My interest in this book springs from a constant nagging and awareness I have of myself that even though I have personally walked through the slums of India, I still have no idea how grueling and tortuous is the daily experience of a vast host of humanity. Life in America is, for the most part, a Disney Land vacation compared to the struggle to survive daily and the minute-by-minute resistance against the steamroller of injustice that many bear under their entire lives.

Sold is a novel by Patricia McCormick that details the experience of Laskshmi, a 13 year old Nepali. Although fiction, it is informed fiction. McCormick spent time in India and Nepal interviewing women of Calcutta's red light district and young girls who had been rescued from the sex trade. Sold reveals in a fictional story the non-fictional horror that imprisons hundreds of adolescent girls.

Lakshmi is sold into prostitution by her stepfather as a result of the loss of their crops through a massive monsoon season. Unaware of what is really transpiring, Lakshmi was told that she was going to be a house maid for a rich woman in order to help provide for the family. After a difficult and long journey, Lakshmi slowly discovers that the rich woman, Mumtaz, is actually her captor and her occupation is not cleaning but being the sex toy for scores of men on a daily basis. It is striking and heart-wrenching to walk through this discovery through Lakshmi's eyes and words. Upon the shocking realization of where she is, Lakshmi says, "I decide to think that it is all a nightmare. Because if what is happening is real, it is unbearable" (p. 124).

One of the most telling and revealing vignettes is when Lakshmi understands that her current circumstance is inescapable. She was told that when she paid off her family's debt, she would be freed. So Lakshmi begins to keep a record of how much she earns each time she has a customer. She believes that in maybe a few years she can return home. However, another young girl reveals to her that her calculations are wrong. Not only must she take into account her family's debt, she must also subtract Mumtaz's tip and the cost for her room and board. The girl warns her to never let Mumtaz see her records or she will bury her alive. When Lakshmi figures that Mumtaz's fees keep her indebted indefinitely, she cries, "I am already buried alive." It was at that time that I, the reader, caught a slight glimpse into the darkened dungeon of despair that is the sex trade.

From a Christian perspective, a couple of quotes really grabbed my attention. At one point Lakshmi cries out, "No one can hear me. Not even the gods" (p. 125). I was immediately reminded of Isaiah's description of the folly of idolatry and the single source of redemption by the grace of the one true God (Ch 44). Man-made gods will never hear! And unless the Lord moves in mercy upon the deluded heart, they will never be saved! As horrific as Lakshmi's earthly life had become, it was nothing compared to the torments to come. "Happiness House" is actually only a microcosmic portrait of Hell. In a world filled with the injustice of men, our only hope is the mercies of God!

Another captivating quote took place on Lakshmi's journey to "Happiness House." In the following quote, "bundle" refers to her belongings and "burden" refers to her memories of home. She says, "My bundle is light. My burden is heavy" (p. 60). In other words, her possession are few, but her longing for home is enormous. Now at the very end of the novel, Lakshmi is rescued by an American man who poses as a customer but actually gives her the opportunity to escape. It was a thrilling climax to see Lakshmi removed from the horrors of "Happiness House" and the clutches of Mumtaz. But how much more thrilling would it have been if Lakshmi would have also been introduced to Jesus who once said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30). Christ is the sole answer for our heavy burdens (both temporal and eternal).

Thank the Lord for authors like McCormick who brave the pits of this world to unfold the tragedies and awaken the masses who live life absorbed in comfort and spend our every dollar to pursue our selfish pleasures instead of working to alleviate the pain of our fellow human community! And more importantly, thank the Lord for missionaries like Amy Carmichael, who didn't just visit the slums, like McCormick and I, but moved to India and rescued Lakshmis by the dozens, freeing them from the slavery of temple prostitution and proclaiming to them the Gospel of Christ, which is the power of God to free their souls from eternal ruin!