In a hospital bed in the living room of his apartment in New York City in 1987, Iris’s beloved father is dying of AIDS. Though she thinks about it constantly (“Dad. Is. Dying. Dad. Is. Dying.”), Iris (white) keeps her father’s illness a secret, knowing that the virus instills fear and prejudice in so many. The secret keeps her two friends, Will and Toby, at arm’s length, though she does confide in an understanding new friend, Julian. While her dad’s partner, J. R., is gentle and kind, Iris is stubbornly determined not to like him too much. Her parents divorced after her dad came out as gay, but her obstetrician mom still helps care for him. Iris and her father have long written and exchanged acrostic poems; she takes comfort in these during his final days. After her dad’s passing, Iris wants to take action, to help educate the public, to help prevent further spread of AIDS. J. R. introduces her to his community of AIDS activists, and she and Julian—with the unexpected but welcome support of Iris’s other friends—attend ACT UP protests. Heartbreaking and vivid in its depiction of grief and anger, this novel is an eye-opening glimpse into the human tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Informative back matter provides additional context about the AIDS epidemic and ACT UP. (Ages 10-13)

An “inspiring” (Kirkus, starred review), “heartfelt” (The Horn Book, starred review) coming-of-age novel about a girl finding her way to activism in the early years of the AIDS pandemic, from award-winning author Ami Polonsky.
 
Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she’ll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that’s off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she’ll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange?

In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS—and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself.

Critically-acclaimed author Ami Polonsky has crafted a lyrical, tender, earth-shattering novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.