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aibibyreads's review against another edition
4.0
This is currently a book my son is reading in his class to learn about human trafficking. I decided to read the book alongside him in case he needed help and had any questions.
I must say this book is touching and it does a good job taking us on her journey as a young child through her experiences in this tough and horrific time in her life. This is a story that introduces us to what human trafficking is especially to young children. I think that the book isn’t too detailed, it detailed enough that you can see through Lakshmi’s eyes.
It is a well written book, and I would recommend this book for a young crowd to read and learn what abuse and human trafficking is.
I must say this book is touching and it does a good job taking us on her journey as a young child through her experiences in this tough and horrific time in her life. This is a story that introduces us to what human trafficking is especially to young children. I think that the book isn’t too detailed, it detailed enough that you can see through Lakshmi’s eyes.
It is a well written book, and I would recommend this book for a young crowd to read and learn what abuse and human trafficking is.
ellipsiscool's review against another edition
4.0
Lakshmi is a 12 year old girl full of possibility. She loves her baby brother and her Ama. She grows cucumbers in front of her mountain hut and wonders what Coca Cola tastes like because she has been told it's like tiny fireworks in the mouth. She is promised to young man in her village and she watches him from afar trying to determine what sort of husband he will be.
She wants to go to the city to work as a maid so she can send her family money for what we would consider the simplest things: a coat for the bay, the earrings her mother had to sell, shoes, and above all, a tin roof to keep the rains out. When her step father sells her to a city woman, Lakshmi thinks that is what is happening, but the truth is quite terrifying.
This young girl goes through unimaginable horrors and humiliation in a big city she does not understand. She struggles to keep her hope alive and in the end it pays off.
This is not the easiest story to read. Much of what she goes through is absolutely unbelievable. What the depths of greed can summon humans to do to each other is terrifying. The story does have a happy ending. I was cheering for her to find a way out and she did, yes she was helped by an American, but Amnesty International and similar groups do indeed liberate girls like this and I think we should celebrate that instead of scoffing because an American came to the rescue. Real life aid workers deserve our gratitude for helping members of our human family escape conditions like those described in "Sold."
She wants to go to the city to work as a maid so she can send her family money for what we would consider the simplest things: a coat for the bay, the earrings her mother had to sell, shoes, and above all, a tin roof to keep the rains out. When her step father sells her to a city woman, Lakshmi thinks that is what is happening, but the truth is quite terrifying.
This young girl goes through unimaginable horrors and humiliation in a big city she does not understand. She struggles to keep her hope alive and in the end it pays off.
This is not the easiest story to read. Much of what she goes through is absolutely unbelievable. What the depths of greed can summon humans to do to each other is terrifying. The story does have a happy ending. I was cheering for her to find a way out and she did, yes she was helped by an American, but Amnesty International and similar groups do indeed liberate girls like this and I think we should celebrate that instead of scoffing because an American came to the rescue. Real life aid workers deserve our gratitude for helping members of our human family escape conditions like those described in "Sold."
jgurniak's review against another edition
3.0
A very sad novel about a thirteen-year-old girl bring sold into prostitution.
acrickettofillthesilence's review against another edition
1.0
The things that bother me about this book:
I think the author was trying to be poetic,
or something,
when she indented at every comma,
and italicized every line.
But it wasn't.
It was just annoying.
I'm pretty sure this was done to make the look like it was novel-length when it could probably be a short story.
The main character, Lakshmi, grew up in a mountain town in Nepal and gave such poetic descriptions of Coke being like tiny fireworks inside your mouth and ice cream being a dessert treat made from ice, and then describes women's dresses as looking like poinsettias. If she doesn't know what Coke, a globalized beverage at this point, is, how the hell does she know what a plant grown primarily in Mexico looks like? How?
Oh yes, and this girl from a mountain town has another poetic description about a motorcycle being a giant roaring beast, which is fine. But a few pages later she's describing the shantytown outside of an Indian city and talks about how they must have been put together by car parts.
The book isn't poetic, it doesn't have much content, and the descriptions aren't even consistent with the narrator. I can't possibly give it anything better than 1 star.
I think the author was trying to be poetic,
or something,
when she indented at every comma,
and italicized every line.
But it wasn't.
It was just annoying.
I'm pretty sure this was done to make the look like it was novel-length when it could probably be a short story.
The main character, Lakshmi, grew up in a mountain town in Nepal and gave such poetic descriptions of Coke being like tiny fireworks inside your mouth and ice cream being a dessert treat made from ice, and then describes women's dresses as looking like poinsettias. If she doesn't know what Coke, a globalized beverage at this point, is, how the hell does she know what a plant grown primarily in Mexico looks like? How?
Oh yes, and this girl from a mountain town has another poetic description about a motorcycle being a giant roaring beast, which is fine. But a few pages later she's describing the shantytown outside of an Indian city and talks about how they must have been put together by car parts.
The book isn't poetic, it doesn't have much content, and the descriptions aren't even consistent with the narrator. I can't possibly give it anything better than 1 star.
helianthus_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
princzukos's review against another edition
4.0
Plot: 4.5 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Ending: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
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This is one of those books that even though you didn't give it full ratings, you will always have a special place for it in your heart.
Characters: 3.5 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Ending: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
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This is one of those books that even though you didn't give it full ratings, you will always have a special place for it in your heart.
sgelliott15's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book! The chapters are short but they are heavy with meaning. Every woman should read this book and realize the horrors that happen beyond our sheltered life in the USA.