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Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America
In this groundbreaking modern slave narrative, Francis Bok shares his remarkable story with grace, honesty, and a wisdom gained from surviving ten years in captivity.
May, 1986: Selling his mother's eggs and peanuts near his village in southern Sudan, seven year old Francis Bok's life was shattered when Arab raiders on horseback, armed with rifles and long knives, burst into the quiet marketplace, murdering men and women and gathering the young children into a group. Strapped to horses and donkeys, Francis and others were taken north, into lives of slavery under wealthy Muslim farmers.
For ten years, Francis lived alone in a shed near the goats and cattle that were his responsibility. Fed with scraps from the table, slowly learning bits of an unfamiliar language and religion, the boy had almost no human contact other than his captor's family. After two failed attempts to escape-each bringing severe beatings and death threats-Francis finally escaped at age seventeen, a dramatic breakaway on foot that was his final chance. Yet his slavery did not end there, for even as he made his way toward the capital city of Khartoum, others sought to deprive him of his freedom. Determined to avoid that fate and discover what had happened to his family on that terrible day in 1986, the teenager persevered through prison and refugee camps for three more years, winning the attention of United Nations officials and being granted passage to America.
Now a student and an anti-slavery activist, Francis Bok has made it his life mission to combat world slavery. His is the first voice to speak for an estimated twenty seven million people held against their will in nearly every nation, including our own. Escape from Slavery is at once a riveting adventure, a story of desperation and triumph, and a window revealing a world that few have survived to tell.
May, 1986: Selling his mother's eggs and peanuts near his village in southern Sudan, seven year old Francis Bok's life was shattered when Arab raiders on horseback, armed with rifles and long knives, burst into the quiet marketplace, murdering men and women and gathering the young children into a group. Strapped to horses and donkeys, Francis and others were taken north, into lives of slavery under wealthy Muslim farmers.
For ten years, Francis lived alone in a shed near the goats and cattle that were his responsibility. Fed with scraps from the table, slowly learning bits of an unfamiliar language and religion, the boy had almost no human contact other than his captor's family. After two failed attempts to escape-each bringing severe beatings and death threats-Francis finally escaped at age seventeen, a dramatic breakaway on foot that was his final chance. Yet his slavery did not end there, for even as he made his way toward the capital city of Khartoum, others sought to deprive him of his freedom. Determined to avoid that fate and discover what had happened to his family on that terrible day in 1986, the teenager persevered through prison and refugee camps for three more years, winning the attention of United Nations officials and being granted passage to America.
Now a student and an anti-slavery activist, Francis Bok has made it his life mission to combat world slavery. His is the first voice to speak for an estimated twenty seven million people held against their will in nearly every nation, including our own. Escape from Slavery is at once a riveting adventure, a story of desperation and triumph, and a window revealing a world that few have survived to tell.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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April 7, 2019
Throughout the latter half of the 1900s, Sudan has been in a state of war. There were times of peace in between but the war still continues today. But that is true for many African countries. So what makes this memoir any different? The simple fact that Sudan still follows slavery customs that had been in vogue for centuries in the area. The only country that still had legal slavery at the time Bok was enslaved was Mauritania.
Born Francis Piol Bol Buk, this boy from the Dinka tribe had an idealistic childhood that was rudely shattered one day without warning. A raid in the marketplace that he was in resulted in many Dinka men dead and women and children enslaved. He himself was taken home by an Arab man called Giemma Abdullah. At the age of seven, Buk had become a slave.
The first half of the book is really heartwarming and sad as Bok narrates his life history under slavery. His loneliness made me sad - just imagining a poor young boy of seven all alone, bewildered, with nothing familiar to console him. But Bok thrives and helps himself by adapting to the circumstances. He learns Arabic and makes himself indispensable to his master, which probably saves his life. All this is told in ruthless detail, and Bok is quite a good story-teller, arousing all the right emotions.
Eventually, he escapes and makes his way to Khartoum, Cairo, and finally to the US, where he begins to talk against slavery. I do admire his guts and his bravery, but parts of this narrative seemed highly naive to me. He goes on and on about how the great Americans were listening to a poor Dinka boy until I was vicariously embarrassed for him. He seems to think the US can do absolutely no wrong, and should poke their noses everywhere merely because they accepted him as a refugee. That's not how it works, though. The same countries taking in refugees are also often the same ones that are creating them elsewhere.
