The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (Hiv) Positive

I have read Marvelyn's book and like many people who wrote these reviews, have not met her in person, but I speak to her on the phone (I've booked her for speaking engagements). This book is Marvelyn in person (at least on the phone). As I read the book with the raw language I could hear Marvelyn speaking the word with her southern drawl. I believe as others do that this book should be on every teenager's and yound adult's reading list. It embraces the many aspects of teenage life, divorced parents, affects of drug use on a family, etc. I can't applaud Marvelyn enough for putting this out there. I have passed the book along to some teenaged girls who don't usually enjoy reading, but this book kept their interest and they finished it and enjoyed. But most of all.....they talked about the content. WAY TO GO MARVELYN!!!!!! If you haven't bought this book yet...GO OUT AND GET IT FOR YOURSELF, DAUGHTERS, SONS, NEPHEWS, SISTERS, COUSINS, ETC. and no, its not only for the African-American audience she speaks of her encounters with other HIV/AIDs infected people who are not African-Americans....SO GO GET IT. CONGRATULATIONS MARVELYN!!!!

Although I am old enough to be Ms. Brown's mother I found her book very touching and eye opening.-VERY! When I closed the book at the end I just had to sit and take a deep breath. At 19 that could have been any of us and Im sure it is many of us. I could not believe how forgiving she was of "Prince Charming"-WOW! I also wish Ms. Brown would have had a better relationship with her mother....not to mention her father. I believe that had alot to do with her choices. Such a "moving" truth. In closing I wont say this is a "good book" simply because there is such tragedy involved ( to me) but it is a MUST READ!!!!

First, I really enjoyed this book. There is nothing better than telling "The Naked Truth". When I get the chance to meet Ms. Marvelyn,I will give her a friendly hug because she is very special. I believe that she was placed here on earth to tell this story. Her story was very entertaining and educational at the same time. I watched her when she made an appearance on 106 and Park. I really admire Ms.Brown for sharing her personal life story with the whole world. This book was well worth the price at the bookstore. This book should be at every library around the world. This story is a prime example of how PEOPLE will turn their backs on you just when you need them most! It also shows how people will fight reality even when it means lying to loved ones. Even today in (2008), PEOPLE are still very uneducated about HIV and AIDS. It surprises me that so many adults fail to educated themselves on AIDS. The bottom line is that PEOPLE are so focused on LIFE and not the REALITY of it. Over all, I enjoyed this book and will continue to pass it along. THANKS MARVELYN

First, I'll deal with the misleading part. The product description states that Ms. Brown is a non-promiscuous young woman. I take issue with the 'non-promiscuous' part. If Ms. Brown had not caught HIV from Prince Charming, she very easily could have caught it from one of her many other sexual partners. The definition of promiscuous is having multiple sexual partners. By definition, Ms. Brown was indeed promiscuous. THAT is how she caught HIV. Her message is that everyone, even non-promiscuous heterosexuals, are at risk. That message is very important. She should not jeopardize that message by trying to pretend she was being chaste and still caught HIV. One last issue I had with the book: I think this message needs to reach everyone, not just African-American females. Her language is raw. That may jeopardize her message by turning some people off before they have a chance to finish the book. Having said that, let me reiterate the importance of her message. Actually, there is more than one message. She talks about the impact of suicide, the impact of growing up without the presence of a father-figure, the long-term impact of decisions one might make in high school, and the impact of low self-esteem (self-love)- all while sending the message that being HIV+ does not need to be a death sentence. All of these messages are so important and she does a great job of getting those messages across. I used the book last night to have a discussion with my daughters. Ms. Brown's words are more eloquent than mine, so I actually read out loud from the book. Her message that suicide does NOT send the message you may intend is extremely powerful. I read that to my girls. I read to them the myths and realities of AIDS. That was a very easy and non-awkward way to pass this information on and discuss some unusual topics. We also read together the AIDS facts that are included in the back of the book. These were very informational and very helpful. Please hand a copy of this book to every young woman you know who does not have the parental guidance she needs. Make a gift of this book to your public library, your school's guidance counselors, and to your church leaders. For those of you with children: I recommend you read the book before you hand it to your teenagers.

I rec'd my book in the mail Monday evening. I didn't get around to reading it until late which means I stayed up all night long reading it until early Tuesday morning. This book is so inspirational and i'm so proud of this young lady putting this book out here. Watching her on CNN's Black in America and hearing her story and her purpose-I knew I wanted to support her by purchasing the book. Everybody has a little piece of Marvelyn Brown in them be it, the desire to be loved, the desire to want to leave a legacy, and the hope to break stereotypes. I must say that if you or someone you know needs inspiration...GET THIS BOOK. It's a bold story and it's the TRUTH!