Positive: A Memoir

Paige Rawl · Ali Benjamin

Aug 2014 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

Paige Rawl was an ordinary girl.

Cheerleader, soccer player, honor roll student. One of the good kids at her middle school.

Then, on an unremarkable day, Paige disclosed the one thing that made her "different": her HIV-positive status.

It didn't matter that she was born with the disease or that her illness posed no danger to her classmates.

Within hours, the bullying began.

They called her PAIDS. Left cruel notes on her locker. Talked in whispers about her and mocked her openly.

She turned to school administrators for help. Instead of assisting her, they ignored her urgent pleas . . . and told her to stop the drama.

She had never felt more alone.

One night, desperate for escape, Paige found herself in front of the medicine cabinet, staring at a bottle of sleeping pills.

That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning.

Finding comfort in steadfast friends and a community of other kids touched by HIV, Paige discovered the strength inside of her, and she embarked on a mission to change things for the bullied kids who would follow in her footsteps.

In this astonishing memoir, Paige immerses the reader in her experience and tells a story that is both deeply personal and completely universal: a story of one girl overcoming relentless bullying by choosing to be Positive.

Ratings and reviews

I have the hard copy of this book and its honestly amazing so far. I can't put it down. I got bullied in grade school, and still do, a bit less though because I'm in highschool now and I don't see as many people from my school as before, but I can relate to how she feels. I recommend this book for all ages, its a true inspiration about a young girl who was born with HIV+ and gets bullied by the the one person she called a true friend. Once it spreads that Paige has HIV, the entire school turns on her...

So inspirational. Make you cringe yet to plough on, and by doing so, you not only discover her story, but ask yourself some hard questions with difficult answers, and in a sense, discover yourself.

Amazing book, Really opened my eyes about HIV and how it affects family. I would Definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an inspiring read.

About the author

Paige Rawl is an accomplished speaker and an inspirational figure for the tens of thousands of kids to whom she has spoken. Today, Paige is a national youth advocate, antibullying crusader, and powerful HIV/AIDS educator. Paige has been featured in multiple national media outlets, including USA Today, People magazine, Seventeen magazine, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, the Huffington Post, and Poz magazine. Since Paige was eight years old, she has participated enthusiastically in pageants. Most recently, Paige was Miss Indiana Teen Essence 2011 and Miss Indiana High School America 2012. She is currently a student at Ball State University, where she plans to study molecular biology. Ali Benjamin's work has appeared in print, online, and on television. She lives with her family in rural Massachusetts. Jay Asher's novel Thirteen Reasons Why, has appeared on the NYT bestseller list regularly in the last nine years. It was also one of the most challenged books of 2017, according to the American Library Association.