The "Afterword" was also quite naive. Bok could probably do much better trying to raise awareness in his native country about these issues. His assumption that only white people are called to account for genocide is really annoying as well. The West is forever telling everyone else what to do, maybe that part has skipped Bok's attention? He talks about India having thousands of slaves. Did I miss something? Unless he is talking about social inequalities, but that exists in his precious America too. So, yeah context and clarification required here. But mostly, I just cringed every single time he went 'oh, look at all these white people paying attention to black me!'
I was quite annoyed too at the way he talked about men purchasing wives with cattle. Apparently, the cattle raids has led to men being unable to buy wives and it's affecting Dinka culture. WTF! Bride price is an atrocious custom and needs to be stopped, culture or not. Why not just get married without the damn cattle? If this solution doesn't occur to Bok, then it's a problem. It's also a problem that he seems quite insular and prefers to stick with fellow tribespeople. I understand many people are like that but I would expect an activist to have a broader worldview and intersectional ideas.
Nevertheless, I found this book edifying and interesting, as well as the issues discussed in it. The Arab slave trade is a pretty old institution and such customs can be very hard to dismantle. What can help is educating the people on both sides and helping them move on from the past. But burying tribal, religious, and racial differences is vital to that!
Born Francis Piol Bol Buk, this boy from the Dinka tribe had an idealistic childhood that was rudely shattered one day without warning. A raid in the marketplace that he was in resulted in many Dinka men dead and women and children enslaved. He himself was taken home by an Arab man called Giemma Abdullah. At the age of seven, Buk had become a slave.
The first half of the book is really heartwarming and sad as Bok narrates his life history under slavery. His loneliness made me sad - just imagining a poor young boy of seven all alone, bewildered, with nothing familiar to console him. But Bok thrives and helps himself by adapting to the circumstances. He learns Arabic and makes himself indispensable to his master, which probably saves his life. All this is told in ruthless detail, and Bok is quite a good story-teller, arousing all the right emotions.
Eventually, he escapes and makes his way to Khartoum, Cairo, and finally to the US, where he begins to talk against slavery. I do admire his guts and his bravery, but parts of this narrative seemed highly naive to me. He goes on and on about how the great Americans were listening to a poor Dinka boy until I was vicariously embarrassed for him. He seems to think the US can do absolutely no wrong, and should poke their noses everywhere merely because they accepted him as a refugee. That's not how it works, though. The same countries taking in refugees are also often the same ones that are creating them elsewhere.
The "Afterword" was also quite naive. Bok could probably do much better trying to raise awareness in his native country about these issues. His assumption that only white people are called to account for genocide is really annoying as well. The West is forever telling everyone else what to do, maybe that part has skipped Bok's attention? He talks about India having thousands of slaves. Did I miss something? Unless he is talking about social inequalities, but that exists in his precious America too. So, yeah context and clarification required here. But mostly, I just cringed every single time he went 'oh, look at all these white people paying attention to black me!'
I was quite annoyed too at the way he talked about men purchasing wives with cattle. Apparently, the cattle raids has led to men being unable to buy wives and it's affecting Dinka culture. WTF! Bride price is an atrocious custom and needs to be stopped, culture or not. Why not just get married without the damn cattle? If this solution doesn't occur to Bok, then it's a problem. It's also a problem that he seems quite insular and prefers to stick with fellow tribespeople. I understand many people are like that but I would expect an activist to have a broader worldview and intersectional ideas.
Nevertheless, I found this book edifying and interesting, as well as the issues discussed in it. The Arab slave trade is a pretty old institution and such customs can be very hard to dismantle. What can help is educating the people on both sides and helping them move on from the past. But burying tribal, religious, and racial differences is vital to that!
June 20, 2009
This book will break your heart. This lets you look inside the mind of a child slave. The whole time I read about his time in slavery I wished I could reach out and pull him into the loving comfort of a warm lap and squeeze him with tender snuggles, like all children need. I will never forget this mans story.
