In Chanda's South African town, everyone knows about AIDS. Many people have it, but no one wants to acknowledge it. People die of accidents or suicide or tuberculosis or cancer, but never of aids - at least for public distribution. Chanda's stepfather has left and now her mother is sick. Her best friend is an orphan. Chanda wants to keep her head high and keep her family together. ( )

Booktalk: In Chanda's village there is a terrible secret that everyone knows and fears but no one wants to talk about. The secret is a disease and a lot of people in Chanda's village are sick with this disease. Now you would think if a lot of people are sick with the same disease that everyone would be talking about it. But Chanda and her neighbors don't dare say the name of this disease out loud. If someone in the family gets sick or dies, the family will say "she died of TB" or "he has cancer" or even "Mama's got her headaches again." No one wants to admit catching this secret disease because to admit it means that your friends and neighbors will stop talking to you and won't have anything to do with you. Even your own family might kick you out of the house when you're weak and dying and you'll be left alone in the street to take care of yourself...if you can. But no matter how much people lie and try to cover it up, everybody knows what's really going on. Chanda's baby sister died and then her stepfather and still the families are too ashamed to say out loud what happened. But when Chanda's mother gets sick Chanda doesn't want her to end up dying alone like so many others. If Chanda dares to speak the secret out loud, will anyone step up to help her? Or will everyone turn and look away?

This was a very moving book about the realities of living with AIDS and HIV positive in Africa. Chanda tries to keep her family together when the safer action would be to hide. ( )

This was a very moving book about the realities of living with AIDS and HIV positive in Africa. Chanda tries to keep her family together when the safer action would be to hide. ( )

This was a very moving book about the realities of living with AIDS and HIV positive in Africa. Chanda tries to keep her family together when the safer action would be to hide. ( )