Tag Archives: Human Trafficking

Banned Books Review: Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Poetry, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks
Ellen Hopkins
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published August 25, 2009

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Tricks

Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching … for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don’t expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words “I love you” are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story—a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, “Can I ever feel okay about myself?”

My Review

I think it’s interesting that the cover copy of the book only mentions one of the queer characters. There are two point-of-view characters who are queer: Seth, who’s gay, and Ginger, who’s a lesbian. I wish the cover copy included mention of her.

This is a pretty dark book, but that’s kind of Ellen Hopkins’s brand. Tricks is the fourth book of hers that I’ve read, but it’s the first one I’ve read in a long time. Her books offer unflinching tales of teens enduring the kinds of hardships we are tempted to reduce to statistics.

Including five perspectives in a single novel in verse makes this a pretty ambitious project. We meet five different teens with five different back stories from five different parts of the country, so that’s a lot to track as we shuffle from one point of view to another. Some of the characters come from homes that seem stable and even loving. Others have already experienced deeply scarring trauma. Some of the character descriptions felt so abbreviated as to almost make them stereotypes. At least part of that may be because of the number of point-of-view characters in the book and the spare format of verse storytelling.

I think the book is also a product of its day, too. Since 2009, we’ve had a lot more conversations about the harmful effect of slut-shaming or perpetuating the stigma of prostitution. As I read, I found myself wondering how those more recent conversations might impact the words characters use.

The story doesn’t romanticize human trafficking. If anything, it’s a cautionary tale showing how, under the wrong circumstances, anyone can become a victim of trafficking. The author’s note in the backmatter encourages readers who need help to call a hotline specifically for teens in danger.

Tricks is One of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2023

Tricks was one of the top ten most challenged books of 2023. Among the reasons I saw cited for the challenges and book bans were that it contains queer characters, references to rape, and sexually explicit content.

Tricks does contain some explicit content. The graphic scenes are short and point up the danger characters face, the powerful emotions at play, or the way their relationships are evolving. This isn’t a book that will appeal to or be appropriate for every reader, but it’s a story and message that will resonate with some.

Content Notes for Tricks

Content warning for drug use, sexual assault, child abuse, and brief gun violence.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Two characters are queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some use of the F-bomb and other profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Slut-shaming language used. References to sex and sex work. References to sexual assault and scenes briefly showing the assault. Kissing between two boys, two girls, or a boy and girl. A couple of scenes reference sex between more than two people.

Spiritual Content
References to Christian services and faith practices. References to faith used to control others’ behavior and abuse them.

Violent Content
References to and brief descriptions of sexual assault. References to a child hit by a car. A parent physically abuses their child and then drugs them. More than one character is in the power of an abusive romantic partner. One character is locked in a room with no food for days and kept in abusive conditions for longer. In one scene, a person with a gun shoots several others.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol and use marijuana and hard drugs. One character also becomes addicted to gambling.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (Adapted for Young Readers) by Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (Adapted for Young Readers)
Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill
Shadow Mountain
Published April 11, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Paper Daughters of Chinatown

Based on the true story of two friends who unite to help rescue immigrant women and girls in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1890s.

When Tai Choi leaves her home in the Zhejiang province of China, she believes it’s to visit her grandmother. But despite her mother’s opposition, her father has sold her to pay his gambling debts. Alone and afraid, Tai Choi is put on a ship headed for “Gold Mountain” (San Francisco). When she arrives, she’s forced to go by the name on her forged papers: Tien Fu Wu.

Her new life as a servant is hard. She is told to stay hidden, stay silent, and perform an endless list of chores, or she will be punished or sold again. If she is to survive, Tien Fu must persevere, and learn who to trust. Her life changes when she’s rescued by the women at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls.

When Dolly Cameron arrives in San Francisco to teach sewing at the mission home, she meets Tien Fu, who is willful, defiant, and unwilling to trust anyone. Dolly quickly learns that all the girls at the home were freed from servitude and maltreatment, and enthusiastically accepts a role in rescuing more.

Despite challenges, Dolly and Tien Fu forge a powerful friendship as they mentor and help those in the mission home and work to win the freedom of enslaved immigrant women and girls.

My Review

First let me say that this was a really easy book to read. It took less than 24 hours to finish it, and I’d guess it took me something like two and a half hours to read.

I really liked that so much of the story is told from Tien Fu Wu’s perspective, even though her story is heartbreaking. I liked getting to follow her through her recovery to the point where she decided to help rescue other girls and where she was able to use her own experience to understand how to comfort other girls.

All I can say about Dolly Cameron is that she must have been truly a force to be reckoned with. I loved the way her friendship with Tien Fu Wu developed and the growth they both experienced along the way.

I haven’t read the adult version of this book, so I don’t know what content was removed. One of the things I wish this book had given a little more background information on was why the president and his wife visited the mission home. I wanted to understand how that happened. How did they know about the mission, and was there something that prompted them to visit?

