Scan barcode
A review by leavingsealevel
The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam
3.0
An inspiring story (which the goodreads review/synopsis covers much better than I can here).
At the same time, the writing grated on me - both the writing style and the language Mam and her co-author used to talk about human trafficking. Similar to what you'd find in a Glamour/Vanity Fair/etc. article about the issue, although that is a bit of an exaggeration and Mam does point out the deplorable way the mainstream media tries to make the issue "sexy" to sell their publications. There was just too much talk about "victims" for my taste. At the same time, though, I have absolutely no business judging Mam's choice* to tell her story in a way that will reach many more readers--and potential donors to her foundation--than some scholarly third-wave feminist article would. Reaching people and getting word out about the issues--and I would recommend this book to anyone who needed somewhere to start to learn--will make a lot more difference on the ground than nitpicking about whether describing trafficked women and children as "victims" deprives them of their voices and their agency. And now I will get off my stupid soapbox.
*or for all I know the choice of the translator - it was originally published in French.
At the same time, the writing grated on me - both the writing style and the language Mam and her co-author used to talk about human trafficking. Similar to what you'd find in a Glamour/Vanity Fair/etc. article about the issue, although that is a bit of an exaggeration and Mam does point out the deplorable way the mainstream media tries to make the issue "sexy" to sell their publications. There was just too much talk about "victims" for my taste. At the same time, though, I have absolutely no business judging Mam's choice* to tell her story in a way that will reach many more readers--and potential donors to her foundation--than some scholarly third-wave feminist article would. Reaching people and getting word out about the issues--and I would recommend this book to anyone who needed somewhere to start to learn--will make a lot more difference on the ground than nitpicking about whether describing trafficked women and children as "victims" deprives them of their voices and their agency. And now I will get off my stupid soapbox.
*or for all I know the choice of the translator - it was originally published in French.