Auma's Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo*

Auma's dream is to receive a track scholarship so she may attend high school and then pursue a medical doctor degree.  Most girls in her small Kenyan village, however, marry after year eight of school.  Auma does not have time for boys as she studies, attends track practice and helps at home. 
Auma and her siblings' world is devastated when her father returns unexpectedly from Nairobi where he works and is very ill.  He dies from AIDS and has infected his wife.  Soon Auma and her siblings are orphans trying to survive and still attend school. Are Auma's dreams of being a track star and doctor -just that-dreams?
This book really reveals how traumatizing and devastating the AIDS epidemic was in Africa.  Ms. Odhiambo grew up in Kenya in the 1980's and 1990's so she was able to write a compelling story that immerses the reader in the culture and the epidemic.
A necessary book to broaden readers' worldview. 
*Highly recommend for older readers (see warnings/points to discuss).
Warnings/points to discuss: Auma begins her menstruation cycle; Her father had a mistress in the city which was how he became infected; older men in the village try to prey on virgin/younger girls to have sexual relations; death from AIDS  *The library has this book categorized as "young adult" fiction.
-Borrowed from the library.