Sold

Sold is the story of Lakshmi, a young girl living in a small village in Nepal.  Lakshmi, despite being very poor, lives a simple life and seems to be content.  She has a caring mother and is a good student.  Sadly, Lakshmi's stepfather is worthless and frequently gambles away what little money the family has.

When Lakshmi's family becomes desperate for money, her stepfather sells her to a stranger.  Lakshmi believes she is going to go work as a maid in "the city" and her wages will be sent home to help support the family.  But when she arrives in India, she discovers that she has been sold into prostitution.

Lakshmi is beaten and raped daily.  She is able to befriend some of the other girls living in the brothel, and their only outlet of escape is to watch TV during the day until the customers begin to show up after dinner.  Lakshmi hates what she is being forced to do, but she keeps hope that if she sleeps with enough customers, she will make enough money to buy her freedom.  

I devoured this book.  I finished Sold in one day because I just had to know what was going to happen to Lakshmi.  It is written for young adults, and each of the "chapters" are very short so it took no time to finish.

Sold is horrifying and will make you very uncomfortable - be prepared!  The things that Lakshmi has to endure are beyond comprehension.  It's even more sad to know that while Lakshmi is a fictional character, her story is happening to millions of women and children around the world every day.  While this book does contain mature content, I would highly recommend reading it.  

Rating:  I would give this book 5 out of 5.