June 22, 2010
The first-person account of Francis Bok, who was captured from the market town of Nyamlell at the age of seven and forced into slavery in North Sudan. Some friends of mine who are also good friends of Francis’ lent me this book after telling me a little bit about his story. It was every bit as interesting and eye-opening as they indicated. The culture of Sudan depicted throughout the book stands in stark contrast to the American culture in which I’ve grown up. It is hard to even comprehend the reality of what is taking place in nations plagued by political unrest, militant religious organizations, and economic devastation. Perhaps the only real way to understand is to experience it yourself, but reading books like Escape From Slavery sure goes a long way toward gaining a broader vision of the world.
April 26, 2009
The story of a Sudanese Dinka boy who was captured and enslaved for 10 years, then jailed for speaking out after he escaped. His story, including how he came to be in the US and working for an anti-slavery organization is easy to read, enlightening, and horrifying.
I will say, though, that his discussion of the history and politics of Sudan at the end are a radical shift in writing style, and so likely to put people off a bit. But as most of us (myself included) know little about African history and tensions, it's an important part of the story.
Still current enough to be horrifying (he was abducted in 1986 and only escaped in 1996), this is well worth your time.
I will say, though, that his discussion of the history and politics of Sudan at the end are a radical shift in writing style, and so likely to put people off a bit. But as most of us (myself included) know little about African history and tensions, it's an important part of the story.
Still current enough to be horrifying (he was abducted in 1986 and only escaped in 1996), this is well worth your time.
Read
May 4, 2010For my English class, we had to create a "Found Poem", a poem using words found throughout the book. This is my poem.
It was late afternoon
under a tree.
I was excited to get my trading career started.
Then, smoke.
In the village.
Something had happened back in the village.
The Murahaliin were coming!
People ran away.
I could not find my way.
Men entered the market place.
With guns in their hands.
I raced away, but I stopped abruptly.
A man grabbed me.
An Arab grabbed me.
My mother trusted me
she expected me home, soon.
But I was not going home.
It was late afternoon
under a tree.
I was excited to get my trading career started.
Then, smoke.
In the village.
Something had happened back in the village.
The Murahaliin were coming!
People ran away.
I could not find my way.
Men entered the market place.
With guns in their hands.
I raced away, but I stopped abruptly.
A man grabbed me.
An Arab grabbed me.
My mother trusted me
she expected me home, soon.
But I was not going home.
August 16, 2007
It's a challenging narrative of the current-day slave trade in Africa. No light read, but very good.
January 17, 2016
During the "invisible" civil war in Sudan two million southern Sudanese have been killed and 4.4. million displaced. Women and children not casualties of the war often ended up as slaves. One of those slaves was a seven year old Dinka boy, Francis Piol Bol Buk (Francis Bok).
For the first seven years of Bok's life, Bok learned a strong work ethic that earned him the nickname "twelve men", was a quick study, and received encouragement from father. Bok was told repeatedly that he would one day do something great. Bok was insulated from the centuries of tension between the North and the South. Then, on his first unsupervised trip to the market Bok's world is turned upside down as "Murahaliin" descended on the market, killing the men, and sweeping up the women and children. Children who resisted were dealt with swiftly. When two sisters would not stop crying one was shot in the head and the other had her leg cut off. Bok, however, was taken into slavery. For the next ten years Bok used the lessons of his early childhood to learn Arabic, work hard enough to be indispensable, and plan his escape.
This is a fascinating first-hand account of a subject of which most people have only vague knowledge (including me). While not a difficult read, Bok does an excellent job of unfolding his story through his eyes, giving a very brief history of the conflict, and sharing the hope that many around the world still find in America.
The subject matter is heavy but there are opportunities for an occasional smile. A young Sudanese's experience with the snow of Fargo, North Dakota can't help but break the tension a bit.
I really appreciated Bok's reflection on the subject of slavery in American's history. I was particularly struck by Bok's statement to President George W. Bush at the signing of teh Sudan Peace Act, " I also want to remind you that you are the first president in 150 years t meet wtih a former slave-myself." (pg 269).
Bok has been accused of being Anti-Muslim. While he unapologetically embrases his Christian faith and believes his safety is due to God's providence, he also relates the assistance offered by individual Muslims once he escaped.
