The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today

Most Americans believe that slavery is either dead or something that occurs in far off places to foreign people and thusly does not exist or concern us. Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter dispels these myths in The Slave Next Door. Through a combination of cold hard facts and personal stories of exploitation, cohesion, and enslavement. Unlike other books that only focus on one aspect of slavery ( like the sex trade), Bales and Soodalter premise is that no form of slavery is justified and talks deeply about systems of agricultural labor, domestics, and sex slavery and argue that the traffickers will continue to find inventive ways to enslave and exploit others. We have a role in the slave system because we get items like hand-woven rugs from India, Pakistan, and Nepal , steel and metals used in cars is obtained from Brazil after the charcoal has been collected by slaves in Brazil and most distressingly we may be eating products produced from slave labor brought to us by America's largest corporations.Bales and Soodalter further attack the notion that sex trafficking is only a problem for foreign born women in this country by illustrative cases like that of Dennis Paris who used heroin addiction to control several American born, naturalized citizens into a web of prostitution. The last portion of the book is dedicated to an assessment of United States policy towards victims of Modern Day Slavery by going through agency by agency in the federal government and discussing the steps they are taking to combat the problem. One thing that comes out of here is that NGO's that deal with human slavery are hideously under funded and are in desperate need of skilled labor and this is key when he discusses at the end, what we as Americans can do about modern slavery.

Not only was this a great read for my college course but it was perfect when I received it

I enjoyed reading this book. It not only had a lot of great information but made a strong attempt to see the problem as a whole and point out differences in approaches to the issue of slavery. For instance, it points out the battle among the human trafficking groups over focusing on prostitution and claiming all prostitution is slavery versus those who see prostitution as only part of the problem of slavery.It also has a lot of details on the legal aspects of fighting slavery, including studies and research on the effectiveness of different state's laws and efforts. It also points out that though some states are not scoring very high on their efforts to combat slavery, there is an active effort within the some state governments to improve the effort.I feel this book provided a great overall perspective on the issue of slavery in America and also points out practical ways to get involved in your own community. Granted, one of the writers is a founding member of one of the anti-slavery organizations, so the point of view is probably slightly biased toward that organization's view of the slavery problem. However, it was clear throughout that a great attempt was made to provide a broad unbiased view of the problem, and I was impressed.

Great book. A little on the sad side but it gives a great opinion on the world of slavery today.

Four starts say I like this book. The terminology is not appropriate. How can you "like" reading about slavery in America. I really hadn't thought about it before, but this opened my eyes, maybe a little too wide.This is very completely researched and analyzed, and full of specific stories and situations throughout the country. From farm labor slavery in Florida to sex slavery in New York, to house slaves in Seattle. We see these people more than we know, but I had no idea about the reality of their bondage. They are held in place by physical and mental abuse, fear, and in some cases physical restraint.Read their stories and open your eyes. It is not a happy picture, but the lesson is we can all do something about it. Find out what. Read the book.

This book is on the subject of human trafficking which is just beginning to receive the attention it needs. At times, the book became so intense, I had to put it down and read something different before going back to it. I read it in preparation for a group discussion my church was having on the subject. The author writes well and incorporates actual stories with legal difficulties and public attitudes. Recommended for any group interested in being pro-active in bringing social justice to the community.

This book is rich with facts concerning human trafficking and sex trafficking in the U.S. I gained a great deal of information from it. On the downside, it is a little too anecdotal in some places and too preachy in others. (I prefer to draw my own conclusions from documented facts.)

America seeks to be the Land of the Free. This book provides information that we must all face in order to make this American dream a reality. Read it and figure out a way to put what you learn into practice.

The title says it all: slavery is still a real issue in modern day society. It did not end with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade ending. People are still exploited, stolen and abused for labor, sexual etc...services in and around the world today...including the united states! This book will challenge you to be more informed and to remove the blinders that we all put on every day - albeit often unknowingly. The slave next door is a "must-read" for any person interested in social justice/human rights. I am 20 years old and it broke, humbled and encouraged me (at least at the end it was encouraging). I challenge you to read this book.