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Sold
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Audiobook3 hours

Sold

Written by Patricia McCormick

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family's crops, Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope.nbsp; But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning.nbsp; She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family's debt-then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape.nbsp; Still, she lives by her mother's words-Simply to endure is to triumph-and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world.nbsp; Then the day comes when she must make a decision-will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life? Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 26, 2012
ISBN9781452680866
Sold
Author

Patricia McCormick

Patricia McCormick is a former journalist and a two-time National Book Award finalist whose books include Cut, Sold, Never Fall Down, The Plot to Kill Hitler, the young readers edition of I Am Malala, and the award-winning picture book Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero. Patricia lives in New York. Visit her online at pattymccormick.com.

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Reviews for Sold

Rating: 4.186285531428571 out of 5 stars
4/5

875 ratings99 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    1.5 stars. Read for Young Adult Literature.

    This was not an enjoyable book by any standard. Was it good? Maybe, I guess. It brings awareness to a serious issue, although the medium in which it does so feels very odd to me. A “Young Adult” book this graphic is not appropriate for most people in the target age range. Surely there are some, maybe even many, teens who would be able to handle this book, but not enough to justify the book’s label. It’s good to bring awareness and talk about these issues to young adults — but that’s it. There’s no need to throw them into the thick of it. It puts unnecessary stress and anxiety onto them. Furthermore, as a teacher of English and literature, my job is to help young people fall in love with reading, and this book may just do the opposite.

    This book is fine for adults and above, but not for an audience younger than that. I cannot recommend this book to its target audience in good conscience.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was an amazing book, poetically and poignantly told from the perspective of an sexually enslaved young girl.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was the best book made me cry the best
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A horrific tale told in phenomenal prose, placing the reader in the shoes of the voiceless young girls sold into sex slavery. A must read for Westerners.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Thirteen year old Lakshmi lives in Nepal with her mother, sister and step-father. Mother tells Lakshmi they are lucky to have a man in the house, after the death of her real father. However, the step-father is an unemployed drunk who gambles the family's money at the town tea shop. Life takes a bitter turn for Lakshmi when her step-father sells her to a woman known as "Aunti", who claims to have work for Lakshmi in the city.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Sold was a great book but a little disturbing. Thirteen year old Lakshmi lives with her family in her very poor village. When the Himalayan monsoons come and wash away the crops her family has no choice but to send her away. Lakshmi has no idea where shes going or whats shes getting into. With her strength and the help of others, she tries to find her way back home. I rated this book a 9 because I kept turning the pages and couldn't stop reading. The only reason I didnt rate this book a 10 was because it is disturbing. This book isn't for those who are easily disturbed. Overall sold was a great book. -C.G.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was such a compelling read - highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Well written, but holy cow! depressing. Why is this a hot new teen read, exactly?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. It's not a very long story but it gives a punch in the heart. It's pretty powerful. If only in reality, victims of sex slavery could all be given the same hopeful ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “Trying to remember, I have learned, is like trying to clutch a handful of fog. Trying to forget, like trying to hold back the monsoon.”

    This novel, written in verse, is absolutely heartbreaking. Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old Nepalese girl, is sold into sex trafficking slavery in India. Lakshmi, knowing very little about the world outside of her small, mountain village, believes she is going to work as a maid in the city. Hoping to earn and send back enough money for a tin roof for her family home, she readily agrees. Upon arriving at her final destination, the owner of the illicit proprietary establishment soon makes it clear she now owns Lakshmi. The other girls in the house and the son of one of the women befriend Lakshmi, teaching her valuable tips and how to read. What keeps her from drowning in a pit of despair is the memory and hope of returning to her mother to lift her from poverty. Chained to a life of rape and abuse, Lakshmi struggles to find a way to survive and escape this foul new world.

    It’s difficult to call a book “good” when the story revolves around acts of inhumanity. The language McCormick uses is stunningly poetic. Following Lakshmi as she finds ways to adapt to her environment of filth leaves the reader both astounded at her courage and distraught over the fact that these horrors are happening everyday to very real girls in India and elsewhere. The ending, however, leaves the reader wanting further insight and explanation of how these immoral establishments are dealt with and the rescue of the girls trapped in them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Synopsis: In a small, remote and poverty-stricken village in Nepal lives Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old girl whose husband has already been arranged for her when she reaches the appropriate age. Her family is reliant on their crops to survive. However, one season, the Himalayan monsoons wash away all of her family's crops and her father instructs Lakshmi that she must go to work in the city to pay off her family's debts.Frightened to leave the village, but with no other choice, Lakshmi is taken into the city to work as a maid. The journey takes a while and Lakshmi is in awe at seeing things like trains, and different villages on her way. All she knows of the city is hearsay through the village.Exhausted, but ready to start working as a maid, Lakshmi is confused when she arrives at a place only to be thrown into a room, given makeup and a rag to clean herself with. And there we learn she has been sold into the sex slave.My Opinion: A well-researched and written account of what goes on behind the scenes in the sex trade. Reading this in the safe confines of my own home makes me feel so lucky that I will never have to endure what other people have to in their lives. The book itself is written in short paragraphs, keeping experiences brief enough to cringe yet thankful that they are brief.Read it as an adult and highly recommend.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sold was fast paced and captivating. Each page threw an emotional punch that wrecked havoc on an innocent girl's life...

