Auma's Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo

Auma lives in a small town in Kenya.  Her father works in Nairobi, and only comes home occasionally, but makes enough money there that she and her siblings can attend school.  One time when her father comes home, he is acting ill.  When his sickness doesn't go away, Auma begins to fear that it is the same "new" sickness, they call slim, that has taken so many lives in her small village.

This is a really interesting look at the toll that HIV has taken in Kenya and other areas of Africa.  After reading the book, I looked up statistics, and the numbers are staggering.  In Kenya, 1/3 of all prostitutes has AIDS, so if a man visits one, it is worse than Russian Roulette.  Then he goes home, and gives it to his wife.  As a result, both parents die and orphans are left to fend for themselves.  The book also talks about how young girls, as soon as they reach puberty, are sexual targets because of a false belief that a man can cure AIDS by sleeping with a virgin. 

This all sounds terribly depressing, and it is, but the author (who grew up in Kenya) manages to make the story palatable and hopeful because Auma has a possible way out.  Still, parents should probably read this book first before offering it to anyone younger than 13, or even a older child who is very sensitive. (2017, 298 p)