Auma’s Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo - ADVISABLE

Odhiambo, Eucabeth Auma’s Long Run, 293 pages.  Carolrhoda (lerner), 2017.  $18.  Language: G; Mature Content: PG-13; VIolence: G.

Auma and her family have lived a good life in their small Kenyan village.  Her father’s job in the big city brings in good money, enough to send all of the children to school, even if it means he is gone all week.  But people around the village are dying and it is not a known illness.   When her father becomes ill, Auma wants to know what is going on, and learns a little about this new disease - AIDS.  After her father dies, life gets much more difficult; this could signal the end of all of Auma’s dreams.

Odhiambo grew up in a Kenyan village just like Auma’s at the beginning of the AIDS crisis in Africa.  The mature content is the discussion of where AIDS comes from, plus frank talk of folk remedies for men with AIDS.  This would be a great leeson paired with I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka.

MS, HS - ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher