It Happened to Nancy

Title: It Happened to Nancy
Author: Anonymous, edited by Beatrice Sparks
Publisher: Avon Books
Price: $6.99 USD PB
Release: 1994, republished with new info in 2004
FTC: This is my own book that I purchased. I did not receive it from a publisher or author.

Grade: Because this was a girl’s real life story I feel wrong judging the plot and such. There for I will give this an A because it taught me so much new stuff.

Sexual content: 10/20
Violence: 5/20
Drugs: 1/20
Underage drinking: 10/20
Swearing: 5 /20
Total rating: 13+

Summary: (Amazon)
Fourteen-year-old Nancy, an asthmatic, meets 18-year-old Collin, a gentle, caring young man who appears to be the answer to her dreams--until he rapes her, leaving her HIV-infected. In spite of her rapid decline, explained in a note at the beginning of the book, as the result of her weakened immune system, Nancy leads a full, poignantly happy life because of the loving support of both friends and family.

My Thoughts:
I felt that this was an important book to read from the second I saw it. There has always been controversy around wither the books of Beatrice Sparks were in fact real teen diaries or simply her imagination. After reading this I conclude that they were real. There were too many big holes that were left unfilled; any “author” would have filled them. It was written in the over dramatic tone of a teenage girl. I am not by any means saying AIDS should be taken lightly, I’m saying that the smaller aspects in this book were over dramatized.

I liked how the main plot started off right away; we weren’t left to read many pages of pointless diary entries. I do think all teens should read this and not just girls. We all think we are invincible, that we won’t get AIDS but you don’t know that. The chances of getting raped and contracting AIDS from the person who raped you are very slim but wouldn’t it be better to be aware if you were that one in a million? I learned so much from this book. I consider myself pretty wise when it comes to teen’s health but I realized AIDS was not something I stopped to think about, ever. I wasn’t planning on getting it so why waste my time? Chances are you know someone who has HIV/AIDS or will have HIV/AIDS. Get educated!

Quotes:
“I don’t even love or want myself.” -Nancy