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Slave/Freedom #1
Slave: The True Story of a Girl's Lost Childhood and Her FIght for Survival
Mende Nazer's happy childhood was cruelly cut short at the age of twelve when the Mujahidin rode into her village in the remote Nuba mountains of Sudan. They hacked down terrified villagers, raped the women and abducted the children. Mende was them. She was taken and sold to an Arab woman in Khartoum. She was stripped of her name and her freedom. For seven long years she was kept as a domestic slave, an 'abid', without any pay or a single day off. Her food was the leftover scraps and her bed was the floor of the locked-up garden shed. She endured this harsh and lonely existence without knowing whether her family was alive or dead, for seven long years. Passed on by her master, like a parcel, to a relative in London, Mende eventually managed to escape to freedom. Slave is a shocking first-person insight into the modern day slave trade. It is also a fascinating memoir of an African childhood and a moving testimony to a young girl's indomitable spirit in the face of adversity.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
233 people are currently reading
14780 people want to read
About the author
Mende Nazer
5 books85 followers”Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village, murdering the adults and rounding up thirty-one children, including Mende.
Mende was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her “Yebit,” or “black slave.” She called them “master.” She was subjected to appalling physical, sexual, and mental abuse. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.
Normally, Mende’s story never would have come to light. But seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master—a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, she managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.
Her book, Slave is the story of her abduction and 'imprisonment' in slavery- a story which is almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimony to one young woman’s unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.
Mende was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her “Yebit,” or “black slave.” She called them “master.” She was subjected to appalling physical, sexual, and mental abuse. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.
Normally, Mende’s story never would have come to light. But seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master—a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, she managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.
Her book, Slave is the story of her abduction and 'imprisonment' in slavery- a story which is almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimony to one young woman’s unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 687 reviews
March 22, 2019
I read this book a long time ago when I was living half the year in London and I am connected by less than six degrees to Mende Nazer who was a slave not so long ago - she is now only 37. Slavery still thrives in many Middle-Eastern and some African countries. But this was London.
I lived in Cavendish Road, in NW6 and every day I would take my son for walks in the neighbourhood. Around the corner was Willesden Lane which like my road is mostly mid-Victorian large houses. In Willesden Lane were two exceptionally large ones set back from the road and clad with artificial stone. Both were protected by fake stone walls with columns topped with statues and massive, high, black wrought iron gates. It was so over-the-top, so expensive and in such very, very bad taste we used to laugh and say Arabs must live there. (Arabs were spending a lot of money around there and were the only ones to use this artificial stone then, it hadn't caught on with the lower class homes at that point). And so they were. Sudanese diplomats.
And in the back of one of them was an outbuilding of concrete, very bare, almost a prison, that we could not see but Mende described in her book, and that's where she lived when she was not working in the house. If I'd have known I would 100% have got her out one way or another. I was white hot with anger when I realised that I had walked past her every day for the last month and never knew that there were slavers holding and regularly beating up a young girl there. In Khartoum, she had been beaten up so badly by one of the diplomat's family, her owner (a woman she had to call "Master")( so badly she was in hospital for a week.
Eventually she escaped and they were caught. But not only got away with it but sued a newspaper for saying they were slavers instead of legitimately employing an au pair (who was brought in on false papers). The newspaper did not investigate Mende's claims (pressure from the UK government?) and paid out. The diplomats had previously been charged with slavery but that time claimed diplomatic immunity to escape prosecution. It was a way of life for them. Why pay for an au pair, a nanny, a cook and a cleaner when you can enslave a child and instead of regular pay cheques, give her regular beatings. Both in their various ways, ensure compliance.
Escaped but not free. The Brtitish government would not give her asylum saying that forced labour did not constitute a threat to her human rights. No doubt pressure from the Islamic Fundamentalist government of Sudan. It took two years, the fake court case from her dreadful owners and her book to be published in Germany the ensuing storm of publicity making it difficult for the British to send her home so then she was granted the right to stay.
She runs a foundation now to bring education and water to her homeland of the Nuba mountains in Sudan.
I lived in Cavendish Road, in NW6 and every day I would take my son for walks in the neighbourhood. Around the corner was Willesden Lane which like my road is mostly mid-Victorian large houses. In Willesden Lane were two exceptionally large ones set back from the road and clad with artificial stone. Both were protected by fake stone walls with columns topped with statues and massive, high, black wrought iron gates. It was so over-the-top, so expensive and in such very, very bad taste we used to laugh and say Arabs must live there. (Arabs were spending a lot of money around there and were the only ones to use this artificial stone then, it hadn't caught on with the lower class homes at that point). And so they were. Sudanese diplomats.
And in the back of one of them was an outbuilding of concrete, very bare, almost a prison, that we could not see but Mende described in her book, and that's where she lived when she was not working in the house. If I'd have known I would 100% have got her out one way or another. I was white hot with anger when I realised that I had walked past her every day for the last month and never knew that there were slavers holding and regularly beating up a young girl there. In Khartoum, she had been beaten up so badly by one of the diplomat's family, her owner (a woman she had to call "Master")( so badly she was in hospital for a week.