    The book was heartbreaking and tragic. It was about a young girl that was sold to the nasty brothel biz. She was lied to, beat, scolded, raped, drugged, and shamed. Her sliver of hope dwindled each night she was bought... It was a terrible, horrific tale about how sick and twisted our world can be. To know that these things happen every day just made it that much worse. My stomach rolled and my throat tightened. It was truly horrifying. I honestly wanted to jump in the book, search the dirty streets, and save all of the sweet souls that were being held captive.

    Why didn't it get 5 stars? Well there were two things that made me feel conflicted.... #1 the verse style. While it works for some, with this one it didn't. #2 I felt there could have been more detail. Many parts just grazed the surface when I wanted to dive deeper. Even with those things though I still recommend it to readers looking for an intense read about ugly truths.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A young girl leaves a remote Nepalese village after being promised a job as a maid in India, but is trafficked to a brothel. Her story is unforgettable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although not a pleasant topic, "Sold" is a powerful book and beautifully written with its sparse, but lyrical language.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Difficult story of a girl sold into sexual slavery.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very graphic story of Lakshmi, a thirteen year old who gets sold by her mother into prostitution and struggles to survive.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I randomly picked up this book because the title and cover page captured my eye.

    Wow! I read this in 1 day and I enjoyed the story so much.

    The chapters might be short but some of them are sort of poetic and are able to convey various emotions and actions with a few simple and short words. Not a lot of authors are able to write a story without putting in a lot of fillers and words that do not convey what they truly mean.

    Human trafficking and child prostitution are huge problems in a lot of countries. This was quite the portrayal from one girl's point of view of the horrific conditions that some children go through on a daily basis. This book was haunting, hopeful and heartbreaking all at once.

    Overall, definitely give this book a shot. But beware, you might get emotional while reading it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Disturbing, engaging, and totally informative. Highly recommended!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked the poetic style in which this book was written and it was a quick read that drew me in. I can't really say that books about sex trafficking in nepal are enjoyable, it was actually pretty painful and depressing. but life can be painful and depressing, and i'm glad i read the book because the issues are very real and something that needs to be paid attention to.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After reading this novel, it does not surprise me that it won so many awards. Told in sparse language, in a poem-like format, the reader follows Lakshmi for her poor village to the rooms of a brothel. Her heart break, her confusion and hurt, her hope and despair - it displayed in such a way the reader become Lakshmi, and feels what she feels. A powerful work, one worth reading. I most certainly recommend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story was fascinating and heartbreaking story of a young women that is sold into the sex trade. It was not an easy read but one that I think people should read in order to understand what happens outside (and often within) our borders. This novel is not overly graphic, but it is disturbing enough that I would hesitate to read it in class. However, I very much think that libraries should have this novel and recommend students to read it. "Sold" is the type of novel that stays with you long after you read it, a thing that very few novels are able to do.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a great book. The writing style makes it a really fast moving book. Each chapter is very short. The story itself is intriguing (although a bit depressing).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even though this is a fictionalized account, it is very disheartening to know that a story like this can happen today. While it is a short listen, it is a very heavy story, and very well-done.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Story of a 13 year old in India sold into sexual slavery. I read because it was listed as a highschool recommended book - yet was on a list to be banned by a local school. I would recommend to an adult book club but felt the same story could be told for hs without quite the graphics.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A heart breaking story, I thought it was going to be a non-fiction book with facts and stats. Instead it is this incredible story of a 13 year old girl. More people should read this book. I know I am late to the book but so good and so sad.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Patricia McCormick’s Sold was a nominee for the National Book award and made ALA’s Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. Clearly, it was pretty popular and received much praise. Sadly, though, I did not enjoy it, either in print or on audio. I first read it in grad school for young adult services class and just reread it. While I do see the book’s many merits and take no issue with the book’s critical success, it’s one of those that doesn’t work for me.To start with, I have to point out what I think should be obvious: I’m glad this is a story that’s being told. McCormick’s drawing attention to one of the scariest facts of life. In Sold, thirteen-year-old Lakshmi is sold by her stepfather into a life of prostitution. Her life consists of misery after misery. She falls into a severe depression, her tone seeming that of a much older person, someone having lost all hope, when she’s only fourteen. While her story is fictional, many girls in the world are living something very similar. These stories need to be told.Because I love the concept and the message so much, I really wish I loved the book. However, something about it really does not resonate with me. Lakshmi’s narrative voice might be right on point, but I don’t find her especially compelling. Frankly, I spent a lot of time on both reads bored. The writing’s also a more simplistic style than I personally enjoy. Both of these things are subjective, and McCormick surely made the right call based on the reception of the book by everyone else I know who’s read it, but no book fits every reader and I’m not the right one for this particular book.This time around, I had an additional struggle with Sold. Namely, the audiobook is narrated by Justine Eyre. Though I do find Eyre to be quite a skilled audiobook narrator, I find the casting of her for Lakshmi quite upsetting. Eyre is Canadian, and part Kiwi. What she’s not is Nepalese or even remotely from that same region of the world. It may be that it really is that difficult to find audiobook narrators that aren’t white, but shouldn’t that just lead to a search for them? Surely there are people who would like jobs. I’m sure the makers of the audiobook didn’t mean any harm, but to me hiring a white woman to perform the role of a Nepalese girl, while doing a stereotypical accent, is whitewashing.What it comes down to is that I think Sold is a great book for a different kind of reader, and I wouldn’t want to put anyone off of reading it. However, I would suggest not going with the audio if you’re also bothered by the casting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Such a sad book but one I think people need to read. It's upsetting to know that people sell their children to the sex trade in India in order to have money to survive. Not sure if I would share this book at the elementary level but definitely middle and high school. Adults needs to read this too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thirteen year old Lakshmi lives in a very rural mountain community in Nepal with her mother (ama), her baby brother, and her stepfather. The women do all the work, and the useless stepfather gambles away the tiny amount of money they have to live on, and yet Lakshmi's ama still tells her how grateful they should be that he took them in after her father died. Lakshmi's ama wants her to continue to go to school, where she is a top student, and she is betrothed to a young goat herder. Desperation finally convinces her ama to allow her to go the city and work as a maid, just as her friend Gita has done. Instead, her stepfather sells her, and she is shocked after she is brought to India that she is going to be a prostitute instead of a maid. She survives the greed, ugliness, and lies of this new life to finally see a chance of rescue by Americans if she can take the huge leap of faith in trusting they will rescue her instead of humiliate her. Written in a poetic style. Sad book, hard to read how poorly the women are treated. The author did some research on this subject and visited Calcutta, India. She includes some author notes at the end of the book about the very real problem of children who are forced to become sex slaves. Issue to be aware of: somewhat graphic rape scene.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Patricia McCormick's novel, Sold, offers an important glimpse into the tragedy of human trafficking and the international sex trade in young girls in Nepal and India. Lakshmi, sold by her step-father to an uncertain fate, leaves her mountain home with the hopeful expectation that she will find employment in the city and will be able to send money back to her family so they, too, can have a tin roof, and a few luxuries. As she journeys far from her mother, her beloved pet goat, her village and her baby brother, despite the signs that all is not what it should be, Lakshmi maintains her faith that her family will benefit from her suffering.

