Kimberly Rae

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, especially because the themes it touches on - slavery, child labour and trafficking - are so very important. However, I was left feeling very unsatisfied.

Good things first. I found the premise to be very good: a book written in diary form, giving some insight into the experience of modern-day slavery and human trafficking as seen through the eyes of a child victim of this horrific trade. And on a very basic level, this book delivered this. Jasmina does indeed tell her story, and describes her experiences and the people she meets, sometimes vividly. Her description of the working conditions inside the factory, for instance, makes it very easy to imagine the terrible situations the children find themselves into, and to feel the same desperation they do.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the book. Most of the time, I just felt like so much more could have been said about the various topics that are flashed throughout the book (like the horrors of child prostitution or street life) but it never was. The varied and vibrant Indian culture found little space inside this book, save for a few contrasts with American culture. Character development was also seriously lacking: almost all characters were one-dimensional, and didn't feel like real people at all, with the exception of the protagonist. I really liked Jasmina, who is a bright young woman struggling to survive on the streets, and her resourcefulness and bravery were some of the best parts of the book. But for me that just wasn't enough, and the lack of depth to both story and characters prevented me from enjoying this book as much as I would have liked to.

Overall, this very short book might be good for fairly young readers, or someone looking for a summary account of some of the issues connected with child labour and trafficking in India without going into a more detailed analysis. Regrettably, that wasn't me.… (más)

I read this book via an Amazon KINDLE Unlimited download.
Christian believers know that the Lord has a plan for each one of them. The Lord’s plan even includes those children who have just been born. When the Lord sees a new born child born to an unfit, drug-addicted mother, you know that He’s not going let the innocent child suffer. The child is taken away from its mother and place into adoption.

Women who are unable to bear children, or have big Christian hearts to have an “unwanted” child become a member of their Christian family turn to adoption. Going to the adoption agency, the child-seeking parents first look at pictures of the available adoptees, and after selecting a child that would love to call their own get to meet that child. Once they see the child in person and a connection is made, the child is then adopted.

With the scores children of various ages seeking to be adopted, those adopted need to be taught how special they are, for they’ve been adopted through the true their adopted parents who chose them over all the others to become a welcomed member of their new Christian family.

The book’s author, Kimberly Rae, through her softly-chosen words along with the accompanying quaint photos, clearly communicates to the children reading her book how special they truly are; for they’ve as I’ve said in the above, for they’ve been specifically chosen to become part of a family.

For wanting to clearly communicate to all children reading her the how/why they’re so special, I’ve given Ms. Rae 5 STARS for her endeavor… (más)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. It is the story of a teenager in India who was sold by her parents many years earlier, and is seeking to find them and her brother. It turns out it was a book aimed for teen readers, but it was well-written and the actual story is enjoyable enough for adults as well, except for one thing - the catholic religious indoctrination that unfortunately turned out to be the main theme of the book. I was born a Catholic myself but I am appalled by people who claim and try to convince others that their religion and their god is better than others, and this book clearly tried to drive home that ignorant and offensive proposition. In fact the one line that made me want to instantly throw out the book was ‘People tend to act like whatever God they follow…” – implying that all the bad people in the book are bad because they’re not Catholic, and that all the good people are good because of their faith. That is simply preposterous. For the religious proselytizing alone, I am giving this book a major thumbs-down.… (más)