Putting Risk in Perspective: Black Teenage Lives in the Era of AIDS

In the late-1990s young adults are contracting HIV more rapidly than virtually any period during the past two decades. Young black and Latin women are bearing the brunt of this wave of infection. This text explores the factors associated with HIV infection among young, black women. Drawing on ethnographic study and interviews, the author introduces to the reader many young women who are dealing with economic pressures, family relationships, dating and courtship, intimate relationship issues, and questions of sexual identity. These along with the mythology surrounding HIV and AIDS - and knowledge about contraception - influence whether or not a black teenager will engage in risky activity.