    McCormick heightens the tragedy Lakshmi suffers by preceding the scenes of her degradation with those of family love and the simple joys and challenges of her life in the mountain village of Nepal. Through it all Lakshmi's voice, never falters, always sounding genuinely young and hopeful. It is that hope, and the small kindness of friends and strangers, some of them the men who come to the "Happiness House" brothel, that prevents the reader from being swallowed by the dispair that permeates the story. When her situation seems almost too much to bear, McCormick provides a sliver of hope that delivers Lakshmi, and the reader, out of the pit of hopelessness. Although the afterword offers information about how real girls like Lakshmi, those who have escaped the life of forced prostitution and slavery, work to free others from their fate, one aches at the prospect that Lakshmi will never be reunited with her beloved mother and that far from being fictional characters, the women of McCormick's book are stand-ins for far too many real girls suffering far worse all over the world.

    Finally, although the story is one that must be told, the work leaves the reader with the strong impression that women and girls are despised, degraded, and unwanted throughout the region. The book leaves little room for true insight into the rich cultural heritage of India and Nepal. Reading Sold leaves one begging for another story to balance out the negative impression left behind by the tragedy recounted in this beautifully written but disturbing tale.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    13-year-old Lakshmi lives in the mountains of Nepal with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother. Like most families, they are very poor, but Lakshmi is happy going to school, playing games with her friends, and tending her cucumbers, all of which she has named. Whenever her stepfather gets money, he spends it on himself or gambles it away, so that there are always things the family needs that are just out of reach. One day a woman gives him money to take Lakshmi with her. Lakshmi believes she is going to the city to be a maid for a rich woman, and that the money she earns will provide things her family needs, like a new tin roof. Instead, Lakshmi is taken to a brothel in Calcutta called Happiness House, where life is anything but happy for the young girls who are forced into the sex trade.Although Lakshmi and Happiness House are fictional, they represent thousands of young Nepali girls who are victims of sex trafficking. McCormick gets the tone just right. Lakshmi's story is realistic but not overly sensational or graphic. Lakshmi experiences appalling treatment, yet she never completely loses hope of returning home. I was angry and sad for Lakshmi, but ultimately I was inspired by her inner strength, courage, and dignity. There are several organizations that work to rescue girls like Lakshmi from forced participation in the sex trade and to change or enforce laws to reduce the prevalence of sex trafficking. I can't go to India to rescue other Lakshmis, but I can donate to organizations that do.Most teens will be mature enough to handle the subject matter, which is tastefully handled. It would be a good reading choice for raising awareness of this issue that affects so many women and girls worldwide.