For the first seven years of Bok's life, Bok learned a strong work ethic that earned him the nickname "twelve men", was a quick study, and received encouragement from father. Bok was told repeatedly that he would one day do something great. Bok was insulated from the centuries of tension between the North and the South. Then, on his first unsupervised trip to the market Bok's world is turned upside down as "Murahaliin" descended on the market, killing the men, and sweeping up the women and children. Children who resisted were dealt with swiftly. When two sisters would not stop crying one was shot in the head and the other had her leg cut off. Bok, however, was taken into slavery. For the next ten years Bok used the lessons of his early childhood to learn Arabic, work hard enough to be indispensable, and plan his escape.
This is a fascinating first-hand account of a subject of which most people have only vague knowledge (including me). While not a difficult read, Bok does an excellent job of unfolding his story through his eyes, giving a very brief history of the conflict, and sharing the hope that many around the world still find in America.
The subject matter is heavy but there are opportunities for an occasional smile. A young Sudanese's experience with the snow of Fargo, North Dakota can't help but break the tension a bit.
I really appreciated Bok's reflection on the subject of slavery in American's history. I was particularly struck by Bok's statement to President George W. Bush at the signing of teh Sudan Peace Act, " I also want to remind you that you are the first president in 150 years t meet wtih a former slave-myself." (pg 269).
Bok has been accused of being Anti-Muslim. While he unapologetically embrases his Christian faith and believes his safety is due to God's providence, he also relates the assistance offered by individual Muslims once he escaped.
September 3, 2014
In this book Francis bok tells a tale about his excruciating childhood/life in slavery and how he escaped it. This is one of the best (and most important) books ive ever read. in the begining he goes on to tell the reader how great his life was before he was captured. This really helped build character, and show the reader that slavery happened to everyday people who lived their lives just like you and me. He also goes into great detail about his culture and just talks about the Dinka people in general. Later in the book he goes even deeper to explain the reason it was happening to his people(slavery) and what they tried to do to stop it. This is where it gets political. In the book Francis nicely describes his life before, durring, and after slavery with great detail. I reccomend this book to anyone who is eager to understand the courage and willpower it takes to be in and escape from slavery.
January 11, 2017
You have to admire how much he preserved, this book is emotional, captivating and motivating because you get to see how much he fought to get to where he is today. This book captures how much he fought in the hands of the people who stole him, abused him and tried to take away his spirit.
March 24, 2026
Francis Buk was abducted by the murahaleen (Arab Muslim militias) during a raid on the marketplace where he was selling his family's crops. He was made a slave. He was 7 years old.
After 10 long, lonely, and dangerous years of herding goats and cattle under constant threats of being maimed or killed, he eventually escapes. Through a long journey that takes him through refugee camps in Sudan, prison, Cairo, he ends up in the US. Here he becomes a part of the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG), and starts to give speeches and raise awareness that there are still slaves in this world.
Back in Egypt, when he is applying to the UN to become a "UN refugee", he tells his story to another Dinka, Franco.
Francis' story is awful but it's also very very important. It reminds us that people can become unbelievably cruel - shockingly cruel - when they manage to dehumanize others. Giemma Abdullah (the man who abducts Francis) says to him that he is nothing more than an animal. How can people believe such things? But they do.
There's hope too. There are also very kind and selfless people out there- Francis met many during his journey to freedom. Thanks to those people, he made it out of Sudan and found a way to make his voice heard. His journey is very sad and incredible - the journey of a spirit which refused to break. Godspeed Francis - I hope you succeed in your mission to free every slave.
After 10 long, lonely, and dangerous years of herding goats and cattle under constant threats of being maimed or killed, he eventually escapes. Through a long journey that takes him through refugee camps in Sudan, prison, Cairo, he ends up in the US. Here he becomes a part of the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG), and starts to give speeches and raise awareness that there are still slaves in this world.
Back in Egypt, when he is applying to the UN to become a "UN refugee", he tells his story to another Dinka, Franco.
Franco told me that I would be accepted as a refugee. "This story is very strong," he said. He had helped many people fill out their forms, but mine was the worst story he had heard-and thus the best for getting chosen as a UN refugee.
Francis' story is awful but it's also very very important. It reminds us that people can become unbelievably cruel - shockingly cruel - when they manage to dehumanize others. Giemma Abdullah (the man who abducts Francis) says to him that he is nothing more than an animal. How can people believe such things? But they do.
