am.

Reader reviewed by Mary

Ana is young when death first comes visiting. The first to die is her younger sister. Then her mother. And a while after, her father. All of them died of AIDS. Ana's grandmother warns her to never tell anyone her secret: that she has AIDS. And Ana doesn't. But she has another secret. A secret that she must tell and she chooses to tell her grandmother. Her grandmother's boyfriend has been abusing her and her sister. But her grandmother refuses to believe her and soon Ana is sent to another home. At each place she goes it seems as if she is not wanted and yet Ana remains hopeful against all odds and courageous against any adversity. Truly the most amazing thing about this book is Ana's ability to remain hopeful.


Jenna Bush is not the strongest writer along she does get the message across. The chapters are easy to read so reluctant readers should pick this book up for a touching and informative read.

Reader reviewed by Grace

Ana's Story is a touching story about a girl who had a tough life from the start: she was born with HIV into an unstable family. Even though she encountered many difficulties, she remained hopeful and enjoyed all the little moments she had.

Ana's story really struck me because I was never really aware of the impact of the AIDS epidemic in Latin America. It really made me realize how lucky I am here in America. Everyone should read this book in order to learn more about the difficulties that children who grow up with HIV go through. The only thing I didn't like about the story is that I thought it was aimed at teenagers, when the language and writing style is really more suited for children.

Reader reviewed by Jocelyn

I picked up this book with an open mind. To say I disapprove of Jenna Bushs father is an understatement, but I still picked this up knowing that she is not her father, and the book could be just as good as any other book from a new author.

I do believe that Jenna Bushs intentions in writing this young adult novel were good. She volunteered with UNICEF and wanted to write a novel based on a girl she met while volunteering, to share important messages about HIV/AIDS with children and young adults.

The story itself is heartfelt. Ana is a girl who has lived all her life with HIV, and it has been a hard life. She was only a small child when her parents died. She was abused by relatives. She was taught that people would treat her badly if she told them about her illness. Her story is not uncommon.

I admire Jenna Bush for being able to actually finish a 200+ page novel. However, this is not something that should have actually been published.

While the authors intentions and message were good and heartfelt, the writing itself was too simple for a book aimed at eight year olds, much less one targeting high school students. As I read, I kept thinking, show, not tell! Isnt that pretty basic for novelists? Havent we all heard that? If Jenna Bush has heard it, its not advice she cared to follow.

Her characters are flat. The dialogue is wooden. The novel actually contains sentences such as these:
Ana understood now that the truth was always better than secrets or lies.*
Ana started to develop more serious feelings for Guillermo.*
The first sentence seems like it belongs in a book for small children with heavy-handed morals. Either Jenna Bush really thinks in such small words and simple sentences, or she is really talking down to her intended audience of ages 14 and up (as it says on the back of the book). The second is a perfect example of show, not tell. Neither one is particularly unique in its badness, and neither one belongs in a published novel for which the author is rumored to have gotten a six-figure advance. That HarperCollins would publish this trainwreck of a first novel seriously lowers my opinion of the company. Dont waste your time on this one.

The photography was nice, though. And there will be color pictures in the finished book. I enjoyed that part. If you just flip through and look at the pictures, its a very nice book!