Sold

I have mentioned before, I live a sheltered life. I had some idea of human trafficking, just not to the extent we looked at while reading Patrica McCormick’s Sold. Knowing the pain this little girl went through just to provide for her family tore me apart. This book was 100% foreign to me; because of this I learned something new about this culture, family, and courage on every page. The fact that Lakshimi’s teenage life is on the complete other side of the spectrum of the majority of teen lives I have lived and encountered was a challenge to overcome. Too many times I was shouting in mind for Lakshimi to not put up with Mumtaz’s beatings, being taken advantage of by the various men’s sexual encounters, or being cheated in earning money for her family and freedom. Of course this is better said than done, Lakshimi fights for her family and tries to live her life the best she can. For me, this aspect of family was difficult for me to understand. At thirteen years old Lakshimi is responsible for providing for her family. Lakshimi’s Ama loves her and wants to protect her, but ultimately lets her venture to the city with the idea that she will be hired as a maid. Her stepfather sells her into sex slavery with no regret and Lakshimi is forced into this lifestyle all to fend for her family. The fact that a father figure would even consider doing this to a thirteen-year-old girl is way over my head.

 Lakshimi’s extreme amount of courage to encounter the situations she has to deal with all for her family created the greatest change in my perception of her life. The hardship Lakshimi dealt with showcases her courage to remove herself from a situation that she knows is harmful. She decides to push the rumors and ideas of others about Americans out because she trusts them, and it is implied that everything works out well. She takes a leap of faith to leave this house in hopes of going to a safe place. This courage sets her apart and makes me understand her situation a little better. I get a feeling of why she made this journey and the many discoveries she makes about herself. I feel that this experience for Lakshimi showcases the lives of many real women in that culture and their bravery to escape the harmful lifestyle they have been put in. The hardship Lakshimi dealt with showcases her courage to remove herself from a situation that she knows is harmful. She decides to push the rumors and ideas of others about Americans out because she trusts them, and it is implied that everything works out well. She takes a leap of faith to leave this house in hopes of going to a safe place. This courage sets her apart and makes me understand her situation a little better. I get a feeling of why she made this journey and the many discoveries she makes about herself. I feel that this experience for Lakshimi showcases the lives of many real women in that culture and their bravery to escape the harmful lifestyle they have been put in.

 The biggest take away from this book I found was not to take for granted the innocence of children. All she really wanted to do was provide for her family as a maid, and unbeknownst to her that was not what she was getting in to. I broke down the different prices for her throughout the book and converted them to US dollars,

            Sold from her Step-Father to “Auntie” – He wanted 1000.00 rupees = $16.60
                        He negotiated until the final price of 800.00 rupees = $13.28
                        The Step-Father received half then, and would have gotten the rest “later” = $6.24
                        She gets sold to Mumtaz in India for 10,000 Rupees = $166.03

There is no possible way I would ever find this a deeming price for a human being. The fact that I can go and get most of my groceries for way less than a woman in India makes me sick to my stomach. I enjoyed Sold, it really opened my eyes to one of the many problems the world faces today.