Eventually she escaped and they were caught. But not only got away with it but sued a newspaper for saying they were slavers instead of legitimately employing an au pair (who was brought in on false papers). The newspaper did not investigate Mende's claims (pressure from the UK government?) and paid out. The diplomats had previously been charged with slavery but that time claimed diplomatic immunity to escape prosecution. It was a way of life for them. Why pay for an au pair, a nanny, a cook and a cleaner when you can enslave a child and instead of regular pay cheques, give her regular beatings. Both in their various ways, ensure compliance.
Escaped but not free. The Brtitish government would not give her asylum saying that forced labour did not constitute a threat to her human rights. No doubt pressure from the Islamic Fundamentalist government of Sudan. It took two years, the fake court case from her dreadful owners and her book to be published in Germany the ensuing storm of publicity making it difficult for the British to send her home so then she was granted the right to stay.
She runs a foundation now to bring education and water to her homeland of the Nuba mountains in Sudan.
February 18, 2021
My original intention was to find a book that would describe Sudan positively. I fear I've failed at that.
So Slave: My True Story is an autobiography of Mende Nazer. Born in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, when she was about 12, she was kidnapped by Arab slave raiders and sold to a wealthy family in Khartoum. Eventually, she was taken to London and manages to escape, after seven years of slavery.
This book is roughly split into three parts. The first part details her childhood in the Nuba Mountains. While Mende describes it positively, there were definitely some heartbreaking scenes here, such as her experiences with female genital mutilation. However, as a whole, Mende's family seems so full of love and warmth and hearing stories of her childhood was really interesting. The second part describes her abduction and work in Khartoum. Finally, the last part talks about London and her eventual escape.
The focus of this book is Mende. The Sudanese wars aren't explained at all. I recently finished First Raise A Flag: How South Sudan Won the Longest War but Lost the Peace so I felt like I could understand what was going on but for people who have not, this is not the book to turn to for Sudanese history. Rather, it describes Nuba culture and life in Khartoum through the eyes of a young girl.
One of my professors is convinced megacities are the future. Even today, London's budget is bigger than several countries. Such mega-cities are fascinating because they are so international. There are so many cultures represented everywhere. Reading this book was the first time I had considered that international cities also import the troubles of their residents. It makes me think about how our world is so connected, slavery in Sudan also means slavery in London just as covid-19 in China can easily mean covid-19 everywhere else.
Which, of course, makes me think about global solutions and that's where this book gets quite bleak. Mende was unable to visit her family, due to the dangers of coming back to Sudan, effectively forcing her to stay in London alone. Mende's refugee request was denied. She did end up receiving it but it was only because she had started to gain international attention after her book was published in Germany. This implies that there are people like Mende who were not able to immigrate, despite how obviously they deserve it.
And where are the limits of international involvement? Mende was literally enslaved to a Sudanese diplomat. There's a scene where someone tells Mende that in the UK you can't work and not get paid and this surprises her. At what point does culture relativity stop?
To conclude, Slave: My True Story is not an easy book to read. It's upsetting and it's unpleasant. However, this is also a remarkable tale of a brave young woman and a first hand account of a huge problem.
What I'm Taking With Me
- According to Wikipedia, there are between 21 million to 46 million people enslaved today. Which is a pretty large margin but also a very very big number regardless.
- And then there's also this and I'm just like what
- I wish there was more about how she got used to living in the UK because that scene with the bus was really interesting.
-------------------------
I was happier before I knew that slavery also exists in London. Review to come!
So Slave: My True Story is an autobiography of Mende Nazer. Born in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, when she was about 12, she was kidnapped by Arab slave raiders and sold to a wealthy family in Khartoum. Eventually, she was taken to London and manages to escape, after seven years of slavery.
This book is roughly split into three parts. The first part details her childhood in the Nuba Mountains. While Mende describes it positively, there were definitely some heartbreaking scenes here, such as her experiences with female genital mutilation. However, as a whole, Mende's family seems so full of love and warmth and hearing stories of her childhood was really interesting. The second part describes her abduction and work in Khartoum. Finally, the last part talks about London and her eventual escape.
The focus of this book is Mende. The Sudanese wars aren't explained at all. I recently finished First Raise A Flag: How South Sudan Won the Longest War but Lost the Peace so I felt like I could understand what was going on but for people who have not, this is not the book to turn to for Sudanese history. Rather, it describes Nuba culture and life in Khartoum through the eyes of a young girl.
One of my professors is convinced megacities are the future. Even today, London's budget is bigger than several countries. Such mega-cities are fascinating because they are so international. There are so many cultures represented everywhere. Reading this book was the first time I had considered that international cities also import the troubles of their residents. It makes me think about how our world is so connected, slavery in Sudan also means slavery in London just as covid-19 in China can easily mean covid-19 everywhere else.
Which, of course, makes me think about global solutions and that's where this book gets quite bleak. Mende was unable to visit her family, due to the dangers of coming back to Sudan, effectively forcing her to stay in London alone. Mende's refugee request was denied. She did end up receiving it but it was only because she had started to gain international attention after her book was published in Germany. This implies that there are people like Mende who were not able to immigrate, despite how obviously they deserve it.
And where are the limits of international involvement? Mende was literally enslaved to a Sudanese diplomat. There's a scene where someone tells Mende that in the UK you can't work and not get paid and this surprises her. At what point does culture relativity stop?
