Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall with Lisa Wysocky

Hidden Girl: the true story of a modern-day child slave, Shyima Hall with Lisa Wysocki. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2014.


Shyima was a child in Egypt born in poverty. When her sister stole money from the family that she was "working" for, Shyima's parents surrendered her to that family. Shyima was ten years old. She was taken from the slums to Cairo, Egypt. "The Mom and The Dad" had a grand house and other servants. Something happened and everything changed. Shyima migrated to Orange County, California with the family-- there were also two boys. Once in the United States, Shyima was the only servant/slave. She slept in a constructed hidden small box of a room inside the garage of the expensive condo. She was not allowed to go to school. Her clothes were rags. She had to wash them by hand. Her life sucked badly.

Things were dismal for several years. Shyima came into freedom. Today she is a citizen of the United States. She has come a very long way.

sapphoq reviews says: A heart-wrenching book with a powerful message. I learned something about how to be more observant of those domestic slaves which may indeed be hiding in plain sight. Highly recommended for tweens, teens, and adults.

Ma'am Anna by Anna Rodriguez as told to Anthony Bunko

Ma'am Anna: The Anna Rodriguez Story; The Remarkable Story of a Human Trafficking Rescuer, Anna Rodriguez as told to Anthony Bunko. Green Bay WIS: Title Town Publishing, 2013. e-book, 199 pps.


People are not property. Tragically, there are those in the United States and elsewhere who treat others as property-- kidnapping, abducting, buying, selling, trading in human wares. The child slave who toils morning til night. The human prostitute-- we usually think of a woman or a girl but this isn't necessarily so-- in Tijuana waiting with others under the watchful cameras of their masters. A girl or a boy disappears down an alley with an adult. People in abject poverty who agree to allow their child to go "work for" a family or perhaps to migrate to a foreign country for "educational opportunities" or the promise of small amounts of money to be sent back home. Illegals who cannot afford fees to their coyotes who hike up those fees once across the border. People promised great jobs in a foreign country required to pay a holding fee. Once there, they are the ones who are held. Bonded servants. It's ugly. Oh, and the Super Bowl. I never thought of the Super Bowl as being an open market for commercial sex before reading this book.

sapphoq reviews says: It takes one human being to start a revolution. One human being and a friend to imbue that revolution with momentum. Anna Rodriguez is one such human being. Read this book. It's inspiring. Highly recommended.