Ryan White My Own Story Author:Ryan White, Ann Marie Cunningham The late AIDS sufferer describes how he contracted the virus; the negative response of his friends and neighbors in his home town of Kokomo, Indiana; his battle to reenter school; and his fight to educate people about the disease. Reprint. NYT.
This book was on my daughters 7th grade summer reading list. Her assignment was to write a book review/analysis (not book report) for each of the assigned books. This book was by far her favorite assignment. Children her age can be naïve about discrimination. At 13 years old, the world she knows is so different (and more tolerant) than the generation before. It was eye opening for her. Not only from the discrimination and ignorance about AIDS that once existed, but she also was reminded about how fortunate we are to be so healthy. Because the book is written from Ryans perspective, she was able to identify with him in many ways.