To conclude, Slave: My True Story is not an easy book to read. It's upsetting and it's unpleasant. However, this is also a remarkable tale of a brave young woman and a first hand account of a huge problem.
What I'm Taking With Me
- According to Wikipedia, there are between 21 million to 46 million people enslaved today. Which is a pretty large margin but also a very very big number regardless.
- And then there's also this and I'm just like what
- I wish there was more about how she got used to living in the UK because that scene with the bus was really interesting.
-------------------------
I was happier before I knew that slavery also exists in London. Review to come!
August 11, 2017
A harrowing and extremely eye-opening true life story of a childhood stolen by modern slavery which is still pervasive in North Africa and the Middle East. Mende Nazer lived a rural, happy childhood in a village Nuba Mountains in Sudan. At the age of twelve she was kidnapped by marauding Arab raiders, who put the men of her village to death, raped the woman and captured the children into slavery. She was raped by the Arab slavers and then sold in Khartoum to a cruel Arab family. There she was beaten, tortured and emotionally tormented, especially by the madam of the house, the indolent, spoiled and evil 'Master' Rahab. Nazer here tells of her unjust and cruel treatment here, and it is all the more disturbing for knowing that this is prevalent in Sudan, and with African slaves, across the Arab world.Millions like Mende are treated by Arabs as cruelly as slaves were by white masters over a century ago in America's South
Mende was a possession, given no wages, and no time off. she was given to Rahab's sister in London, where eventually with the help of some fellow Nubas which she was blessed enough to miraculously come across, managed to escape her inhumane captors, and eventually receive asylum in Britain, where today she campaign for the end to the diabolical slave trade-she is a TRUE human rights activist, who appreciates the freedom and humanity given her and all other migrants by her adopted country. What is is disturbing is so little attention is given to the horrors of the slave trade, and the genocide of Blacks by Arabs in the Sudan, by the media, universities and 'human rights' NGO who continue to focus exclusively on anti-Western and anti-Israel agitation. It is simply not politically correct to point to abuses by radical Arab regimes against non-Arabs. So called 'human rights' icons like Desmond Tutu, almost the entire left, and the Black power movements , have been very vocal in support of fashionable causes like the Palestinians, but have remained stony silence about the Arab slave trade.
I would urge anyone reading this review to make themselves aware and educated about the slave trade by Arabs of Blacks in Africa.
Mende was a possession, given no wages, and no time off. she was given to Rahab's sister in London, where eventually with the help of some fellow Nubas which she was blessed enough to miraculously come across, managed to escape her inhumane captors, and eventually receive asylum in Britain, where today she campaign for the end to the diabolical slave trade-she is a TRUE human rights activist, who appreciates the freedom and humanity given her and all other migrants by her adopted country. What is is disturbing is so little attention is given to the horrors of the slave trade, and the genocide of Blacks by Arabs in the Sudan, by the media, universities and 'human rights' NGO who continue to focus exclusively on anti-Western and anti-Israel agitation. It is simply not politically correct to point to abuses by radical Arab regimes against non-Arabs. So called 'human rights' icons like Desmond Tutu, almost the entire left, and the Black power movements , have been very vocal in support of fashionable causes like the Palestinians, but have remained stony silence about the Arab slave trade.
I would urge anyone reading this review to make themselves aware and educated about the slave trade by Arabs of Blacks in Africa.
August 8, 2007
This was a very difficult, though very worthwhile, book to read. It took me many, many, months to get through because the subject is so intense and often extremely disturbing.
That said, I am grateful for what Nazer has shared in this work. It was truly an eye opener. There remains much injustice in the world and books like this can help us to reveal those injustices so that we can take action to end them.
That said, I am grateful for what Nazer has shared in this work. It was truly an eye opener. There remains much injustice in the world and books like this can help us to reveal those injustices so that we can take action to end them.
September 8, 2011
Something about the dignity and courage of Mende Nazar as she recounts her appalling story grabs hold of your heart, allowing you to read on when it is almost unbearable.
Mende is calm and unflinching as she simply recounts the events that shattered her world,a remote Nubian village in the Sudan. She gives a vivid description of her community and her life as an adored and coddled child of a loving family. This comes to an abrubt and violent end when the village is attacked and burned by Arab raiders. This is not fiction. 31 children were kidnapped and enslaved. In the 90's.
And this is still going on.
The values and life lessons Mende learned in her village served her well. Although she was a spoilt child, used to getting her way, she adapted quickly and never lost her essential sweetness, never completely caved in to despair. Her resourcefulness and compassion are evident especially towards the end of her enslavement, when she postpones her break for freedom so as not to compromise anyone connected with her who might suffer repurcussions.
I hope she will do an update, I want to hold on to her, give her a great big hug, know that shes doing good.
Mende is calm and unflinching as she simply recounts the events that shattered her world,a remote Nubian village in the Sudan. She gives a vivid description of her community and her life as an adored and coddled child of a loving family. This comes to an abrubt and violent end when the village is attacked and burned by Arab raiders. This is not fiction. 31 children were kidnapped and enslaved. In the 90's.
And this is still going on.
