Sold

This was a very powerful book for me! I read it in one sitting. Granted, I know, it is written for a teenage audience, but that didn't change how much force was behind it. I loved the way it was written in short vignettes, it packs a powerful message. It's hard to believe that this kind of thing is

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happening, right now, every day in India. It makes me so sad, but also very angry. One thing I wonder about though, is that there must be other countries doing the same type of work as these American's are. Raiding these brothels. It's not JUST America who is helping to change these problems, though the book makes out Americans as the ones who are going to save everyone. Otherwise this was a spectacular book.

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Andrea Barelle
August 2, 2008
Book Review
EDCI 4120/5120
Summer, 2008

McCormick, P. (2006). Sold. New York: Hyperion

GRADE LEVELS: 9-12

CATEGORY: FICTION

READ-ALOUDS: pages 10-12; 44-46; 89-91; 111-113; 193-194; 210; 270-272.

SUMMARY: This book follows the journey of a little girl named Lakshmi from her

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home in the mountains of Nepal to her rescue by Americans and the police. Lakshmi lived with her mother, stepfather and her baby brother in a small village. They are very poor and one day her stepfather decided that Lakshmi must go get a job as a maid. She doesn’t want to leave her mother, but she does want to help out. She is sold to a woman who she calls Auntie. Auntie sells her to a man who sells her to another woman named Auntie Mumtaz. Mumtaz uses her in a brothel where she is beaten and when she won’t perform, Lakshmi is drugged and raped by men. She comes into contact with an American man who gives her a card. The book ends with a raid on the brothel and Lakshmi hears the American man’s voice. She decides to come out of hiding and is rescued.

THEMES: The theme of this book is about slavery. Lakshmi has dreams of having enough food for her family and a tin roof over their head, which she considers to be a luxury. Because her stepfather gambles away all their money, he figures he can sell Lakshmi for money. She is continuously sold and the book shows just how bad it gets. The book portrays slaves as nothing more than property and even Lakshmi’s young age doesn’t detour these people from treating her bad. Other themes that could be dealt with are underage bondage, prostitution, innocence, and child abuse.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Why it is important to read book like this one?
2. Do you believe that Lakshmi ever really loses her innocence? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe this kind of treatment is going on in the U.S. and other “free” countries? Explain

READER RESPONSE: This book was very powerful and the facts were in your face. I like that the book was easy to follow and that it dealt with the problems in an honorable way. I would use this book in a classroom in the right situation. I think that students would have good discussions and debates about the content and I think that the book might motivate students to do good deeds and get involved in world issues. I think the book would work very well when coupled with other books that deal with slavery and bondage in this world. If I was able I would couple it with Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Overall it was good and I am glad that I read it.

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Fast, but intense read. About the sex slave trade in Nepal and India.

Lakshmi is a normal 13-year old girl living an ordinarily life in Nepal when her stepfather sells her into prostitution in India to pay off a gambling debt. Lakshmi is taken across the border where she first refuses to work. After being beaten, starved and drugged, she has no choice but to give in

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to her tormenters. Slowly she tries to find a purpose or sense of hope. Written in free-verse, Lakshmi's words are haunting yet beautiful. A unique story, this is one that everybody should read.

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13-year-old Lakshmi lives in the mountains of Nepal with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother. Like most families, they are very poor, but Lakshmi is happy going to school, playing games with her friends, and tending her cucumbers, all of which she has named. Whenever her stepfather gets money,

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he spends it on himself or gambles it away, so that there are always things the family needs that are just out of reach. One day a woman gives him money to take Lakshmi with her. Lakshmi believes she is going to the city to be a maid for a rich woman, and that the money she earns will provide things her family needs, like a new tin roof. Instead, Lakshmi is taken to a brothel in Calcutta called Happiness House, where life is anything but happy for the young girls who are forced into the sex trade.

Although Lakshmi and Happiness House are fictional, they represent thousands of young Nepali girls who are victims of sex trafficking. McCormick gets the tone just right. Lakshmi's story is realistic but not overly sensational or graphic. Lakshmi experiences appalling treatment, yet she never completely loses hope of returning home. I was angry and sad for Lakshmi, but ultimately I was inspired by her inner strength, courage, and dignity. There are several organizations that work to rescue girls like Lakshmi from forced participation in the sex trade and to change or enforce laws to reduce the prevalence of sex trafficking. I can't go to India to rescue other Lakshmis, but I can donate to organizations that do.

Most teens will be mature enough to handle the subject matter, which is tastefully handled. It would be a good reading choice for raising awareness of this issue that affects so many women and girls worldwide.

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SOLD is heartwrenching and shocking; it will move you to tears. In simple, poetic prose, McCormick tells the story of Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old Nepal girl who is sold by her family to an Indian brothel house when her family loses all of their year’s crops during the rainy season. Sold into

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sexual slavery, Lakshmi must “repay” her “debts” to the woman who runs the brothel house—which in reality will never occur because she will never be free.

