Caution: The Road of Lost Innocence is written in a heart-wrenching, raw, unflinching manner and does not shy away from describing some of the horrific abuse that Somaly and countless thousands of other young girls have endured. Though I think it is critical for adults to be shaken out of their comfort zone–and this book has the power to sear one’s heart permanently–I would keep this book away from any reader under age 18, unless she was reading it with the constant oversight and guidance of a parent. That said, I think this kind of book–reality–needs to be read far more than fiction which gets far more graphic. This is real life for thousands of little girls. We can’t hide from that, and I think we need to be shaken up a bit if such will change the way we view this issue.
Born in Cambodia and orphaned at an early age, Somaly Mam, a Buddhist sex trade survivor, grew up never knowing her real name or birthday.
As a teenager, Somaly Mam was sold into prostitution and spent years in the brothels of Cambodia where she witnessed and experienced the full-blown horrors of the human sex trade – rape, torture, and nearly unfathomable abuse. After her eventual escape, she could not forget the young girls (some as young as 5) left behind in the brothels, and so she returned to serve them. The Road of Lost Innocence tells her personal story, inviting readers to become involved (or to continue involvement) in this war against an epic evil, a modern battle for “the least of these.”
For more on Somaly and her fight against human trafficking you can visit the Somaly Mam Foundation. “She has orchestrated raids on brothels and rescued sex workers, some as young as five and six; she has built shelters, started schools, and founded an organization that has so far saved more than four thousand women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Her memoir will leave you awestruck by her tenacity and courage and will renew your faith in the power of an individual to bring about change” (From the book synopsis).
You will cry, you will shudder, you will feel sick to your stomach–if you have the courage to let the truth enter your world. There are consequences to knowing the truth. When we know the truth, God holds us responsible to act on it…to order our lives around it. If you read this book you cannot ignore these girls’ need to be rescued and healed. What if it were your little sister or your daughter?
Somaly writes: “I don’t feel like I can change the world. I don’t even try. I only want to change this small life that I see standing in front of me, which is suffering. I want to change this small real thing that is the destiny of one little girl. And then another, and another, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself or sleep at night ” (
The Road of Lost Innocence, pages 128, 129).Obviously these girls need help. But God does not need any one of us. This post is not an attempted guilt trip to prod readers to help. On the contrary, to be part of the hand of God to these, the least of these is what Christianity is all about (James 1:27) and it is both an honor and a privilege to be involved. I am blessed to be able to help and want as many of you as possible to get that same opportunity.
Through the
Somaly Mam Foundation you can purchase the book, handmade crafts made by rescued girls, and become a member of the foundation for as little as $2 a month. They want everyone to be able to help and remind us that every little bit makes a difference.
It looks like a book, I need to read…wow.