The values and life lessons Mende learned in her village served her well. Although she was a spoilt child, used to getting her way, she adapted quickly and never lost her essential sweetness, never completely caved in to despair. Her resourcefulness and compassion are evident especially towards the end of her enslavement, when she postpones her break for freedom so as not to compromise anyone connected with her who might suffer repurcussions.
I hope she will do an update, I want to hold on to her, give her a great big hug, know that shes doing good.
May 7, 2013
An amazing book. Everyone should read this book! We live in a country of great freedom that we take for granted. My heart goes out to Mende.
November 10, 2017
Most of us think of slavery as something in the past. A subject relagted to history books and a subject that most find difficult to come to terms with. How could some one own another. But as i was about to find out with this book it is a trade that is still alive and flourishing. Unlike most storeys of slavery this one come streight from the source. Mende was captured a held as a slave for so long she did not believed she would every feel what freedom was like again.
The book starts us of with her childhood in the Nuba mountains. In some ways I found it strange that in a book so full of heartache it would begin with tales of such joy and happiness. But here the thing it give you context for what would come latter on. I enjoyed the tales of her carefree child hood and they made me smile. The bond she had with her family and especially her father are things to warm your soul. The only thing that tears you away from this idyllic early pages is when she talks about her F.G.M a subject I have written about in reviewing a previous book. It also aids in the process of ripping us away when she is kidnapped and her village virtually destroyed. What follows is a decent into hopelessness and a fight for survival. Her telling of being rapped by her captures is one that will rip the smile from your face. She was only 12 at the time. The event that take place over the following years are so distant from anything we can comprehend. Imagine not only being taken from your home but then on to another country where you cant speak the language. She really brings to life what is like to be treated like less than human.
The author manages to keep you with her the hole way through her tale. This is some times a hard thing to stomach. But she manages to deliver in a way that we can all comprehend. As the book progresses the years role by and we get to follow her from Khartoum and then on to London where she was given to her owners sister as a gift. This was a story that held my attention from the start. She will break your heart with the tale she has to tell you. I find it so disturbing that this is a practise that is still all to alive and well in the supposed modern world. Being relegated to living in a small shed with no form of protection from the mosquito's and not being allowed a name. It must be a strange state of being not being allowed to use the very thing the we use to identify our selves by. This book filled me with such rage towards the people who took her and then those who held her. What gives anyone else the wright to do this to some one else. We like to think of our selves as living in an enlightened world but as I started to get towards the end and realised it was coming to the very country I call my home I started to doubt some of my beliefs in what my country is. But I guess we all think that about the place we chose to call home. Luckily and through sheer will of determination and the help of two people she managed to escape. And with this could start to rebuild her life. Although there where problems with the English government and her seek asylum. Her writing companion has add some facts for us to better understand the global epidemic that is the modern slave trade. This shows the worrying state of affairs that people like Mende are in.
This is a story we all should read I don't think we can pretend like its not happening any more. She will move you with each of the chapters. I can get my head around living in fear of being beaten for doing the slightest thing wrong. Working for no pay and no time off gives us some perspective for when we complain about the jobs we chose to work out. I can not thank the author enough for laying her story down on page and opening my eyes. I urge you to pick up a copy and learn from her story. It will not be an easy on to digest but it is important. There is always more we can do.
The book starts us of with her childhood in the Nuba mountains. In some ways I found it strange that in a book so full of heartache it would begin with tales of such joy and happiness. But here the thing it give you context for what would come latter on. I enjoyed the tales of her carefree child hood and they made me smile. The bond she had with her family and especially her father are things to warm your soul. The only thing that tears you away from this idyllic early pages is when she talks about her F.G.M a subject I have written about in reviewing a previous book. It also aids in the process of ripping us away when she is kidnapped and her village virtually destroyed. What follows is a decent into hopelessness and a fight for survival. Her telling of being rapped by her captures is one that will rip the smile from your face. She was only 12 at the time. The event that take place over the following years are so distant from anything we can comprehend. Imagine not only being taken from your home but then on to another country where you cant speak the language. She really brings to life what is like to be treated like less than human.
The author manages to keep you with her the hole way through her tale. This is some times a hard thing to stomach. But she manages to deliver in a way that we can all comprehend. As the book progresses the years role by and we get to follow her from Khartoum and then on to London where she was given to her owners sister as a gift. This was a story that held my attention from the start. She will break your heart with the tale she has to tell you. I find it so disturbing that this is a practise that is still all to alive and well in the supposed modern world. Being relegated to living in a small shed with no form of protection from the mosquito's and not being allowed a name. It must be a strange state of being not being allowed to use the very thing the we use to identify our selves by. This book filled me with such rage towards the people who took her and then those who held her. What gives anyone else the wright to do this to some one else. We like to think of our selves as living in an enlightened world but as I started to get towards the end and realised it was coming to the very country I call my home I started to doubt some of my beliefs in what my country is. But I guess we all think that about the place we chose to call home. Luckily and through sheer will of determination and the help of two people she managed to escape. And with this could start to rebuild her life. Although there where problems with the English government and her seek asylum. Her writing companion has add some facts for us to better understand the global epidemic that is the modern slave trade. This shows the worrying state of affairs that people like Mende are in.