Despite this dismal-sounding setting, there are surprisingly vivid and warm pictures of the mountain life, a life that most of us have never known. Lakshmi is observant, determined, and not one to be pitied, despite the terrible situation she’s in. The characters we meet at the brothel house touch our lives in an extraordinary way.

SOLD is not a long book, nor is it very complicated, but it’s amazing how many emotions one can get from so little words. This is the must-read book of the year, hands-down. You will cry and smile, break your heart and repair it with images of the beauty and endurance of human nature.

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This short, powerful story is told in verse. Lakshimi is a thirteeen-year-old Nepalese girl whose family is barely making a subsistence living. Lakshimi is told by her step-father she must go to the city to make a living to support her family. Lakshimi is surprised to learn that her work is in a

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brothel in India. Her life becomes a nightmare and McCormick handles a difficult subject well. It's hard to believe that this novel is set in modern times and see the way that girls are treated. Reading this book was a heart-breaking and eye-opening experience.

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Lakshmi’s life, helping her mother take care of the rice paddies on the side of a mountain in Nepal seems very hard compared to our own lives, but she is very happy and loves her family. Her stepfather, however, is a compulsive gambler and loses what little money they have. When the crops are

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destroyed by flooding, the stepfather sends Lakshmi to the city to be a maid. When Lakshmi arrives in the city, it is made very clear to her that she is not a maid, but the property of a brothel house. Lakshmi must do what she can to survive this new way of life which is full of rape and beatings.

This is a very powerful and well written book. The chapters are extremely short which will appeal to those who dislike reading. Lakshmi is a very strong, well-developed character who is easy to like and relate with. While it is not a very fun read, I believe it would appeal to almost all readers. What I enjoyed most about this book is the constant mention of things like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and David Beckham which will help readers understand that this isn’t hundreds of years ago; that this is happening to girls today.

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The prose in this book is so descriptive. In a very few words McCormick can capture a scene.

Sold is another of the National Book Award finalists (perhaps the finest group of candidates ever for this award?). Lakshmi lives in Nepal. No TV. No strip malls. Not much of anything. Lakshmi is not very experienced in the ways of the world. It is that same inexperience that brings such power to

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this grim story of the exploitation of young girls. Told in very spare verse that matches this naïve village girl, McCormick juxtaposes experience with intelligence and asks the readers whether the two are synonyms. Lakshmi is sold into the sex trade by her stepfather to pay off a gambling debt. When Lakshmi understands, finally, where she is, she refuses to participate. Enough beatings combined with no food finally force her into compliance. Lakshmi calculates how long it will take until she will be able to purchase her freedom until she understands that the owner’s greed is an almost insurmountable cost. When another young girl does purchase her freedom, she discovers that her family has disowned her because she is unclean, so she returns. Some have criticized the ending for using westerners to solve a problem and, thus, so they say, are demeaning the work of the people of India and Nepal working to solve this problem. However, this book is written to tell a story that is believable and a story that will bring attention to the fact that thousands of girls are abducted into this business each year. It does this job extremely well. While the subject matter is bleak, it is presented in a way that makes this book acceptable in middle schools as well as high schools. It deserves to be in both places!

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This was a very graphic and sad book. It's about a young Tibetan girl from a small village who is sold in to sexual slavery by her stepfather. Apparently it's a realistic and contemporary story, which was the worst part about it. It was very interesting to read though. It's written in a series of

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vignettes that are like poems. I sat down to "start" reading it and ended up finishing it in one sitting. The writing and the use of language is beautiful, especially considering what an ugly topic it is.

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Every single word in the book matters. One can tell that McCormick was thoughtful about every keystroke. This book was really hard to read at times and yet, I couldn't put it down.

A young girl, Lakshmi, is 13 years old and lives with stepfather and mother in Nepal. Her stepfather gambles what

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little they have away and Lakshimi is offered a distant job in order to help her family.

Little does she know she's to be taken so far away (to India) and sold into prostitution. She is essentially raped in her first encounters because the madam has drugged her.

One moment that really stands out to me is when her little friend, the David Beckham boy, gives her a pencil and the solitary tear trickles down her cheek.

This is a very compelling story to remind us how lucky we are in this country . . . but it also reminds us that there are people living under similar circumstances in the U.S. as well. Unscrupulous people live everywhere.

I'm hesitant to refer this book to any reader - it would have to be mature audiences that can handle the mature subject matter.

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Poem Book-Lakshmi, named after the Hindu goddess, a 13 year old girl is sold into a brothel by her stepfather. Her price tag...400 rupees=$10. She is drugged, raped and stripped of everything yet she finds the courage that sets her free.

