South Carolina: Graphic Novel Authors Hope to Prevent HIV/AIDS

Two University of South Carolina (USC) School of Library and Information Science researchers have helped incarcerated teenaged students write a 30-page graphic novel titled "AIDS in the End Zone." The 15- to 19-year-old incarcerated students are from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. The students created the fictional story of a high school football player who will do anything to recoup his starting quarterback position, including attempting to get his rival infected with HIV. USC Assistant Professor Karen Gavigan, Associate Professor Kendra Albright, and illustrator Sarah Petrulis all worked with the students to write the novel. "We wanted the book to be written by the target audience ... [and] in the local vernacular," declared Albright. The book is written by and for South Carolina teenagers to educate other teens about HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of the disease.