This is a story we all should read I don't think we can pretend like its not happening any more. She will move you with each of the chapters. I can get my head around living in fear of being beaten for doing the slightest thing wrong. Working for no pay and no time off gives us some perspective for when we complain about the jobs we chose to work out. I can not thank the author enough for laying her story down on page and opening my eyes. I urge you to pick up a copy and learn from her story. It will not be an easy on to digest but it is important. There is always more we can do.
December 26, 2011
Slave is the true story of Mende Nazer, a Sudanese woman whose childhood ended when she was captured and enslaved around age 12. One thing that made Mende’s story particularly stand out to me is that we are about the same age. Her slavery did not take place in the huts and villages of Sudan, but in the relatively modern city of Khartoum, where her well-to-do captors had most of the modern conveniences that we do (electricity, washer/dryer, stove/oven, etc).
In this book, Mende recounts the story through her own eyes with the help of author Damien Lewis. Because of the oral-tradition culture in which Mende grew up, she was able to remember and retell many vivid details and facts of the life she knew during her childhood and the life she later came to know as a slave in a bustling modern city. The first portion of the book recounts Mende’s childhood growing up in the Nuba mountains, a life full of familial love and enjoyment of life, with a few accounts that convey disdain for some of the difficult ways and traditions of that life (e.g., female genital mutilation/circumcision). I was touched by the recounting of her parent’s love and gentleness with her, loving her always, and sometimes with firmness, but without physical force—something that became routine in her days of enslavement.
The next portion describes her capture, abuse, and rape, and then her being sold as a slave to a respected family in Sudan’s capital. There she worked for seven years, suffering physical, verbal, and emotional abuse before being sold to her “master’s” relatives, who ironically worked for the Sudanese embassy in London. London is where Mende escaped to freedom, but even there such an escape was an unlikely possibility.
Sadly, most stories that start like Mende’s do not end as Mende’s did, and few of the victims of human trafficking ever have a voice of their own. Yet, Mende’s voice is one that is strong and powerful—a voice for those who cannot speak out about their suffering and enslavement.
In this book, Mende recounts the story through her own eyes with the help of author Damien Lewis. Because of the oral-tradition culture in which Mende grew up, she was able to remember and retell many vivid details and facts of the life she knew during her childhood and the life she later came to know as a slave in a bustling modern city. The first portion of the book recounts Mende’s childhood growing up in the Nuba mountains, a life full of familial love and enjoyment of life, with a few accounts that convey disdain for some of the difficult ways and traditions of that life (e.g., female genital mutilation/circumcision). I was touched by the recounting of her parent’s love and gentleness with her, loving her always, and sometimes with firmness, but without physical force—something that became routine in her days of enslavement.
The next portion describes her capture, abuse, and rape, and then her being sold as a slave to a respected family in Sudan’s capital. There she worked for seven years, suffering physical, verbal, and emotional abuse before being sold to her “master’s” relatives, who ironically worked for the Sudanese embassy in London. London is where Mende escaped to freedom, but even there such an escape was an unlikely possibility.
Sadly, most stories that start like Mende’s do not end as Mende’s did, and few of the victims of human trafficking ever have a voice of their own. Yet, Mende’s voice is one that is strong and powerful—a voice for those who cannot speak out about their suffering and enslavement.
December 6, 2007
I had trouble putting this book down when at first I started. It is the incredibly gruesome story of Mende, who's abducted by raiders as a 12 year old and sold into slavery to a cruel, inhuman woman, who does her level best to break the spirit of Mende. However, there's always enough human kindness around for Mende not to lose her sense of her own humanity completely, and in the end she escapes with the help of strangers.
Every page of the book is alive with Mende's simple and vibrant way of telling her horrible story, and it makes it more than just worth reading.
Every page of the book is alive with Mende's simple and vibrant way of telling her horrible story, and it makes it more than just worth reading.
May 14, 2013
First, I feel like a real shit for only giving this 3.5 stars. In my defense, it's because there wasn't ENOUGH book for me. Mende tells of at least 7+ years kept as a slave in about 150 pages. I didn't necessarily need graphic details, but I did want to get to know her more, see her strength, know how she developed her survival instincts, etc. Unfortunately the most horrific scene contained in this novel (other than the village raid and kidnapping) is the mutilation she endured during her female circumcision.
February 22, 2011
Read it. Better yet, read this along with Who Fears Death and see how much your world bends.
The story is what you expect but that doesn't take from the shock of it. The brutality...there were so many moments where I was speechless. Mende endured, that is true true strength.
The story is what you expect but that doesn't take from the shock of it. The brutality...there were so many moments where I was speechless. Mende endured, that is true true strength.
August 4, 2017
had to read this for a class and i really enjoyed it.
mende's story is powerful and her quiet strength is admirable in every way. even after everything she was going through she was always kind to those around her.
mende's story is powerful and her quiet strength is admirable in every way. even after everything she was going through she was always kind to those around her.
February 5, 2017
Kirja, joka kaikkien pitäisi lukea pitääkseen silmänsä auki tässä maailmassa.
