So far, my book is incredible. Prior to reading it myself, I read positive reviews of it online and a lot of my classmates had good things to say about it. But, it has already surpassed my expectations. My book is the story of a girl born and raised in Cambodia. At a very young age, her parents left her for a faraway village and she had the responsibility of taking care of herself. She starts off homeless, but is taken in by a nice man who lives in her village. At around the age of 7, a man she calls her "grandfather" comes and takes her to Thlok Chhrov, a village full of people who regard her own heritage, Phnong, as savage. She is treated accordingly, and becomes a slave, frequently beaten and abused. Her grandfather sells her virginity to repay his debts, and she is violently raped by a Chinese man from the village. This is her first experience with rape, but most certainly not her last. A local school teacher, Mam Khon recognizes her dire situation, and takes her in to live with them. She becomes a student at his school and it seems as if she has finally gotten a stable home. But, after living in the village for only a couple of years, grandfather sells her into prostitution to pay off money he owes people from excessive gambling. She is taken into the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Pen to a brothel run by a woman known as Aunty Peuve. Here she stays for upwards of a year, being raped and beaten by 10-15 clients daily. She begins to feel like complete garbage and a useless human being. She sees no end to her miserable existance until she meets Piere (ironically enough in the brothel) a french man who takes interest in her and rescues her from the brothel. Unlike many of the foreigners, he speaks her language of Khmer, and she feels very connected to him. She moves in with him and they begin a romance. In his presence, she feels like an actual human being.
Somaly Mam's recounts of her life are moving. She has been through an incredible amount. I cannot even fathom being put in the situations she was put in, and yet she dealt with them. She is one of the bravest and strongest woman I have ever encountered. Her life has been so full of misfortune that I have no idea what motivation she could ever have to live or to keep hope, but she did. She persisted, and found a light at the end of the tunnel.
Not only am I amazed by Somaly's story, but in the process of telling her own, she tells the story of others. I have learned so much about the sex trade business that I previously had no clue about. She talks about how thousands of girls are forced into brothels and will stay there their entire lives, and how girls are considered as merchandise. If a mother girls birth to a girl, it can be a happy occasion because then their bodies can be sold to pay off debts. It is simply unbelievable. In Cambodia, many men think having sex with a virgin will rid them of the AIDs virus, so a girls virginity is a valuable thing. After a girls virginity is sold, she will be sewed up and sold as a virgin 3 or 4 more times. This practice starts with girls around the age of 7. Girls are no more then an object to be had.
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