Sep. 28, 2008 - The Road to Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam
I am late posting this review, but it took some time for my mind to process all that I read. Although I've heard about the sex trade industry before, to me it was a relatively little known subject.
When I got the invitation for the book review, I almost rejected it - simply because I normally try to stay away from reading or viewing things that have people being tormented or tortured. However, when I prayed about it, God really layed it on my heart that if we as Christians take an attitude of "I don't want to know about that", then who WILL want to know about it?
As hard and ugly as it is, Christians need to inform ourselves of the evil that is going on all around us - and to try to find a way to help when we can. That's what Somaly Mam does in this book. She brings out the ugly, the horrid, the evil - and lays it out in the open. She puts her life story - all of her personal misery - right out front so that others may know what thousands of girls are going through every day and night.
This isn't a book of gruesome details - it's tactfully written. It was written from the heart of a hurting woman, who's come to terms with the pain of her own life in the only way she knows how - by helping those in the same place find a new life - just like someone helped her.
I highly recommend reading it.
Here is the summary from the back of the book:
Born in Cambodia and orphaned at an early age, Somaly Mam, a Buddhist sex trade survivor, grew up never knowing her real name or birthday.
As a teenager, Somaly Mam was sold into prostitution and spent years in the brothels of Cambodia where she witnessed and experienced the full-blown horrors of the human sex trade – rape, torture, and nearly unfathomable abuse. After her eventual escape, she could not forget the young girls (some as young as 5) left behind in the brothels, and so she returned to serve them. Her new book, "The Road of Lost Innocence," is her newest means of advocacy. It tells her personal story, ultimately inviting people of conscious, such as our Christian community, to become involved (or to continue involvement) in this war against an epic evil, a modern battle for "the least of these." Truly, not only is this book worth reading, it's worth sharing.
I am not certain how we can all help directly in Somaly's work, but we can all help those that are suffering around us. I encourage each and every one of you to visit Voice of the Martyrs, start receiving their newsletter, and get your children involved. We do our children such a disservice by not reminding them of the wonderful freedoms they have by living in this great country - the freedom to worship GOD - and not be killed for it. And the freedom to not be sold into sexual slavery by strangers. I thank God for the reminder - even through a buddhist named Somaly Mam.
To purchase the book click here.
Comments
Oct. 27, 2008 - Thank you
Posted by ThriceBlessed
This looks like a title worth reading. And thanks for linking to VOM, it's great to see them promoted.