Other than that, I thought the book did a great job describing the lives of girls like Tien Fu Wu and the obstacles that Dolly Cameron and the women at the mission faced in order to help them.

I think readers who enjoy books about history will definitely want to check this one out. The writing style seems more like narrative nonfiction, but it’s classified as a novel. Something about it reminded me of a book called LI JUN AND THE IRON ROAD by Anne Tait.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Tien Fu Wu and some other characters are Chinese. Dolly is white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vague references to brothels. One scene discusses a girl forced to work as a prostitute. (The book doesn’t describe what this means.)

Spiritual Content
Dolly and other characters are Christian. Some of the Chinese women they rescue convert to Christianity, though they are not required to do so. Dolly and the other leaders also include traditional Chinese culture and language in the lessons at the school.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of abuse. For example, Tien Fu Wu’s owner burned her face with a hot poker and pinched her arms, leaving bruises.

Drug Content
As they walk the streets, sometimes characters smell opium being smoked in the buildings nearby.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

If You Find Me
Emily Murdoch
St. Martin’s Griffin
Published March 26, 2013

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About If You Find Me

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

My Review

In retrospect, reading this book was probably not the best idea for me. I didn’t realize what it was about when I started reading it. I purchased the e-book years ago and saw the blurb on the front cover by Jennifer Brown saying it was basically impossible to put down, so I started reading it.

She’s not wrong. I definitely found this super dark story impossible to put down. Carey’s protectiveness and love for her sister made her a huge hero to me. Plus she just never gives up. There’s a LOT of stuff in this book that’s really difficult to read, but the heart of the story is about recovering from trauma, having a second chance, discovering that you’re still worthy of love.

Those are the things that made this book unputdownable for me. I also loved the music and the way music was such a refuge and place of healing for Carey and her sister. Fans of WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE by Kate McLaughlin may want to add this one to their reading lists.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Major characters are all white. Carey’s sister, Jenessa, is diagnosed with selective mutism.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger Warning for sexual abuse and rape of a child.
Several references to and some brief descriptions of men molesting a girl at her mother’s direction (for payment to support her drug habit). One scene shows a man raping a girl and preparing to rape a girl.

In one scene, a girl places a boy’s hand on her. Another briefly shows a boy and girl having sex. One scene shows kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – Trigger warning for physical abuse
References to and descriptions of Carey and Jenessa’s mom physically abusing them. She states that their father also abused them.

In one scene, a man is killed with a gun.

Drug Content
Graphic descriptions of Carey’s mom using crystal meth.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Phoenix Flame
Sara Holland
Bloomsbury USA
Published March 2, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Phoenix Flame

Maddie thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall—a sanctuary between magical worlds—from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is recovering from a mysterious spell that left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her more-than-friend Brekken.
But there’s more work to be done to protect the Inn—Maddie must put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to the once feared land of shapeshifters.

As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?

This next breathtaking fantasy from the bestselling author of EVERLESS is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black.

My Review

NOTE: I’m really conflicted about promoting this book. On the one hand, I don’t want to harm the author or publisher, but there are serious allegations of racist behavior by Glasstown, and I’m uncomfortable promoting a book or series which benefits them at this time, even though a publisher and author I like are involved.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the plot about stopping a magical form of trafficking. Powerful people have been kidnapping magic-bearers of a certain race and forcing pieces of their souls to bind with objects, creating soul-silver. The practice literally destroys a person. Maddie and her friends have vowed to take down the trade and bring the perpetrators to justice.

From there it gets a little complicated. A couple times, Maddie and her friends use soul-silver, justifying it as a necessary step in their plans. It felt… icky. To me. I don’t know. Like, continuing to abuse someone because the end justified the means. The person whose soul was trapped in the silver had no choice, and the piece of their soul is lost when the magic is used. Which could prevent the person from being rescued, because too many pieces of their soul are missing or used.

I thought the tug of war between Maddie and her feelings for Brekken and Taya added some tension and interest. I couldn’t decide which I wanted her to choose. Until a thing happens– basically Brekken takes responsibility for something while Maddie’s like, yeah, but can’t we just not take responsibility?? And I get that she worried about the consequences, but it felt like another selfish choice, and made me feel like she kinda doesn’t deserve Brekken.

I feel like I’ve listed a lot of the things I struggled with in this book. To be honest, I still read it really quickly and enjoyed a lot of things about it. I liked the politics between the different worlds and Maddie’s complicated relationship with her mom. I like that Maddie never gives up.

If you enjoyed HAVENFALL, it’s worth reading PHOENIX FLAME to see how things resolve. The series is under contract for development with Amazon Studios, so it’s possible you’ll get to see it come to life on screen, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Maddie has romantic feelings for a boy and a girl. She and her family are white. Other characters are from fictional realms.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used about half a dozen times.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Black market sellers trade objects that have pieces of souls in them, giving them magical properties.

Violent Content
Maddie’s mom is on death row following her conviction of killing her son (Maddie’s brother). Some situations of peril. Some brief battles.

