Chanda's Secrets

This week I read the book Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton. While this book is young adult literature (it won the Michael L. Printz Honor Book award), it deals with a very serious topic. The story revolves around Chanda, a sixteen year-old girl living in an unnamed Sub-Saharan African country. Chanda has a hard life. Her father and brothers die, then her sister dies, then AIDS hits her family and her community. Along the way Chanda learns to deal with the horrible realites of life while trying to make the best life possible for her family and friends. For Chanda this is often difficult since life has given her a huge sack of lemons and few ways to make lemonade. Ultimately, this story is about not being afraid.

It took me longer than it should have to finish this book mostly because it was so sad. Allan Stratton does an excellent job of describing the phobias many Africans had and have about HIV/AIDS. I would suggest that you go out and by this book, especially since proceeds from the sale go to help Africans suffering with HIV/AIDS.

Books Read in 2006:
Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Princess in Training by Meg Cabot
Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot
Project Princess by Meg Cabot
Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
Princess in Love by Meg Cabot
Sorceress by Celia Rees
Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte