Survivors of Slavery

January 13, 2014
Murphy, assistant professor of English at Loyola Univ. New Orleans, has compiled an anthology of narratives told or written by survivors of modern-day slavery. The experiences of women forced into sex work, children exploited as laborers, female domestics held prisoner, and others who endured forced factory work are described with unflinching honesty. By highlighting the various types of slavery and its persistence worldwide—the venues are as varied as the forms it takes, from Southeast Asia and the U.S. to Europe and Africa—Murphy makes clear that slavery is not simply some other country’s problem. Each story is succinct and is preceded with summaries that give the victim’s country of origin, the place to which they were trafficked, the form of slavery, and their current status. Cumulatively these summaries and interviews give testimony to the horrific affect slavery has on its victims, but also the life affirming potential of freedom. In addition to the first-person narratives, Murphy describes the mechanisms of enslavement, how people become victims, the work of slavery, and how those affected have fought back. It is not an easy read, but Murphy never sensationalizes, and by making the stories seem almost ordinary, paradoxically succeeds in underscoring the breadth and perniciousness of slavery’s evils.

February 1, 2014
First-person testimonies that probe the continued chilling practices of forced labor worldwide. Mindful of the use of the word slavery as reference to the uniqueness of African victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Murphy (English/Loyola Univ. New Orleans; Metaphor and the Slave Trade in West African Literature, 2012) nonetheless insists that slavery by any other name remains intractably a crime against humanity. This includes forced labor, chattel slavery, debt bondage, forced sex work, child labor, military conscription and forced fosterage. With as little editing or "packaging" as possible, the author represents each category by numerous narratives as documented by NGOs, investigative journalists or government transcripts. The narratives offer the raw details by real people, most of whom have now been freed from oppression; many now work for activist organizations like Free the Slaves (as does the author), the names of which appear in an appendix. For example, Helia Lajeunesse, a native of Haiti, was orphaned very young and taken in by a neighbor who abusively forced her to do all the housework without schooling or pay, a cycle repeated in subsequent households; Lajeunesse's inability to leave underscores the exploitative nature of a "false familial structure." The author includes many narratives of young women from Eastern Europe or East Asia forced into the sex trade as young as their early teens: Lured by the promise of legitimate work, they were raped and beaten, confined and forced into punishing work schedules that led to sickness and death. Ultimately, they were "disposable," treated as "flesh" by vicious and unscrupulous men who thought only of their monetary value. Like 19th-century slave narratives, many of these accounts reveal moments of silence or deflection due to the painful memories evoked. An "open condemnation" of modern slavery that builds powerfully by testimony.

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April 1, 2014

Though modern-day slavery is often referred to as "trafficking" or "conscription," Murphy (English, Loyola Univ. New Orleans) argues compellingly that the many varieties of forced labor that take place all over the world (including sex work, child labor, debt bondage, military conscription, and involuntary fosterage) should rightly be called slavery. The author has assembled narratives--often raw, brutal tales--for both scholarly and activist purposes; these brave survivor stories may serve to galvanize "an abolitionist movement for the 21st century." Murphy applies a light and effective editorial hand; her excellent introduction provides context for the book as a whole. The narratives are grouped thematically and left essentially unedited in order to honor the voices of the survivors sharing their experiences. Murphy also contributes brief preludes to each section, supplying further background. Finally, an epilog describes how readers can become involved with antislavery activism. VERDICT Riveting and necessary. Anyone interested in antitrafficking from either an activist or scholarly perspective will find this collection essential.--Rachel Bridgewater, Portland Community Coll. Lib., OR

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2014
Most of us think of slavery as a shameful practice of horrendous exploitation from the past, but Murphy presents a collection of narratives written by people currently enslaved in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the U.S. Though not generally sold into slavery and transported, they often inherit enslavement or find themselves enslaved because of debt. Nearly 40 survivors give voice to their particular circumstances, among them a Cambodian sex slave, a Vietnamese woman enslaved in a factory in American Samoa, and a Zambian boys' choir forced to work for a religious ministry in the U.S. Those most vulnerable are immigrants, domestic servants, war captives, child laborers, and factory workers. What they have in common is a system that forces them to work against their will for little or no pay. Murphy precedes each chapter with historical and contemporary contexts for slavery and slave narratives, carefully addressing concerns about the overuse or the exaggerated use of the word slavery. Whatever readers might think about that debate, this collection gives voice to the desire of the enslaved to express their humanity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)