Drug Content
At a ball at the inn, Maddie hands out wine laced with truth serum. One reference to a practice at the inn where they offer wine that causes someone to forget what’s happened before that person leaves the inn, in order to protect the secrets of the inn.

Note: I received a free copy of PHOENIX FLAME in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

The Walled City
Ryan Graudin
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published on September 8, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Walled City
DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible….

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister….

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She’s about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window…..

My Review
You know how once in a while a book blows you away? This is one of those books for me. It wasn’t even one specific moment, it was like, the way all the pieces merged together as a story. I immediately connected with the characters. The setting intrigued me from even before I picked up the book. I’d heard Ryan Graudin speak at Read Up Greenville in 2016 and her description of the real place that inspired this story had me hooked. The real place, a stacked slum of a city, an area just over 6.5 acres, housed 33,000 people. Like… I can’t even get my head around that, really.

I think I read The Walled City in just over 24 hours, which is pretty unusual for me these days! It kept me on the edge of my seat. It made me hope harder than any book I’ve read this year. I loved it, and I would read it again, recommend it to others, shout it from the rooftops.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, I think the fact that the setting is based on a real place will make this an interesting read. Fans of fast-paced contemporary stories will enjoy the quick-moving plot and high stakes. Softies like me will love the characters, especially as their relationships with each other develop and change them. Also, it has a great cat!

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
The story occurs in an area modeled after Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. Characters are Asian—some Cantonese and some Japanese names.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently. I think Dai might be the only one who swears, and it’s not very often. More in the beginning and then a few times toward the end.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mei Yee has been sold into prostitution. A client visits her, but the details are vague and focus more on her emotional state and how she survives rather than description of the events between her and the man in her room. Those few scenes still feel pretty intense, though.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Men beat a prostitute who has tried to escape her traffickers. Boys gang up on another youth, intending to beat or stab her. At one point, a boy cuts a cat with his knife. A young man uses a gun to shoot at enemies. Again, it’s the intensity of the emotion associated with these scenes which makes them so intense, not so much any graphic descriptions of violence.

Drug Content
Traffickers use heroin to subdue a young woman and prey on her addiction to keep her helpless. They use the threat of injecting heroin to control other girls who fear being drugged and becoming addicted.

 

Review: Sold by Patricia McCormick

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Sold
Patricia McCormick
Disney-Hyperion

Beneath the oppressive rule of her stepfather, Lakshmi and her mother carve out a meager living in their remote village in the mountains of Nepal. They dream of a life of plenty: a tin roof, a jacket for the baby. Lakshmi dreams of the day she will marry the village boy to whom she is betrothed.

Monsoon rains and her stepfather’s gambling addiction destroy the family’s crops. Lakshmi learns of a job in the city. She can work as a maid and send money home to support her family. A beautiful woman comes to escort her to her new home. But something isn’t right. Money changes hands. More money than Lakshmi can imagine passes from the lovely woman to her stepfather. She is taken over the border and into Happiness House, where life for Lakshmi is anything but. It’s there she learns she’ll not earn money as a maid, but as a prostitute.

Lakshmi fights her slavery and continues to dream of her village and home. To dream of rescue. When the opportunity for rescue comes, she must choose between trusting the words a stranger and the word of the other girls who’ve become her friends.

Lakshmi’s village and her life there are so well-captured. Her experiences in the city at the brothel are appropriately more muted. Her emotional journey remains in crisp focus without overwhelming the reader with the horror of her daily experiences there. There are snippets of horror, to be sure. But it’s more muted.

This story is equal parts beautiful and tragic. McCormick introduces us to an innocent girl with whom we can’t help but fall in love. When the reality of Happiness House shatters Lakshmi’s dreams, the reader can’t help but be wounded with her, which is exactly why this is such an important tale. Thousands of young girls are sold into prostitution every year. McCormick’s novel teaches us to empathize with these innocent, trapped girls without judging them. The writing is powerful, moving and intense.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Because this is the tragic story of a girl sold into prostitution, there is some unavoidable sexual content. In one scene, Lakshmi is handed over to a man who tries to rape her. She describes him forcefully kissing her and attempting to position himself between her legs while she fights back. It’s intense but the narrative is not explicit beyond what I’ve already described here. Lakshmi is later drugged and receives visits from men while in this defenseless state. Again, there’s not a lot of explicit description of what goes on, though a few of the vague descriptions are still intense. Readers are left to fill in the blanks when Lakshmi says a man makes her do “dirty things,” etc. When men begin visiting her, she is left physically damaged, which she briefly describes.

Spiritual Content
Lakshmi and her family pray and make offerings to locally worshipped deities in her remote Nepalese village.

Violence
See above description of rape scene. Lakshmi and the other girls are beaten if they do not comply with Mumtaz. At one point, Mumtaz threatens to take a woman’s children. There are rumors that she would maim the child and sell it to a beggar.

Drug Content
Lakshmi’s step-father appears to have gambling and alcohol addictions.