Lakschmi, a 13 year-old-girl, lives in a quiet mountain village. The family barely gets by, and she dreams of a way to help the family earn more money to buy a tin roof for their cottage or more food for the table. When an exotic stranger comes into the village to take her away, she thinks she'll

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be working as a maid to a rich family in a city and that the money she makes will be sent home to help her family. However, she keeps going farther and farther away... and ends up in a large city in India working as a sex slave. She doesn't know how to escape, how to stop the abuses, or how to get back home. McCormick's chilling fictional tale is based on real life events; an author's note in the back gives more details about the sexual exploitation of children in India that will shock most people (it certainly did me). The book's content is graphic in parts-- an innocent girl suddenly becomes a sex slave and she's trying to adjust and understand the horrors-- but the story didn't feel heavy-handed as McCormick leads the reader through Lakshmi's struggle for survival. This is one of my top 10 picks from 2007.

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This was a wonderful novel, with rich evocative prose. Lakshmi is our thirteen year old narrator and it is through her eyes we see the move from her home village to the big city. The novel takes from Nepal to India, from the loving, although devastated, hills to the cruel environment of the sex

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industry. The title is haunting once you’ve read it I think and you realise that Lakshmi is just a commodity for people to get by. Sold on several times and never to be released from the clutches of Mumtaz in the brothel that she eventually ends up in, her life is dismal and beyond comprehension.

The vignettes allow you to step into the mind of a young child, changing topics rapidly, moving from one thing to the next. Yet the topic matter becomes more alarming as the novel progresses. Also the dramatic irony adds tension to your reading. As a reader you aren’t in for an easy read and it is with hindsight a blessing that it is written from a child’s perspective as it takes a long time for Lakshmi to completely realise the hopelessness of her situation. She knows to no longer trust someone so how does she make the decision to risk everything to get her life back? Haunting and offering the endless opportunities for wonder and discussion.

Beautifully written, a novel I certainly won’t forget. I’m very grateful to a friend for allowing me the opportunity to discover this novel and I will certainly be going on to read more Patricia McCormick. I also want to find out more about the topic matter for the novel. This is one novel you must tell everyone to read. It is tremendous!

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This is a modern day story based on actual experiences of young ladies in Tibet, India and surrounding countries. In order to earn money for their starving families, they agree to "work for rich families" in big cities in India. They find out too late that their "work" is actually prostitution and

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no money is ever sent to their families. A very sad story that is true in many areas of the world.

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Yikes. Very real and sad look at a girl from Nepal who is sold into a brothel in India by her stepfather. The most poignant part was reading as she slowing discovered what had happened to her. Very sad and moving. The prose was beautiful and the format was very intriguing.

A haunting look at the life of some of India's young women, how their life is in sheltered villages and the effects of the cruel world that can change these young girls intolife's worse circumstances.

While this book is written for young adults, i found it to be deeply profound and gut wrenching. It is told with such innocence and sweetness, while telling of some of the most atrocious things imaginable. This story is incredibly well written, making something so terrible that accessible. Everyone

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should read it, although it can be a difficult read in terms of its content. Highly recommended.

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Child trafficking is a major issue in countries like India where poverty rules the land. I've always wanted to read books about this and finally i have found one, SOLD. Its about a girl my age (13) who is sold to a brothel by her stepfather. She doesn't want to do this at all but is forced to. She

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is shamed by everyone and oesn't have any true friends at this shameful place, she is all alone. This is a very good book, but not a book for all. There is some disaprroving chapters in this book that not everyone should read. But it is a intersting book where i just can't inmagine myself in her shoes.

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The is a great book for adolescents and adults alike. Written to give a voice to the thousands of girls sold into sexual slavery, it is a shocking eye opener.

Lakshmi, a 13-year-old girl living in Nepal, is sold into prostitution by her step-father. Thinking that she is going to work as a maid,

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Lakshmi leaves with hopes of helping her mother and brother out of poverty. Those hopes are soon crushed when she learns the true nature of her "job." After enduring physical and mental abuse, Lakshmi finally gives in thinking that in time she will be able to earn her freedom. She soon learns that is virtually impossible. She finally finds some hope when an American "client" offers to help her escape her nightmare.

This book, although difficult to read at times, gives a voice to the young girls that have, or are, enduring this fate. The diary entry format makes it a fast and easy read. I highly recommend it.

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This was an incredibly powerful book, despite its short chapters and general brevity. It seems like a child's voice in the pages and the horrors she goes through are something to behold. It's an eye-opening read without being boring or overwhelming. It also presents great opportunities for

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discussion.

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A rural Nepalese girl living in poverty is sold by her family into sexual slavery in a large city in India. This story chronicles her struggle to escape slavery.

Heartbreaking story of a young girl sold into child prostitution. Extremely well written in short vignettes.