February 16, 2013
What a book - I cried and my heart broke. The language of the book is easy and simplistic. The story is told, with no literary embellishments and in the author's own voice - she is not a writer and so there is a matter of fact style (it was told to Damien Lewis, a journalist who helped Mende during her escape and who penned the book, but I'm glad he kept it simple). The book has 2 halves. The first is about Mende's life growing up in a small village in the Nuba mountains of Sudan; and then life after Arab raiders killed many of the people in her village, and captured her and other kids to be used as slaves for wealthy families.
Her life afterwards was one of abuse. No rights, no voice, doomed to call her "owners" Master for the rest of her life. After 7 years, Mende manages to sneak away (year: 2000) while living in London with her new captors, with the help of someone she had only met ONCE. As difficult as this book is to read, and makes me literally HATE people who think it's okay to do this, it does show that there are people out there who will go out of their way to help others they don't know - and with no hesitation - just because it's the right thing to do.
Her life afterwards was one of abuse. No rights, no voice, doomed to call her "owners" Master for the rest of her life. After 7 years, Mende manages to sneak away (year: 2000) while living in London with her new captors, with the help of someone she had only met ONCE. As difficult as this book is to read, and makes me literally HATE people who think it's okay to do this, it does show that there are people out there who will go out of their way to help others they don't know - and with no hesitation - just because it's the right thing to do.
August 4, 2011
Mende's story is an amazing story that will not only captivate your mind, but also clench your heart. As a avid reader of non fiction books, this is the type of book that keeps my interest at peak! This story was told exceptionally well, with the help of, Damien, it allows the reader to develop a vivid mental picture of Mendes experience. I could almost taste and smell her surroundings. It touches on some unbelievable rituals and horrendous violations that continue till this day. Mende still maintains dignity and is vague when necessary. Please bear in mind that this is a very sad story so grab a Kleenex. I almost cried when she left to throw out the rubbish, and just ran for her dear life, and I couldn't stop laughing when she got on the plane and the flight attendant was informing her on safety precautions. Overall, this book was beautifully written. I will never forget this story.
This book has been made into a movie titled "I am Slave". You can find the trailer on YouTube.
This book has been made into a movie titled "I am Slave". You can find the trailer on YouTube.
January 25, 2011
This is an amazing autobiographical book about a girl ripped from her family at the tender age of 12 and sold into modern day slavery. It is mind boggling, gut wrenching and heart breaking. Yet, it is impossible to put down!
You can't help but love this girl and feel hopeless every step of the way. My heart ached during each episode of abuse and humiliation she encountered throughout her years as a slave. And I found myself becoming very frustrated and angry with her abusers, to the point of questioning their humanity. But I loved the way she relied on her faith and the beautiful memories of her family to get her through those horrible days/years.
This is definitely a must read for everyone! A truly empowering story about an unbelievably brave survivor.
You can't help but love this girl and feel hopeless every step of the way. My heart ached during each episode of abuse and humiliation she encountered throughout her years as a slave. And I found myself becoming very frustrated and angry with her abusers, to the point of questioning their humanity. But I loved the way she relied on her faith and the beautiful memories of her family to get her through those horrible days/years.
This is definitely a must read for everyone! A truly empowering story about an unbelievably brave survivor.
August 31, 2016
Užasno sam tužna i istovremeno ljuta kad čitam knjige ovoga tipa. Ne mogu vjerovati, čak ni nakon svega što sam čula, vidjela i pročitala da takvi ljudi postoje i da će na žalost uvijek postojati.
Kako možeš nekoga smatrati gorim od sebe samo zbog njegove boje kože i kulturne različitosti? Kako možeš uživati u silovanju malih djevojčica? Ova je djevojka u svojih desetak godina ropstva proživjela pakao, ako ne i puno gore od toga.
Potresna priča koja ne ostavlja ravnodušnim. Ovu bi knjigu svi trebali pročitati.
Kako možeš nekoga smatrati gorim od sebe samo zbog njegove boje kože i kulturne različitosti? Kako možeš uživati u silovanju malih djevojčica? Ova je djevojka u svojih desetak godina ropstva proživjela pakao, ako ne i puno gore od toga.
Potresna priča koja ne ostavlja ravnodušnim. Ovu bi knjigu svi trebali pročitati.
November 9, 2019
This was a very tough book to read. I cannot believe the way we treat our fellow humans. It really gets me down. I don't think I would have been able to finish this book today. It was an excellent memoir but the sadness and the graphic details of the way she was treated. How can people do such things? How???
January 11, 2010
When I read other reviews of this book I knew I had to read it. Living in America all my life I couldn't imagine that there is still slavery going on in the world, just that it happened many generations ago (that is something that we were taught in school). How could this still be going on??
I LOVED this book, it goes threw Mende's life from the beginning to current....how she was abducted and sold into slavery and how she finally broke free from all the abuse and even how it still affects her everyday living. Could you imagine having to learn how to be a 'civil' human from scratch, how much work it in-tales to 'blend' in with the rest of the population? Even after finishing this book it makes you wonder and think about what this wonderfully strong lady endured and is still going threw just to survive.
I LOVED this book, it goes threw Mende's life from the beginning to current....how she was abducted and sold into slavery and how she finally broke free from all the abuse and even how it still affects her everyday living. Could you imagine having to learn how to be a 'civil' human from scratch, how much work it in-tales to 'blend' in with the rest of the population? Even after finishing this book it makes you wonder and think about what this wonderfully strong lady endured and is still going threw just to survive.
