Positively
“When my mother died, I imagined God was thinking,’One down, and one to go.’”
Emerson Price cannot remember a time when life was ordinary. She was four years old when she and her mom were diagnosed as HIV-positive — infected with the virus that causes AIDS — and eight when her parents divorced. Now she is thirteen and her mother is dead. Emmy moves in with her father and stepmother, but she feels completely alone. Even though everyone has always accept… More >>
Emerson Price has had a tough life so far. When she was young, her mother got sick from HIV, which eventually turned into AIDS. Then Emmy’s mother and father found out that Emmy had it, too. She got it while her mother was pregnant with her.
Emerson is now 13 and her mother has just died from AIDS. She was always okay with having HIV when her mother was alive, because her mom knew what it was like. Her father never understood and he ended up divorcing Emmy’s mother because the stress was just too much. Now, her father is re-married to a woman named Meg, and she’s pregnant. Since Emmy’s mother is no longer there, she has to go live with her father – and Emmy doesn’t know what to think about it. She just wants her mother back, that’s all.
She feels like she can’t trust anyone to be her real friend. She thinks that everyone just feels sorry for the sick girl. Now that her mother is gone, she feels like her best friend is just hanging out with her because she pities her, which is not the case at all. So Emmy starts to push her away.
When things start getting worse her stepmother, Meg, finds out about a camp called Camp Positive. It is a camp for kids who are HIV positive. Emmy’s father makes her go, even though it’s the last thing that she wants to do. She has every intention of not opening up to anyone at the camp. But when she arrives there she meets a girl named Whitney who she ends up having a connection with. Soon, Emmy starts to open up because of Whitney and actually lets some emotion out.
POSITIVELY was such a heart-wrenching story. The whole time I couldn’t help but feel bad for Emerson. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what living with HIV would be like, especially when you’re that young and have just lost your mother. I didn’t even think she’d really give Camp Positive a chance at all, but was surprised to find out that she actually made a friend there.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes sad but in the end uplifting stories. This really was a great read and a page-turner. It is also based off the author’s experience with the Elizabeth Glaser AIDS Foundation, so that makes this book even more real to me.
Reviewed by: Breanna F.
Rating: 5 / 5
Positively is a touching, heart-wrenching, and breathtaking look into one girl’s life that has been completely transformed since the age of four by three little letters- HIV.
Emmy, or Emerson, was girl who constantly awed me with her braveness and honesty towards the life she has been dealt. Since I know if I was the one dealing with all of her problems I would be hiding in the corner somewhere crying. But not Emmy; she goes far and above to make sense of her life, allowing her to create her life to be the best it can be, even when her weakness and freight gets in the way. Plus, her voice is one that just sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading her story. The other characters who were facing the harrowing trouble of being HIV infested were the same way; going far beyond to completely gain my respect and support with their braveness.
While the plot wasn’t always the most exciting thing out there, Courtney made it magnificent with her writing. Since time after time she made the characters come to life and jump of the page. Further more, I seriously applaud her for giving us such a honest and blunt look into living with AIDS. Since not once did she sugarcoat it into being something that it wasn’t.
In all, Positively is a book that I feel everyone should read no matter what age you are because it gives you such a great look in the life of one with HIV, and the message that no matter who you are and what you’ve been dealt with you can always make you life the best it can be if you try.
Grade: A+
Rating: 5 / 5
Sheinmel’s second novel is extremely good and deals with an issue I don’t think I’ve ever seen tackled in a children’s book. Emmy is a great character to read about and her emotions and reactions are so realistic that it felt like I was reading a real story. I think my favorite part of the book was reading about Emmy’s experiences at Camp Positive and how she grows over the course of the six weeks there.
The book is a mixture of humor, heart, and tragedy, and ends with an uplifting feeling of hope. It’s hard to put down and I read it very quickly. Sheinmel’s prose is compelling and wonderful to read. Her descriptions and attention to detail is amazing and not overbearing at all; she knows when to stop with the details and so what’s there doesn’t bore you but it gives you more of an idea of who the characters are.
While the book may seem short, the font is actually pretty small compared to most YA and MG books (esp. MG). But the subject matter and the characters are what really make the story, not the length. I highly recommend this book, as well as Sheinmel’s first, My So-Called Family, and also, she’s donating some of the proceeds from this book to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which is always a good thing.
Rating: 5 / 5
Emerson is HIV-positive, having acquired it from her mother during the pregnancy. When she was eight, her parents got divorced. Emmy stayed with her mom, and the two became extremely close. Five years later, shortly after she finishes seventh grade and turns thirteen, Emmy’s world turns upside down. Her mom passes away from AIDS. Emmy has to go live with her father and stepmother, who are expecting a child. With only the best of intentions, they send Emmy to Camp Positive, a summer camp for young girls who are HIV-positive.
Emmy is reluctant to attend Camp Positive. She doesn’t want to be constantly reminded of what’s in her blood, what killed her mother – the only thing her mother ever gave her that neither of them would have wanted for her or anyone else. Then she realizes that she’s surrounded by people who get it. Unlike her best friend at home, Nicole, the kids at camp understand what it’s like to have to take pills every day and to have blood drawn and tested and checked on a regular basis. They know what it’s like to be cautious, and to be scared. At the same time, they aren’t always frozen by fear. They can laugh, and have fun, and eat junk food, and be kids. They can have a life that doesn’t wholly revolve around their illnesses or their worries. Without meaning to, she starts to enjoy camp. Without realizing it, she starts to enjoy life again. She makes new friends. She reaches out. She learns how to be brave.
Emmy’s story isn’t just about being sick, but about being well. It isn’t just about losing a mother, but loving and remembering her, always. This is a camp story, a summer story, a survivor’s story, and a daughter’s story all wrapped up in one.
Courtney Sheinmel’s second novel, Positively, is as thought-provoking and memorable as her first, My So-Called Family. Both accurately capture the voices of young teens as they try to navigate their ways through the world, creating their own paths even as they discover the legacies created by their parents. Both novels are pitch-perfect for their target audience of early teens.
Positively answers questions about AIDS and HIV truthfully and gracefully, without ever being racy or disrespectful. As Courtney was moved to get involved with The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation after reading a magazine article when she herself was a teenager, may this novel move readers to become likewise educated and involved.
If you enjoyed Positively, you should pick up The Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando, another touching story following a teenage girl through her first summer without her mother. (Note that Pursuit is for a slightly older audience, as the main character, Betsy, is an incoming senior in high school.) You should also get Courtney Sheinmel’s wonderful debut novel, My So-Called Family, as noted above.
Rating: 5 / 5
As Founder and CEO of One Heartland (formely Camp Heartland), since 1993 I have had the privilege of working with over 4000 children and teenagers affected by HIV/AIDS at various summer camps and other programs. With that in mind, I started reading POSITIVELY with great anticipation. From the first page, I was captivated and deeply moved by the writing of Courtney Sheinmel. Emmy reminded me of any number of our teenaged campers. Not only does she face the heartwrenching loss of her mother but must also deal with the reality that she shares the same life threatening virus as her late mother. Adolescence is already challenging but HIV poses additional hardships including isolation, self-doubt and depression. Emmy’s journey from emptiness to hope is one I will never forget. Through Sheinmel’s honest and thoughtful writing, what could have been a depressing read intead is truly a journey of hope.
I highly recommend POSITIVELY. Through tears of both sadness and joy, you will be forever changed.
Neil Willenson
Founder and CEO
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Rating: 5 / 5