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Ron’s note:  I was invited to review “The Road of Lost Innocence” by Somaly Mam for the blog.  It’s not the typical type of book I would read - it’s not even the typical type of book my wife would read, but I accepted the invite.  The book arrived in the mail, my wife opened it that afternoon and literally couldn’t put it down until she finished.  Here is her review:

Before I review this book I want to make two clarifications.

1. I never read true stories because they never end the way I want them to.  I revel in the happy endings provided by fairy tales.
2. I am a suburban housewife who tends to bury my head in the sand when it comes to current events and global news.  My life is already full of the drama that accompanies a husband, two children and a diabetic cat so I don’t usually go seeking news of the misfortune of others.

The Road of Lost Innocence is a true story told by the author, Somaly Mam.  She was orphaned at a young age, then given to a cruel taskmaster as an indentured servant and finally sold into sexual slavery in Cambodia as a young teenager. When I picked up this book, apprehensively I must admit, I was immediately captivated by her simple storytelling style.  While the housewife in me desperately wanted to go bury my head in the sand again, the avid reader in me was sucked into the story and I could not put the book down.  She used very simple language to lay bare the atrocities of the sex slave industry that is happening all over the world, particularly in Asia, and in the end calls on the reader to be a part of the solution.  Her ability to be forthright about the horrible circumstances surrounding her life amazed me, yet through it all there is a note of hope that there is a solution and she was going to be part of it.

This book is definitely not suitable for young readers, but it is definitely a topic that needs to be made more public.  I am grateful that she has had the courage to come forward with her story and fight so hard for the many girls who are trapped in this industry.  If you are a person without a cause this is a great one to crusade.

And in case you’re wondering, this book does not have a happy ending, but it does have a hopeful ending.