93. Enslaved, ed. by Jesse Sage and Liora Kasten
Owned?: No, library Page count: 214 My summary: Stories of real-life enslavement that happened all too recently - from a young girl taken off the streets to women tricked into domestic labour with no rights to the harsh realities of a Chinese prison camp, here are the stories of real-life survivors of the institution of slavery. My rating: 3/5 My commentary:
This was an interesting read. I'm doing some research into the history of slavery in the United States, and this was on the shelf next to some of the more historical books. I picked it up out of interest - the problem of what is termed as 'modern slavery' often goes unremarked upon and ignored, as though slavery was something that was abolished years ago and has never happened in any form since. (I don't really like the term 'modern slavery', I think it distracts from or obfuscates the issue that this is literal slavery; just because it's happening now and isn't the triangle trade of the 16th to 19th century doesn't make it any less slavery.) This book actively draws on the history of the slave narrative and writings about slavery - the aim is for the stories in this text to be modern-day slave narratives from people who managed to escape, many of whom have since gone on to work for organisations that wish to abolish slavery or otherwise bring people who enslave others to justice. It's a worthy goal, and at the very lease succeeds in raising awareness about this issue.
The stories in this book hold nothing back. They're frank and no-nonsense, telling their stories in often horrifying detail. Not that that's a bad thing - in order to be confronted with the kinds of abuses that are rife under systems of slavery, we need to be aware of everything about it, including the horrible stuff. The people here were trafficked, tricked, and taken from their homes in order to serve others and receive nothing back, often hidden from 'normal' society in plain sight. Some were taken as children, and knew nothing other than a life in slavery. Others were trafficked into slavery under the promise of well-paying jobs, as is sadly common. Many were abused physically, emotionally, and financially in their time in slavery. And, indeed, these are their stories in their own words, laying bare their lives for us. We would do well to heed this warning.
Next, two sad ghosts meet by chance.