September 25, 2010
Wow! Finally a memoir that lived up to its title! Powerful, shocking, heartbreaking... amazing. This story of a young Sudanese girl ripped from her family and sold into slavery sounds like a story from the 1800's but shockingly this happened in 1993! The story of Mende Nazer is a modern day horror story; not one of an era we had thought (and hoped) was gone for good.
This memoir is well written and fascinating. The beginning of the book does a great job of setting the scene and showing us Mende's life before the raid and kidnapping. Getting a peek into the life of the Nuba was almost as fascinating as reading how she survived seven years as a slave.
Great book and one I would highly recommend!
This memoir is well written and fascinating. The beginning of the book does a great job of setting the scene and showing us Mende's life before the raid and kidnapping. Getting a peek into the life of the Nuba was almost as fascinating as reading how she survived seven years as a slave.
Great book and one I would highly recommend!
February 28, 2009
this book really moved me. it is the account of a woman from Sudan who was sold into slavery at the age of 12. she remained a slave until she escaped in london when she was in her twenties. what made this book so powerful is that she describes not only the pain of being a slave, but also her life with her family prior to the attack on her village where she is stolen. there is a graphic account of genital circumcision that made me cringe. i can't imagine going through such a thing. i recommend this book so that eyes will be opened to the fact that modern day slavery does still exist.
January 26, 2011
The more you read from this book, the more you really wish that there was a way of tracking down the slave trader who stole Mende and the other children from their Nuba village and then putting a bullet through his tiny, stone-like heart — and then finding Mende’s former “master” and doing the same to her.
We can read about modern-day slavery from experts like Kevin Bales, but reading a first hand account by someone who has actually endured enslavement in this day and age is another experience altogether.
We can read about modern-day slavery from experts like Kevin Bales, but reading a first hand account by someone who has actually endured enslavement in this day and age is another experience altogether.
January 19, 2014
I often find myself drawn to women's issues books. Mostly about women fighting for their rights or overcoming tragedy. When I read the premise of Slave, I was so baffled. How could this happen? How could, in this time, someone be kidnapped and sold as a slave? Mende's story is heartbreaking and infuriating. As I read on, I could hear her voice and my heart just reached out to her.
January 26, 2016
After one of my friends moved to South Sudan I came across this book and was interested to learn more about the history of that region. This book is well written but not easy to read. Not easy because of the honesty and the pain which Mende recounts of her story. But most definitely wirth the read!
March 19, 2015
An amazing story about an amazing woman. This book will boggle your mind. It really makes you appreciate the freedoms we have, and so often take for granted. I think this should be a MUST read for EVERYONE!
August 15, 2016
This was a very compelling and thought-provoking story. This book is a true testament to what happens to thousands of girls in third world countries. A story of modern day slavery.
November 29, 2016
I finished this book in less than 24 hours, if that tells you anything. A quite compelling story that brings to light the Arabic slave trade still common today.
March 4, 2019
Este livro conta a história real, que infelizmente ainda acontece no Sudão: crianças e mulheres que são retiradas das suas aldeias (raptadas) para serem vendidas como escravas.
Foi o que aconteceu a Mende, que pertencia à tribo Nuba. Retirada à força da sua família, vendida como escrava para uma família árabe.
Só quando é enviada para Londres (passada como escrava para outra família) é que consegue escapar.
É realmente um retrato perturbador e é também perturbador pensar que nos dias de hoje esta é uma realidade de muitas crianças, cuja infância lhes é retirada.
Na primeira parte do livro é abordada a sua infância, as tradições do seu povo (incluindo a circuncisão, num relato que me impressionou bastante).
Recomendo bastante esta leitura.
Foi o que aconteceu a Mende, que pertencia à tribo Nuba. Retirada à força da sua família, vendida como escrava para uma família árabe.
Só quando é enviada para Londres (passada como escrava para outra família) é que consegue escapar.
É realmente um retrato perturbador e é também perturbador pensar que nos dias de hoje esta é uma realidade de muitas crianças, cuja infância lhes é retirada.
Na primeira parte do livro é abordada a sua infância, as tradições do seu povo (incluindo a circuncisão, num relato que me impressionou bastante).
Recomendo bastante esta leitura.
October 13, 2009
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Slavery Still Exists!!, January 29, 2004
In Slave: My True Story, Mende Nazer's spirit echoes that of Sojourner Truth's during her journey from slave to freedom fighter. The singular difference in their heroic efforts is the span of more than a century. One would like to believe that humanity would choose to eradicate slavery everywhere, but Nazer is living proof that the horrific institution is thriving in the new millennium. Nazer, only in her mid-twenties, has spent more than half her life enslaved - held captive against her will by her own countrymen. Her escape to freedom was largely a stroke of luck but she took it as an omen to tell the world about the widespread slave trade in modern day Sudan. Her book is an international bestseller in Europe and she hopes its launch in the US will bring about awareness and more supporters.