There's hope too. There are also very kind and selfless people out there- Francis met many during his journey to freedom. Thanks to those people, he made it out of Sudan and found a way to make his voice heard. His journey is very sad and incredible - the journey of a spirit which refused to break. Godspeed Francis - I hope you succeed in your mission to free every slave.
December 29, 2025
Woah!!! One of my favourite books this year. His story was so compelling and truly hit me because of the amount of torture, evil and hatred he faced yet went against all odds and came out a positive, hopeful and impactful person. This man’s a symbol of someone that holds onto hope and has a gift of spreading a message. Definitely look up to him as an important figure in sharing a voice and politics.
February 11, 2022
Tõestisündinud lugu 21 sajandil, mitte ammu aset leidnud sündmustest, kus raamatu autor ise pääseb põgenema orjusest. Väga südant puudutav ja see ei ole lihtsalt lugu noorest mehest, kes kuidagi hakkama sai, vaid tundes kaasa oma rahva katsumustele, oli ta valmis ka nende eest välja astuma ja seisma. Tänulik nendele autoritele, et see lugu sai kaante vahele.
July 5, 2015
This is how this book begins: "I have told the story many times about that day in 1986, when my mother sent me to the market to sell eggs and peanuts: the day I became a slave."
This is how it ends: "Finally, I want to thank God for blessing me and guiding me in the worst of times and the best of times." (Acknowledgements)
Here is a boy, age 7, who was suddenly and brutally removed from his family, his town and his culture, kidnapped by northern Sudanese raiders and enslaved for 10 years. He escaped three times, was recaptured twice and was lucky enough, not to mention strong and brave enough, to succeed when he ran away at age 17.
Read this book. It could be a companion to Frederick Douglass' works, or Harriet Tubman's. Except it happened in places that are currently in the news--Darfur, for instance--and clarifies exactly why Darfur is in the news now, why people are starving and why the refugee camps exist in the first place.
And, if you don't want to read a book, check out this website: iAbolish.org
As for the book itself, the story of course is compelling and eminently readable. There are a couple of 'a-ha' moments--"Yes, he really stopped learning as a child at age 7," moments when he shows himself to be kind of stuck there. But he has overcome that 'redirection' of his childhood (to euphemize horribly) in ways that are astounding. His memories of his parents are so clear, and the games he played in his village are so real that they seem to be taken from yesterday.
Amazing book, quick read, horrifying subject, and hopeful at the end. Wow.
This is how it ends: "Finally, I want to thank God for blessing me and guiding me in the worst of times and the best of times." (Acknowledgements)
Here is a boy, age 7, who was suddenly and brutally removed from his family, his town and his culture, kidnapped by northern Sudanese raiders and enslaved for 10 years. He escaped three times, was recaptured twice and was lucky enough, not to mention strong and brave enough, to succeed when he ran away at age 17.
Read this book. It could be a companion to Frederick Douglass' works, or Harriet Tubman's. Except it happened in places that are currently in the news--Darfur, for instance--and clarifies exactly why Darfur is in the news now, why people are starving and why the refugee camps exist in the first place.
And, if you don't want to read a book, check out this website: iAbolish.org
As for the book itself, the story of course is compelling and eminently readable. There are a couple of 'a-ha' moments--"Yes, he really stopped learning as a child at age 7," moments when he shows himself to be kind of stuck there. But he has overcome that 'redirection' of his childhood (to euphemize horribly) in ways that are astounding. His memories of his parents are so clear, and the games he played in his village are so real that they seem to be taken from yesterday.
Amazing book, quick read, horrifying subject, and hopeful at the end. Wow.
September 8, 2011
This book talk about a lost boy who have been missing from his home for ten years. Francis Bok loved his mom and dad so much that he will do anything for them. His dad use to take him to his friend and say that this kid is very good kid his dad say so. one day his mom told him you will go with other older girls and sell stuff but if u sell anything give money to the older girl.Francis was so happy that his mom trusted him to go out. So they went to the shop and sell stuff, then he saw people running from differance way and then he hear gun shot people getting killed taking kids and women, Killing all the man. And he got took by the man he never seen before he saw some girls get killed for no reason. He then when to this man that he never saw before and his kids start beating him. He got beat for no reason i felt bad went i read that chapter. but 10 year later he escape and felt like a free man and now his helping southern Sudan to get batter. lets fight for southern Sudan.
