At Risk is a 1988 book by

Alice Hoffman Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952) is an American novelist and Young adult literature, young-adult and Children's literature, children's writer, best known for her 1995 novel ''Practical Magic (novel), Practical Magic'', which was adapted for ...

about Amanda, an 11-year-old girl who contracts

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

from a

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's Circulatory system, circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used ...

Characters

*Amanda Farrell *Polly - Amanda's mother *Ivan - Amanda's father *Charlie - Amanda's brother *Jessie Eagan - Amanda's best friend *Sevrin - Charlie's best friend *Laurel Smith - medium, friend to Amamda *Linda Gleason - Principal of the Cheshire School

Plot

Amanda lives with a typical suburban family in the town of Morrow, Massachusetts until she comes down with a fever and a blood test for HIV returns as positive. She contracted it from an unscreened blood transfusion during surgery, 5 years before. Her world is turned upside down. As the news spreads, other parents, fearful of their own children catching the disease, cut off contact with the family. Fear spreads among her peers, who are uneducated as to the nature of sex and believe that AIDS can be spread by skin contact or using the same toilet seat. Her principal decides to counter this by giving the whole school a class-by-class sex education talk. Amanda eventually becomes weaker and weaker; she has to give up gymnastics because of this and because of parental fears that using the same equipment could spread the virus to her teammates. She becomes bitter and disillusioned, becoming friends with Laurel, a medium. She decides to have her braces removed, and her father locates a pediatric orthodontist who will see an AIDS patient. While Amanda's death is portrayed to be inevitable, the novel concludes with an open ending - the special friendship between Charlie and Sevrin.

Setting

This book is set in the contemporary 1980s, a time when little was publicly known about HIV/AIDS or how it was spread.

Reaction

Reviews of the novel were positive, and it was a Main Selection of the

Book of the Month Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ch ...

. However, it attracted controversy and was referred to as "that AIDS novel" in publishing circles. The film rights were acquired by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

References

External links

* *{{cite news, last1=Eder, first1=Richard, title=Their Little Gymnast Has AIDS : AT RISK by Alice Hoffman (G. P. Putnam's Sons: $17.95; 210 pp.), url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-10-bk-9187-story.html, work=L.A. times, date=July 10, 1988 1988 American novels HIV/AIDS in literature Novels set in Massachusetts G. P. Putnam's Sons books