Nazer's autobiography is told with a child-like voice that conveys innocence and honesty. Told chronologically, it begins with a happy, carefree childhood with her family in remote Sudan. She shares tribal traditions, wonderful family memories, and her perspective of the Arab and British influence on her people. She also covers the painful aspects that address female circumcision, poor health care provisions, and infant mortality. Her childhood is interrupted around 12 years of age (as the Nuba tribe does not record birth dates) when she was abducted and raped in a violent Arab raid on her village and sold into domestic slavery in Khartoum. There she was physically, mentally, and emotionally abused continuously for eight years serving as housemaid, car detailer, laundress, cook, seamstress, and 24-hour nursemaid; never receiving a vacation or any other compensation. Sadly the same tactics used during the ancient slave trade are still employed today. Equally effective are the perpetual impoverishment and loss of any familiarity. Although several opportunities for escape were presented over the years, Mende became too brainwashed and fearful to take advantage.
Mende eventually came of age, started to attract the attention of adult male visitors to the household, then was "traded" to a family in London. She eventually escaped and was granted amnesty within the UK with aide from fellow Sudanese and British supporters. One of those supporters, Damien Lewis, is the co-author of the novel. Both he and Mende dedicate their time and resources supporting human rights organizations and government assemblies. She has since learned that her parents survived the raid and are alive near her village and communicates with them periodically. Unfortunately with her sensationalized trial, publicized battle for political asylum in the United Kingdom and the release of the novel, came noteriety that prohibits her from returning to the Sudan. Thus Mende's ultimate plea for the abolition of slavery everywhere is coupled by a simple desire to see her family again.
This is a book is a testimony to a young woman's outstanding courage and unconquerable spirit.
December 5, 2018
Recommended
This memoir is very compelling. The story of the author being captured and sold into slavery in Sudan is jarring because it’s a modern story (she escaped in 2002), and it’s a dramatic contrast and juxtaposition of her life in the African bush before being enslaved in the city of Khartoum. The story is a remarkable testament to her resilience and persistence despite utter powerlessness. The language is fairly simple because there was a big translation challenge between Mende and the journalist who helped her, but I actually think it helps soften the events in the book. I have a feeling that a native English speaker would have used much harsher language/imagery. Another bonus of this book: positive depiction of Muslim faith and a reminder that Islam is way more than a Middle Eastern stereotype. Trigger warnings for physical abuse, rape, and genital mutilation: all brief scenes but definitely rough.
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After all those years, Rahab [the woman who owned me] had completely destroyed my sense of my own identity and my own self-worth. I believed that I didn't deserve to be paid for my work. I lived in a state of complete terror of her. And I was still only a child. To rebel against the woman whom I called "master" and who called me "slave" had become unthinkable. It lay outside the range of possibilities that I could contemplate. (200)
How many other slave girls like us were there today, in that park, I wondered? Hundreds probably. How many would have stories just like hours - of being beaten, abused, exploited and lonely? So many broken hearts, stolen childhoods and wrecked lives. (222)
For the first time since I'd been captured, I was sitting on a chair in a living room being treated like everyone else. The strange thing was that I didn't really like it. I'd spent so many years being treated like a slave and that's what I'd become used to. (259)
... this freedom was a terrifying thing. I was captured when I was still a child. I spent my teenage years and my early adulthood in slavery. For all that time, I had no freedom. I was a non-person. I didn't really exist. (311)
"I want all the others who are still in slavery and misery to be set free," Mende says. "How can I really feel free, when I know that they all remain enslaved?" (from the note from Damien Lewis, 345)
This memoir is very compelling. The story of the author being captured and sold into slavery in Sudan is jarring because it’s a modern story (she escaped in 2002), and it’s a dramatic contrast and juxtaposition of her life in the African bush before being enslaved in the city of Khartoum. The story is a remarkable testament to her resilience and persistence despite utter powerlessness. The language is fairly simple because there was a big translation challenge between Mende and the journalist who helped her, but I actually think it helps soften the events in the book. I have a feeling that a native English speaker would have used much harsher language/imagery. Another bonus of this book: positive depiction of Muslim faith and a reminder that Islam is way more than a Middle Eastern stereotype. Trigger warnings for physical abuse, rape, and genital mutilation: all brief scenes but definitely rough.
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After all those years, Rahab [the woman who owned me] had completely destroyed my sense of my own identity and my own self-worth. I believed that I didn't deserve to be paid for my work. I lived in a state of complete terror of her. And I was still only a child. To rebel against the woman whom I called "master" and who called me "slave" had become unthinkable. It lay outside the range of possibilities that I could contemplate. (200)
How many other slave girls like us were there today, in that park, I wondered? Hundreds probably. How many would have stories just like hours - of being beaten, abused, exploited and lonely? So many broken hearts, stolen childhoods and wrecked lives. (222)
For the first time since I'd been captured, I was sitting on a chair in a living room being treated like everyone else. The strange thing was that I didn't really like it. I'd spent so many years being treated like a slave and that's what I'd become used to. (259)
... this freedom was a terrifying thing. I was captured when I was still a child. I spent my teenage years and my early adulthood in slavery. For all that time, I had no freedom. I was a non-person. I didn't really exist. (311)
"I want all the others who are still in slavery and misery to be set free," Mende says. "How can I really feel free, when I know that they all remain enslaved?" (from the note from Damien Lewis, 345)
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