November 17, 2018
Slavery is alive and well in the world, there are many millions of people who are slaves. This is the story of one of them, who, at the age of seven, was captured in a raid by Northern Sudanese Arabs, raiding in the villages of South Sudan, whose population was black, non Arab, non Muslim. Read the amazing story of Bok's ten years of cruelty and fear at the hands of the family that owned him, his escape at age 17, his eventual arrival in America, and his work as an activist and spokesperson against slavery through his contact with bona-fide modern-day abolitionists.
Read to the end, where the discussion covers: WHY are international human rights groups alert to the plight of some peoples, but not others? No, it's not race, as the causes of Somalis, Haitians, and Rwandan Tutsi have been embraced. Find out how and why some peoples, like Bok's Dinka people, are victims twice: first by their enslavers and oppressors, second by the human rights group that ignore them.
Read to the end, where the discussion covers: WHY are international human rights groups alert to the plight of some peoples, but not others? No, it's not race, as the causes of Somalis, Haitians, and Rwandan Tutsi have been embraced. Find out how and why some peoples, like Bok's Dinka people, are victims twice: first by their enslavers and oppressors, second by the human rights group that ignore them.
October 29, 2009
Francis Bok spent his early childhood as a happy member of a Sudanese Dinka family. He took great pride that his father felt he would someday grow up and do great things. At the age of 7, Francis was allowed for the first time to go to the market to sell his family's goods. His mother put him in the care of 2 other children. Little did he know that this would be the last time he would ever see his family again. He was captured at the market and was bound in slavery for the next ten years.
This book is a fascinating read. It left me speechless and mortified to know that so much slavery still goes on all over the world. Bok reveals tremendous abuse and how he dealt with it and survived it, as well as about other children and their horrors. He covers his life of slavery, his escape and his mission now. A must read for everyone!
This book is a fascinating read. It left me speechless and mortified to know that so much slavery still goes on all over the world. Bok reveals tremendous abuse and how he dealt with it and survived it, as well as about other children and their horrors. He covers his life of slavery, his escape and his mission now. A must read for everyone!
October 20, 2008
I currently owe CSU $100 for this book since my dog chewed it pretty good. Still readable, but missing half it's hard back cover unless I can find another with the same ISBN number.
I read this with my Honors middle school students. It's a pretty simple read, but provocative. Reminds us that there is still slavery in the world today. Piol is a Dinka who was captured when he was six in southern Sudan and worked for his Arab master for ten years in northern Sudan. Check out his website at iabolish.org. His story made me think a lot about what it means to be a slave and to be a slave master, and maybe this is my overactive attempt to find parallels in our lives, but I think there is a lot more to freedom than the ability to make choices for oneself.
I read this with my Honors middle school students. It's a pretty simple read, but provocative. Reminds us that there is still slavery in the world today. Piol is a Dinka who was captured when he was six in southern Sudan and worked for his Arab master for ten years in northern Sudan. Check out his website at iabolish.org. His story made me think a lot about what it means to be a slave and to be a slave master, and maybe this is my overactive attempt to find parallels in our lives, but I think there is a lot more to freedom than the ability to make choices for oneself.
February 11, 2014
I'm grateful that this strong brave man wrote his story out , it's important that people hear this kind of thing. This one will open your eyes and is an important read. Yes its written simplistically with swaths of explanation about America that I skipped over since i'm from Philadelphia, but,like Americans tend to forget, there are other people in the world who may not know this stuff. In terms of the writing style, English is this mans third language cut him some damn slack (besides the simple style means it can reach a wider audience). I'm not going to complain about the writing style of someones life story that's unbelievably rude. Other reviewers on here need to get their act together.
January 19, 2012
This is an incredible story of courage, faith, and determination. To think that a seven-year-old boy could be kidnapped from his village in 1986 and be kept as a slave for 10 years is difficult to grasp in this modern day, yet this is exactly what happened to Francis Bok. While the Sudanese government was vehemently denying that slavery even existed in Sudan, thousands of women and children, primarily of the Dinka people, were being stolen each year as part of the ongoing civil war there. That this brave and intelligent young man persevered and eventually made it to America where he became the personification of slavery in Africa is a miraculous tale. This story will pull at your heart, certainly, but if it compels you to action, that is even better.
