Sold, by Patricia McCormick

Paperback, 272 pages

Published September 1st 2006

Though some books have been sitting on the shelf, they don't grab you until a certain time. The right time. "Sold" by Patricia McCormick was one of those books for me. I randomly bought this book several years ago, knowing nothing about it except that it was vaguely related to my work with Peoria Home.

I decided to read this book because Dressember is running a book club this summer (Dressummer). You can join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram (@dressember).

"Sold" is about a young Nepali girl from extreme poverty who is tricked into a life of prostitution. She is 13. She loves her home and her mother and baby sister.

This was a very difficult read for me as my daughter is 13, and it affected me greatly to imagine her voice in the voice of Lakshmi, the main character. "Sold" is a fictional story but well-known for a realistic view of the trafficking experience. Her writing is based upon her work in India and Nepal with girls who are recovering from trafficking.

Lakshmi is 13, and yet she is sold over and over. This means there are buyers willing to buy her for her body over and over. The buyer. That is the crux of the entire issue of sex trafficking. There is a demand for girls.

If you want to understand the issue of trafficking from the perspective of a survivor, read this book.

While it is a young adult genre read, I would not recommend this to teens or tweens. For my teen/tween, she would be greatly disturbed by the scenes depicted in this book. There are many ways to broach the subject of trafficking with one's children that may be more appropriate.