Nineteen

"At nineteen, the idea that you have your whole life ahead of you with endless possibilities can leave you terrifyingly stiff. Autobiography blends with fiction in these coming-of-age stories about people reckoning with their place in their community and women coming to terms with other women. A boy living with HIV tries to decide how he's going to tell his parents-or whether he should tell them at all. A mother puts pressure on her daughter to pass her exams, and the stress of it all drives them both to drink, fueling a toxic relationship with a lot of care just below the ugly surface. Another girl keeps getting bruises, but who's inflicting the damage-herself or a loved one? Ancco expertly renders the moment of suspension between the desire to grow up and the fear that accompanies it."