September 20, 2016
When I first got to college, each student was given a book and the promise that the author would come and speak to the class later in the year. My freshman class was given Francis Bok's fascinating memoir Escape From Slavery.
It challenged my notion of slavery (That's something from the past! No one still participates in that barbaric practice!), while humanizing the victims. When I finally got to see Bok speak, I was in awe at his strength and his amazing story.
It also opened up an entire world of history to me, as high school social studies focuses far too heavily on Eurocentric history. I had no idea about the history of Sudan, or really any other African nation, until this book. It was a great novel, and one I am glad my university introduced to me.
It challenged my notion of slavery (That's something from the past! No one still participates in that barbaric practice!), while humanizing the victims. When I finally got to see Bok speak, I was in awe at his strength and his amazing story.
It also opened up an entire world of history to me, as high school social studies focuses far too heavily on Eurocentric history. I had no idea about the history of Sudan, or really any other African nation, until this book. It was a great novel, and one I am glad my university introduced to me.
August 19, 2010
The story of Francis Bok's life is an amazing one, which he has shared before many audiences in person and retells here. Bok grew up in southern Sudan before he was kidnapped and forced into slavery at age seven. He managed to escape ten years later only to be enslaved by the police he went to for help for two more months. Eventually, with some surprising help, he ends up making it to America as a UN refugee. Soon he is working with anti-slavery groups, telling his story, raising awareness and helping his people. There were times reading this book that tears came to my eyes. It is a moving story, hopefully moving more of us to work to end slavery in our world.
May 30, 2012
In the Sudan, the southerners are black Christians and the northerners are white, Arab Muslims. Francis Bok, a Dinka living in the south, was stolen into slavery by white Arab marauders from the northern part of Sudan. He was brought back up to the north to work as a sheep herder. He was treated harshly, but not cruelly. He was an involuntary, poorly paid, servant, selected because of his poverty, race and religion. He was not treated as badly as the women in the memoirs I have read by women growing up under Islam. This supports my thesis that the fundamental problem with Islam is misogyny, not race, religion, politics or economics.
.
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January 17, 2013
This book was very touching. It was about a young boy from Sudan being enslaved after a raid in his village, He was in captivity for ten years. The people who enslaved him and lots of others were Arab raiders who killed hundreds of people of his village. He survived the ten years of struggle and hardship to make it to America. He then became a Captivist and joined an anti-slavery group and was very sucessful. He was one of the very few slaves that lived to tell his story. I thought is was a very good book.
May 29, 2013
I was shocked when I realized this boy probably ended up in the same country as some of his ancestors as the Arabs in the north have been enslaving and selling the black people in the south of Sudan for hundreds of years. Yet, you find black people in the U.S.proud to be Muslim, thought it was Muslims who had sold them into slavery and forced their religion on them as well. What a travesty to think the same thing is happening today in the "modern" world. Glad this young man is in a better place and happy he shared his horrific story.
February 13, 2008
Think slavery ended hundreds of years ago? Think again. This is the story of a Dinka man from southern Sudan who was captured as a young child and forced into slavery by Arab Northern Sudanese folks. He escaped and made it to America and now is an anti-slavery activist working to make sure this never happens to anyone else ever again.
July 30, 2008
I highly recommend this book to anyone. I never even imagined that slavery like this exists today. It opened my eyes to another world and culture, and the hatred and ignorance that is very real for some people. I also marveled at the triumphant spirit of the author. A terrible, and wonderful story of survival.
April 22, 2008
Captivating autobiography of a Sudanese child who was kidnapped into slavery; how he survived and ultimately escaped. Oddly enough, he is now living in my town. This brings his story even closer to home.
September 10, 2008
This book was suggested during my social justice class. It is hard to believe slavery still takes place. It is unbelievable that Francis was able to survive slavery for ten years. His parents gave him a good foundation and his desire to return to his parents kept him alive.
June 19, 2008
This was an amazing book. I highly recommend it. It is amazing to learn that slavery happens today, now in our world. This opened my eyes and I learned a lot from his honest perspective on his life story.
August 21, 2008
This is a great story.... The fact that it is a true story makes it amazing and hard to believe.
If you are interested in learning about someone who went through modern day slavery.. this is the book for you.
If you are interested in learning about someone who went through modern day slavery.. this is the book for you.
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