This book was a heartbreaking and difficult read. It described modern, global slavery, including here in the US (although the US examples, as terrible as they are, seem tame when compared to many of the horrors described).

Despite the diverse locations and types of slavery, slavery and human trafficking stories have common themes. Slavery and human trafficking exploit the weakest members of society. These are usually people who live in poverty or in an unstable community (refugees are a prime target). The government and justice systems of the countries the victims are trafficked from, trafficked to, or both are willing to look the other way (because the government is corrupted or not powerful) or they treat the victims as criminals (e.g., treating underage sexual slaves as prostitutes or trafficked people as illegal immigrants). These factors together work to create a human slave trade with a large supply base and few real consequences for human traffickers.

The traffickers gain power over their victims by first recruiting those with little social power, often taking advantage of a crisis in a family or community. The victims are removed from their home communities and taken to communities where they are looked upon as undesirable outsiders or even criminals. The victims lose all control of their life and are often threatened with violence towards themselves or their families if they attempt to escape. The victims are treated as nothing more as a way for the slave holder and traffickers to gain money.

That is the dark side of the story. There is no sugarcoating how terrible it is. However, there is a movement to fight human trafficking and slavery. This movement has several objectives. First, victims of the slave trade should be rescued, cared for, and taught how to rebuild a life that may seem hopelessly torn apart. Second, the movement hopes to use and strengthen laws against slavery and address the corruption in many locales that causes members of the justice system to look the other way or even participate in the slave trade. Finally, the modern abolition movement hopes to decrease the factors which make people so vulnerable to human trafficking in the first place. This includes deterring potential oppressors, providing economic and community stability to at-risk communities, and giving local authorities the knowledge and power they need to recognize and stop slavery.

This book left me with one urgent question: How am I going to help? Well, I do not know of too much I can do, but here is how I will start. My husband and I have been looking for good causes to donate too, and we will certainly put some of the organizations mentioned in this book high up on our list (especially those that focus on the community strengthening, educational, and vocational training aspects of ending slavery). I have signed up for the weekly newsletter on the Not For Sale Campaign website to keep the issues in my consciousness. When I am looking for gifts, I will check the various stores that sell the products made in the vocational training of former slaves such as the Made By Survivors store and Night Light Design. These actions are not nearly enough, but maybe my little bit will help, and maybe, just maybe, my increased awareness will help me notice if I come across an opportunity to do something more. ( )

This is a really well-written, well-organized, and comprehensive look at the modern day slave trade. It was incredibly hard to read at times, but I'm so glad I did, because I feel INFORMED now in a way that very few books have made me. Seeing the reality is harsh, but Not for Sale showed me that reality in a way that really pushed the harshness of it without ever feeling manipulative. ( )

Everybody should read this book. If you think slavery was stamped out in the 1800's you would be very much mistaken. 27 million people are currently enslaved in the world, half of them are under the age of 18. This book is a call out for the modern abolitionists to save them. The book is set up in chapters covering sexual slaves in Cambodia and Thailand, the child soldiers of Uganda, sexual exploitation in Europe, the lost children of Peru, and even slavery in our own backyards in the US. Parts of this book were very difficult to read but necessary to understand the problem. The stories were so heartbreaking and they made me angry but just when you feel ready to give up on humanity there is hope in the form of someone who makes it their life mission to save these souls from destruction. Often they do so at great peril and personal cost. Since reading this book I have learned that I live in the state with the third highest amount of slaves in the US. The recent Superbowl is the number one sex trafficked event in the US. Thankfully more and more people are becoming aware of the hidden slaves in our midst. I saw on the news that the police who were working the Superbowl were warning potential sex traffickers that they were more likely to come in contact with a pair of handcuffs than a victim. This is exactly the vigilant attitude that everyone needs to have. A woman from my own state took her fifteen year old daughter up to the Superbowl in order to pimp her out but fortunately the girl end up meeting with a police officer instead of an abuser. We don't have to look far to find the victims who need our help. The author ends the book with some excellent advice that can aid anyone who wants to join in the fight to end slavery. As the author points out we are at a critical juncture for human rights and everyone is needed to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
"I am not for sale.
You are not for sale.
No one should be for sale." ( )

If you thought that slavery was a non-existent or even a minor issue in the world today, then you have to read this book. This is a great introduction to the modern slave trade that has human beings as the second largest commodity on the illegal trade markets. It reaches all corners of the world and no one is immune to it. ( )

Book on current day slave practices. Chapters with info on who you can contact to help. ( )