The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive [Paperback]

Marvelyn Brown (Author), Courtney Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2008

The surprisingly hopeful story of how a straight, nonpromiscuous, everyday girl contracted HIV and how she manages to stay upbeat, inspired, and more positive about life than ever before

At nineteen years of age, Marvelyn Brown was lying in a stark white hospital bed at Tennessee Christian Medical Center, feeling hopeless. A former top track and basketball athlete, she was in the best shape of her life, but she was battling a sudden illness in the intensive care unit. Doctors had no idea what was going on. It never occurred to Brown that she might be HIV positive.

Having unprotected sex with her Prince Charming had set into swift motion a set of circumstances that not only landed her in the fight of her life, but also alienated her from her community. Rather than give up, however, Brown found a reason to fight and a reason to live.

The Naked Truth is an inspirational memoir that shares how an everyday teen refused to give up on herself, even as others would forsake her. More, it's a cautionary tale that every parent, guidance counselor, and young adult should read.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Marvelyn Brown takes a bold approach to speak to our youth with enough honesty and frankness, everybody should be listening! She is an inspiration to men and women everywhere!” (Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges )

“Make a note to add The Naked Truth; Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive by Marvelyn Brown to your bookshelf. In this poignant account, Brown 24, provides a cautionary tale about how she became HIV-positive at 19.” (Essence )

Be inspired by this true story of a 19-year old who contracted the HIV virus from her longtime monogamous boyfriend and became an Emmy Award winning advocate for HIV awareness. (Upscale )

About the Author

Marvelyn Brown is a native Tennessean who works with numerous HIV/AIDS outreach groups. She has extensive radio and television experience, including appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV, BET, and The Tavis Smiley Show. She's also appeared in Newsweek, Ebony, and Real Health magazines. Her public-service announcement for Think MTV won an Emmy Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061562394
• ISBN-13: 978-0061562396
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelously Bold, Inspirational, Entertaining, and The Truth, August 21, 2008

By 

B. Joy "Joyful Reader" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive (Paperback)

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!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR TEENS....., September 15, 2008

By 

MoJazz "MoJz" (Collierville TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive (Paperback)

I was introduced to Ms. Marvelyn Brown and her story during CNN's 'Black in America' special that aired in July. Marvelyn Brown and Courtney Martin have written a book that is both riveting and shocking in it's candid description of the choices and events that led to Ms. Brown's positive HIV test.

The authors have shined a light on the continuing ignorance and naiveté of many people in this country as it relates to understanding HIV. Marvelyn's story could be the difference between a positive and negative test for a lot of sexually active teens (and adults) in this country.

I pray that many will read this book and share this story with people they love. It is truly a cautionary tale.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, but a little misleading, August 28, 2008

By 

L. Armstrong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive (Paperback)

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.