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A review by kristing91_
It Happened to Nancy: By an Anonymous Teenager, a True Story from Her Diary by Beatrice Sparks
4.0
It Happened to Nancy is the cautionary tale of high school-er, Nancy, and her battle with HIV. Through a series of unfortunate events, Nancy meets Collin at a Garth Brooks concert. She falls head over feet for the older boy, and soon is consumed by him. Readers are aware that something just isn't right with Collin - and we soon find out why. This 'diary' is gripping and heartbreaking, although at points it's very disturbing. Nancy doesn’t shy away from detail when she tells her ‘diary’ about what is happening to her body – some events may be too graphic for young readers.
Being a part of the medical field, I can appreciate the light the book sheds on HIV/AIDS. The facts are straight forward and to the point; packing the punch I think everyone needs to really understand the depths of this disease. Do I think this is an actual diary of a 14 year old who falls for the wrong boy, only to come away with serious baggage that completely flip-twists-turns her life around? No. When compared to Sparks' other anon teen 'diary', Go Ask Alice, the voice of both girls is the same. Both girls suffer the same fate, though, from different reasons - and Sparks miraculously stumbled upon these diaries. This idea seems too farfetched. Do I think that maybe Sparks took different points in the news and packaged them all together in a neat little bow, to compile this novel? Yes. The point is however; that there are tons of Nancy's out there in the world - being taken advantage of when they aren't old enough to understand physical love and its sometimes fatal consequences.
I think 'Nancy's' story should be a part of every Health Education curriculum. Health statistics may have changed since this novel was originally published, but the fact remains the same. People die every day from HIV/AIDS - we just need to learn how to adequately protect ourselves, and our children.
Being a part of the medical field, I can appreciate the light the book sheds on HIV/AIDS. The facts are straight forward and to the point; packing the punch I think everyone needs to really understand the depths of this disease. Do I think this is an actual diary of a 14 year old who falls for the wrong boy, only to come away with serious baggage that completely flip-twists-turns her life around? No. When compared to Sparks' other anon teen 'diary', Go Ask Alice, the voice of both girls is the same. Both girls suffer the same fate, though, from different reasons - and Sparks miraculously stumbled upon these diaries. This idea seems too farfetched. Do I think that maybe Sparks took different points in the news and packaged them all together in a neat little bow, to compile this novel? Yes. The point is however; that there are tons of Nancy's out there in the world - being taken advantage of when they aren't old enough to understand physical love and its sometimes fatal consequences.
I think 'Nancy's' story should be a part of every Health Education curriculum. Health statistics may have changed since this novel was originally published, but the fact remains the same. People die every day from HIV/AIDS - we just need to learn how to adequately protect ourselves, and our children.