Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - November 7, 2007
Jaweed Kaleem, jkaleem@MiamiHerald.com
Compared to the opening night anti-President Bush tirade by Rosie O'Donnell to kick off the Miami Book Fair International last weekend, Tuesday night's speech and book reading by presidential daughter-turned-humanitarian Jenna Bush was a calm affair.
There were no protesters or Q&A session. A quiet and mostly older crowd of about 300 trickled into the Chapman Conference Center at Miami Dade College's downtown campus to see Bush, 25, speak about her experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean working with orphans and children with AIDS, interspersed with readings from Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope (HarperCollins, $18.99), which she wrote about an HIV-positive teenager she met while an intern for the United Nations Children's Fund.
It turned out that Sara Bulnes, first in line at 4:30 p.m. -- three hours ahead of Bush's engagement -- didn't have to come so early after all.
The room was about half empty, and all comers were able to get inside after slipping through a metal detector under Secret Service watch -- a treatment most authors speaking at the fair's "An Evening With . . . " series don't get.
Bulnes, of Coral Gables, had a ticket but said she "didn't like crowds."
"I haven't read the book," she said. "But I have an interest in presidential politics."
Bush avoided any mention of her father. It was clear that the night -- which included a short video about poverty and HIV/AIDS that Bush narrated -- was about the children she's trying to help. A part of the proceeds from the book sales go back to UNICEF efforts in Latin America.
"I really recommend getting educated about HIV/AIDS," she said. "It's not just in Latin America; it's not just in Africa; the stigma is here, too."
Ron Rigli, 57, an art teacher from West Palm Beach, said he didn't come particularly for Bush's humanitarian message but said he was "impressed" with her words. A signature collector, he bought five copies of the book and waited in line for Bush to sign them.
"It was worth the trip," Rigli said. "I usually just collect, but I think I might read this one."
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