I met this sweet woman a few weeks ago at our Little Black Dress Fundraiser Party. She was so excited that we were raising funds for International Justice Mission (IJM), because she had just finished reading this novel for her book-club, a work of fiction based on IJM cases. I haven’t read the book myself, but I am very familiar with IJM’s case work to free modern slaves. Honestly, I can only guess that diving into that legal world of the fastest growing criminal industry to write a book about it would be intense!
A Walk Across the Sun
Author: Corbin Addison
Published: January, 2013
Official Synopsis:
“Corban Addison leads readers on a chilling, eye-opening journey into Mumbai’s seedy underworld–and the nightmare of two orphaned girls swept into the international sex trade.
When a tsunami rages through their coastal town in India, 17-year-old Ahalya Ghai and her 15-year-old sister Sita are left orphaned and homeless. With almost everyone they know suddenly erased from the face of the earth, the girls set out for the convent where they attend school. They are abducted almost immediately and sold to a Mumbai brothel owner, beginning a hellish descent into the bowels of the sex trade.Halfway across the world, Washington, D.C., attorney Thomas Clarke faces his own personal and professional crisis-and makes the fateful decision to pursue a pro-bono sabbatical working in India for an NGO that prosecutes the subcontinent’s human traffickers. There, his conscience awakens as he sees firsthand the horrors of the trade in human flesh, and the corrupt judicial system that fosters it. Learning of the fate of Ahalya and Sita, Clarke makes it his personal mission to rescue them, setting the stage for a riveting showdown with an international network of ruthless criminals.”
Sue’s Review
So, with a shout out to Sue Quick and her book club for choosing an eye-opening novel, here is Sue’s review:
A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison is a work of fiction. It tells the tale of two sisters from India
who, by tragic circumstances, become victims of the human slave trade, or human trafficking. The story,
as Addison mentions in his acknowledgments, was “a community project –aided by many voices and
hands.”The story takes place not only in India but also France and the U.S. to highlight the fact that human
trafficking is an international plague.The situations that the two girls, Ahalya and Sita, encounter are based on real life accounts from the
trafficking literature Addison acquired in his travels.For me, it was a real “eye opener” to read about the horrible situations the victims face. Also shocking
was the numbers of young girls that fall prey to this form of slavery.This was an interesting introduction to this subject especially since my daughter had just gotten involved
with raising funds for the International Justice Mission (IJM) and was taking part in “the little black
dress” project. Coincidence? I do not think so.A Walk across the Sun is a thought provoking, page turner that I highly recommend.
Ideas for Action
If you read this book (or just otherwise want to help out IJM) PLEASE consider helping us make our goal to IJM for the Little Black Dress Project, which will officially conclude on March 28th. We have raised over $4300 for IJM already. Still, we hope to raise about $700 more to meet our goal, which could fund a rescue operation for slaves!
You can donate here: IJM Little Black Dress Project 2013
If you live local and want to visit IJM, we are hopefully planning a trip on a Friday in April, so let me know!
If you read this book and have other opinions, oh, please do share them in the comments!
Thanks again, Sue!
