Ana was born infected with HIV, and her life has been colored by the shame of that, coupled with the pain of living with abusive relatives after the death of her mother from AIDS.

Although the book targets teens, the text seems written for much younger children. Like many new writers, Jenna Bush seems to think of "children's books" as employing a one-size-fits-all writing style. Still, that does mean the book should be readable by high-risk teens who may struggle with reading books written for their age group. Plus, the lovely photographs should help keep readers involved through the long narrative.

In structure, the book feels like a very long magazine article made up of a case study, followed by information about the issue, and how the reader can get involved to help. Because Ana's Story is predominantly "telling" instead of showing, it is a little hard to become emotionally invested in Ana and her suffering, and the book does seem to drag in places. However, it is a good basic introduction to HIV information and an interesting glimpse into how HIV/AIDS affects individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean. A portion of the proceeds from sale of the book will go to UNICEF, making it a worthy effort for a cause.