Breaking free : true stories of girls who escaped modern slavery

__Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery__, by award-winning author Abby Sher, explores the global issue of human sex trafficking from a survivor's point of view. It recounts the harrowing stories of three courageous women--Somaly Mam, Minh Dang, and Maria Suarez--who were all forced into sexual slavery as children. After escaping their captors, these three women could easily have become voiceless victims, lost to the horrors of their own histories; instead, they have each become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. With help from Somaly, Maria, Minh, and many other survivors and counselors, Sher tells the riveting story of what it means to be liberated from sexual trafficking and find the trust and conviction to help educate new survivors. Told with breath-taking honesty and simplicity, __Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery__ sends the message that, even in the most tragic circumstances, the unwavering hope and compassion of the human spirit can and will shine through. > **A Note from the Author and Publisher of __Breaking Free:__**June 3, 2014 > > Dear Readers, Students, and Educators: > > __Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery__ recounts the harrowing stories of three women--Somaly Mam, Minh Dang, and Maria Suarez--each of whom have become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. > > Within a few weeks of the book's release, __Newsweek Magazine__ published an article (May 30th, 2014 issue) reporting that Somaly Mam had fabricated and embellished her life story. As a result, Somaly Mam has resigned as president of her Foundation. > > To say the least, this news came as a complete surprise to us. These accusations are extremely disturbing and disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any alleged fictitious content in our book regarding Somaly's story. Nonetheless, we continue to believe that the work of Minh, Maria, and other human rights activists and organizations should not be tarnished as a result of these revelations concerning one individual. The work they do to rescue girls who have fallen victim to the scourge of human trafficking can and should be respected, even in light of this recent development. > > The author and staff of Barron's Educational Series hope that you still find this book to be an informative and thought-provoking call-to-action for all those committed to ending human trafficking. > > Sincerely yours, > > Abby Sher > > The Staff of Barron's Educational Series, Inc. > > Somaly Mam was born in the forests of Cambodia in the early 1970s and sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather before she was even twelve years old. Maria Suarez came to America from Mexico when she was fifteen with her family. She went on a job interview to be a maid. When she got inside, her interviewer locked the door and told her he owned her body from that moment on. Minh Dang was born in San Jose, California. Her house was always neat and there were bright rose bushes in her front yard. Nobody knew that behind closed doors her parents were raping and abusing her from the time she was three years old. Soon they started selling her body to neighbors as well. These three women could easily have been voiceless victims, lost to the horrors of their own histories. Instead, they not only fought their way out of sexual slavery, they have each become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. Somaly Mam began her work simply, by supplying condoms and soap to the enslaved girls. Soon she was taking girls into her own home and helping them learn a trade. Eventually, a foundation was born where young women, rescued from the sex trade, could begin new lives for themselves. Maria is a counselor for abused women in California and speaks all over the globe about her experiences and empowering women to speak out for their rights. She is also busy starting the Maria Suarez Foundation, dedicated to Prevention, Rescue and Restoration of survivors. Minh is getting her Masters in social work and has worked as executive director of Dont Sell Bodies with actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Minh writes and speaks internationally about what its like to be a survivor and on learning how to love fearlessly for the first time. Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Slavery, by award-winning author Abby Sher, recounts these womens incredible journeys from sex slave to survivor to savior but it doesnt stop there. The book delves even deeper into the horrors of human trafficking, an issue at the forefront of global outreach and activism. With help from Somaly, Maria, Minh, and many other survivors and counselors, Sher tells the riveting story of what it means to be liberated from sexual trafficking and find the trust and conviction to help educate new survivors. Remarkable, timely, and incredibly inspiring, Breaking Free, will strike a chord with all young readers as it recounts the stories of these courageous young women who, instead of running from their pasts, choose to help those still caught in the system. It sends the powerful message that, even in the most tragic circumstances, the unwavering hope and compassion of the human spirit can and will shine through. The book has already been hailed by activists and educators as a powerful tool for the classroom and beyond. Breaking Free Teachers Guides are available for educators to incorporate the book into their lesson plans and include questions and exercises aligned to the Common Core. Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery , by award-winning author Abby Sher, explores the global issue of human sex trafficking from a survivor's point of view. It recounts the harrowing stories of three courageous women--Somaly Mam, Minh Dang, and Maria Suarez--who were all forced into sexual slavery as children. After escaping their captors, these three women could easily have become voiceless victims, lost to the horrors of their own histories; instead, they have each become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. With help from Somaly, Maria, Minh, and many other survivors and counselors, Sher tells the riveting story of what it means to be liberated from sexual trafficking and find the trust and conviction to help educate new survivors. Told with breath-taking honesty and simplicity, Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery sends the message that, even in the most tragic circumstances, the unwavering hope and compassion of the human spirit can and will shine through. A Note from the Author and Publisher of Breaking Free: June 3, 2014 Dear Readers, Students, and Educators: Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery recounts the harrowing stories of three women--Somaly Mam, Minh Dang, and Maria Suarez--each of whom have become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. Within a few weeks of the book's release, Newsweek Magazine published an article (May 30th, 2014 issue) reporting that Somaly Mam had fabricated and embellished her life story. As a result, Somaly Mam has resigned as president of her Foundation. To say the least, this news came as a complete surprise to us. These accusations are extremely disturbing and disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any alleged fictitious content in our book regarding Somaly's story. Nonetheless, we continue to believe that the work of Minh, Maria, and other human rights activists and organizations should not be tarnished as a result of these revelations concerning one individual. The work they do to rescue girls who have fallen victim to the scourge of human trafficking can and should be respected, even in light of this recent development. The author and staff of Barron's Educational Series hope that you still find this book to be an informative and thought-provoking call-to-action for all those committed to ending human trafficking. Sincerely yours, Abby Sher The Staff of Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Remarkable, timely, and incredibly inspiring,Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery, will strike a chord with all young readers as it recounts the stories of courageous young women who escaped the unspeakable abuse of sexual slavery. Instead of running from their pasts, they choose to help those still caught in the system. Award-winning author Abby Sher tells the riveting story of three survivors of sexual slavery. These three women could easily have been voiceless victims, lost to the horrors of their own histories. Instead, they not only fought their way out of servitude, they have each become leading advocates and activists in the anti-trafficking movement. ϡ쯦랠 Award-winning author Abby Sher tells the riveting story of three survivors of sexual slavery. These three women could easily have been voiceless victims, lost to the horrors of their own histories. Instead of running from their pasts, they choose to help those still caught in the system. It sends the powerful message that, even in the most tragic circumstances, the unwavering hope and compassion of the human spirit can and will shine through. Teens, young adults, or anyone interested in the fight to end trafficking will find Breaking Free to be remarkable, timely, and incredibly inspiring.--COVER