Sold - Zana Muhsen

Zana Muhsen, born and bred in Birmingham, is of Yemeni origin. When her father told her she was to spend a holiday with relatives in North Yemen, she jumped at the chance. Aged 15 and 13 respectively, Zana and her sister discovered that they had been literally sold into marriage, and that on their arrival they were virtually prisoners. They had to adapt to a completely alien way of life, with no running water, dung-plastered walls, frequent beatings, and the ordeal of childbirth on bare floors with only old women in attendance. After eight years of misery and humiliation Zana succeeded in escaping, but her sister is still there, and it seems likely that she will now never leave the country where she has spent more than half her life. This is an updated edition of Zana's account of her experiences.

REVIEW: This book absolutely ticks every box for me when it comes to a captivating story: innocence, conflict, determination, hope, and survival. It is all packaged in a book that delivers a well written, easy to read flow that I could not put down.

The synopsis is well enough described throughout the reviews and book description. What isn't described is the journey of emotion the author takes you on. There is no glossing over the life of this woman, a child sold into marriage in a foreign country, and even when she makes the choice to leave behind her own child—I was able to empathize. I could validate that choice, and the opposite choice made by her sister. That is a miraculous feat, bringing a reader to understand and accept a decision no parent could ever begin to comprehend having to make.

I recommend this book to anyone who has the stomach for a heartbreaking story that ends not happily, but with a real sense of redemption.

FIVE STARS

Amazon Link: Sold: One Woman's True Account of Modern Slavery

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