Attracted to innocence

I am delighted to have found a new book blog Lotus Reads while I was randomly surfing the net. I am quite enjoying browsing through the books that Lotus has read and her reviews. I am all the more delighted at having come across a book that sounds like something I would love to read – The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam at Lotus Reads. 🙂

I am in love with the cover of the book already. Have a look:

The cover speaks to me of little kids brimming with innocence, enjoying themselves, unaware of the fact that they might be losing their innocence very soon. It makes me pray that this might never happen, that these kids never lose that beautiful smile, that they never have to let go of their picture-perfect world before it is time to, and that they never come to know of the knife dangling over their heads, ready to attack.

The summary of the book (from the Somaly Mam Foundation website):

A riveting, raw, and beautiful memoir of tragedy and hope.”

Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelve years old. For the next decade she was shuttled through the brothels that make up the sprawling sex trade of Southeast Asia. Trapped in this dangerous and desperate world, she suffered the brutality and horrors of human trafficking – rape, torture, and deprivation – until she managed to escape with the help of a French aid worker. Emboldened by her newfound freedom, education, and security, Somaly blossomed but remained haunted by the girls in the brothels she left behind.

Written in exquisite, spare, unflinching prose, The Road of Lost Innocence recounts the experiences of her early life and tells the story of her awakening as an activist and her harrowing and brave fight against the powerful and corrupt forces that steal the lives of these girls. She has orchestrated raids on brothels and rescued sex workers, some as young as five and six; she has built shelters, started schools, and founded an organization that has so far saved more than four thousand women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Her memoir will leave you awestruck by her tenacity and courage and will renew your faith in the power of an individual to bring about change.

Doesn’t that sound like a lovely, powerful, encouragin read? I am most definitely interested in picking up the book sometime soon.

Thank you, Lotus, for bringing to light this book.

Thanks to Marcia, too, for hosting the Cover Attraction meme.

What cover are you attracted to this week?

Edited to add:

I came across another beautiful cover of the same book on Veens’ blog:

Isn’t this one lovely too?