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Biography & Autobiography. History. Sociology. Young Adult Nonfiction. HTML:Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village, murdering the adults and rounding up thirty-one children, including Mende. Mende was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her "Yebit," or "black slave." She called them "master." She was subjected to appalling physical, sexual, and mental abuse. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own. Normally, Mende's story never would have come to light. But seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master�??a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, she managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom. Slave is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimony to one young woman's unbreakable spirit and tremendous coura… (more)
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These children, often raped by their captors, are taken to larger towns and cities and sold as abeed, the Arabic word for slaves. Mende Nazer's story is the account of one abda's (slave) life in captivity.
Mende was a slave for two well-off Arab families; both Muslims, as she is. She points out the irony that both her captors and her "masters" considered themselves devout Muslims at the same time that they beat her, treated her worse than a dog or a cat, and constantly told her she was nothing but a stinking black savage.
Her book paints a picture of a culture that seems based on racial discrimination and hatred -- a culture that does not even give lip service to the notion of equality and fairness. Her very humanity was denied by her mistresses -- her childhood subsumed in an endless round of drudgery. She ate her masters' leftover food, and had to scrape their leftovers into her own special dishes, as she was not allowed to drink or eat from the family's kitchenware -- lest her dirty blackness rub off on it.
Her story, unfortunately, is not unique. What makes Mende's story stand out is that eventually she got up the courage to ask for help, and was fortunate enough to find people willing to help her escape slavery and find asylum in England.
What made this story stand out for me was Mende's account of the several times she passed up opportunities to escape her captivity -- not just because of fear, but because by then she had internalized and accepted her unworthiness to be free. Her account of how she came to believe that it was her destiny to be a slave, of how she came to accept her masters' valuation of her, was not only shocking, but revelatory. From the story of the Israelite slave generation in the Old Testament, who were deliberately condemned to die in the desert because they would always be slaves in their hearts, to the young Mormon girl who was kidnapped by a fanatic couple in Utah a few years ago and seemed to cooperate in her captivity -- the devastating and dehumanizing effects of slavery span eras and cultures.
This is a must-read book for those who naively think that all cultures share a basic belief in fairness, equity, and compassion towards others.
This book tells the story of Mende Nazer. From her childhood growing up in a Nuba village to the raid on her village, being sold into slavery, her escape from slavery, and finally her struggle seeking asylum in the UK.
This book had me laughing, crying, and