Positive by Paige Rawl
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| Goodreads.com |
When I opened to the first page and saw that Jay Asher had written the forward for Paige Rawl's story, Positive, I knew that this book had the potential to be book review worthy.
Summary from Goodreads:
In this compelling and compulsively readable memoir, nineteen-year-old Paige Rawl tells the story of how she was mercilessly bullied in middle school...and how she overcame the ordeal to change her world for the better.
In this astonishing memoir, Paige tells a story that is both deeply personal and completely universal—one that will resonate deeply with the thousands of children and adults whose lives have been touched by bullying.
Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth…but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. It never prevented her from entering beauty pageants or playing soccer or making the honor role.
On an unremarkable day in middle school, while attempting to console a friend, Paige disclosed her HIV-positive status—and within hours the bullying began. She was called "PAIDS," first in whispers, then out in the open. Her soccer coach joked that she was an asset because opposing team members would be too afraid to touch her. Her guidance counselor told her to stop all the “drama,” and her principal said she couldn’t protect her. One night, desperate for escape, Paige swallowed fifteen sleeping pills—one for each year of her life to date. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning.
The gripping first-person account of Paige’s life will pull in even the most reluctant readers of nonfiction, and her call to action to choose compassion over cruelty will stay with them long after they turn the last page.
I can't say enough "Positive" about this book. This is one of those memoirs that I plan to share with others for a long time. I was pulled in from the beginning and couldn't stop reading until I got to the end.
And if people hate me for something that they can't even see, what chance to other kids-the ones who have things you can see-have? What about a kid who is overweight, or who has terrible acne? Who walks with a limp or, God forbid, has some sort of facial deformity? How about a kid who stutters, or whose clothes don't fit in, or who is too short or too tall, or who wears glasses, or whose skin is a different color?
What about a kid like Louis?
When you stopped to think about it, there were so many reasons that one person could choose to hate another person.
If a completely invisible virus was an excuse to turn me into an outcast, then what about all those other differences that exist between people-hair color and skin color and nose shape and body type and physical challenges and even just plain personal style? But aren't we supposed to be different? Aren't we always told that we should be comfortable being exactly who we are?...
...Lila was angry. She was filled with hate.
There would never be anything I could do about that. So there was no reason to waste my energy trying to change it. (p. 206-207)
If you are a educator, parent, or teen, you need to read this story. What Paige Rawl had to go through throughout middle school and high school is inexcusable. No child should ever feel that being bullied is their fault. Even in her darkest hours, when she had almost no hope for happiness left, Paige Rawl finds the strength to survive and speak out against this type of cruelty in the world. Take a moment and learn more about Paige - her perseverance, her faith in humanity, and her utter will to not let the bad guys win. I don't hand out 5 stars too often, but this one got my vote!
In this astonishing memoir, Paige tells a story that is both deeply personal and completely universal—one that will resonate deeply with the thousands of children and adults whose lives have been touched by bullying.
Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth…but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. It never prevented her from entering beauty pageants or playing soccer or making the honor role.
On an unremarkable day in middle school, while attempting to console a friend, Paige disclosed her HIV-positive status—and within hours the bullying began. She was called "PAIDS," first in whispers, then out in the open. Her soccer coach joked that she was an asset because opposing team members would be too afraid to touch her. Her guidance counselor told her to stop all the “drama,” and her principal said she couldn’t protect her. One night, desperate for escape, Paige swallowed fifteen sleeping pills—one for each year of her life to date. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning.
The gripping first-person account of Paige’s life will pull in even the most reluctant readers of nonfiction, and her call to action to choose compassion over cruelty will stay with them long after they turn the last page.
I can't say enough "Positive" about this book. This is one of those memoirs that I plan to share with others for a long time. I was pulled in from the beginning and couldn't stop reading until I got to the end.
My favorite part in the book:
...And that's when I realized something: Lila hated me for something she couldn't even see. I mean, my HIV was completely and totally invisible. Anyone looking at me on the street would think I was just a regular kid. They would never know -they never do know- that there's anything different about some of my cells.And if people hate me for something that they can't even see, what chance to other kids-the ones who have things you can see-have? What about a kid who is overweight, or who has terrible acne? Who walks with a limp or, God forbid, has some sort of facial deformity? How about a kid who stutters, or whose clothes don't fit in, or who is too short or too tall, or who wears glasses, or whose skin is a different color?
What about a kid like Louis?
When you stopped to think about it, there were so many reasons that one person could choose to hate another person.
If a completely invisible virus was an excuse to turn me into an outcast, then what about all those other differences that exist between people-hair color and skin color and nose shape and body type and physical challenges and even just plain personal style? But aren't we supposed to be different? Aren't we always told that we should be comfortable being exactly who we are?...
...Lila was angry. She was filled with hate.
There would never be anything I could do about that. So there was no reason to waste my energy trying to change it. (p. 206-207)
If you are a educator, parent, or teen, you need to read this story. What Paige Rawl had to go through throughout middle school and high school is inexcusable. No child should ever feel that being bullied is their fault. Even in her darkest hours, when she had almost no hope for happiness left, Paige Rawl finds the strength to survive and speak out against this type of cruelty in the world. Take a moment and learn more about Paige - her perseverance, her faith in humanity, and her utter will to not let the bad guys win. I don't hand out 5 stars too often, but this one got my vote!
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