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.
Slave
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Review
a powerful memoir...shocking and very moving...her book is an eloquent testament to the ability of a brave soul to survive, and to the need to bring an end to slavery. (Susan McKay, Sunday Tribune )
All the cliches of such survival stories - 'life-affirming, heartwarming'- are inadequate to describe the emotional impact of [Mende's] eventual deliverance. (Observer )
Intensely moving (Waterstone’s Books Quarterly )
An eloquent testament to the ability of a brave soul to survive, and to the need to bring an end to slavery (Sunday Tribune )
All the cliches of such survival stories - 'life-affirming, heartwarming'- are inadequate to describe the emotional impact of [Mende's] eventual deliverance. (Observer )
Intensely moving (Waterstone’s Books Quarterly )
An eloquent testament to the ability of a brave soul to survive, and to the need to bring an end to slavery (Sunday Tribune )
Book Description
The extraordinary story of a young Sudanese girl who was kidnapped and sold into slavery and how she finally escaped to freedom.
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First Sentence
When I was born, my father chose to call me Mende. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
When I was born, my father chose to call me Mende. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By "eesti23"
Format:Paperback
Slave is an excellent book that I struggled put down in the one day it took me to read it. Mende's incredible memory allows us to have a glimpse into her happy childhood and experience the differences in her culture from our own. But at age 12 her childhood was cut short and she was captured in a terrifying raid on her village. What follows is a shocking account of her life as a slave 'abid' first in Khartoum and then in London. Her bravery, strength and cleverness throughout this time, her escape and even now is amazing and encouraging. But what really struck me is how recent this situation was. While many of us were ringing in the millennium, Mende was still in slavery. While we would wish it was a work of fiction or even history, Slave allows us to see the situation as it really is in Sudan and reminds us that the situation is still present. Mende Nazer is truly an inspiration and her book left me wanting to find out how to do more.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By I LOVE BOOKS
Format:Paperback
This book explores a very uncomfortable truth: this is the 21st century and slavery still exists. Following a murderous raid in her native Nuba village in Sudan, Mende Nazer was kidnapped in 1994 with other native children from that area. Her simple tribal life surrounded by a loving, united family came to an end that night. Sold to an Arab family in Khartoum, she learned to survive by "simply" enduring her fate. She was stripped of dignity and humanity, her desperation worsened by the lack of information about the rest of her family, not knowing whether they had survived the raid. It all made her plunge into a deep depression. She was humiliated, beaten and psychologically abused to a devastating extent and for several years. She was later "passed on" to another family, related to the one in Khartoum. This second family lived in London and it was there, in the year 2000, that Mende's fate changed.
This story is a condensation of facts reported simply and clearly by Mende in first person, beginning with her childhood (a very happy one despite her painful female circumcision at a very young age), all the way through her life and up until the events leading to freedom in London. She was helped in this process by journalist Damien Lewis and the result is a compelling read, where all is pieced together in a very accessible way. Mende's young and sober voice emerges with a powerful resonance in its quiet simplicity, a sad reminder of contemporary slavery. It's like a blow knocking the air out of you.
I am omitting further details as the reading would be spoiled. I abstain from commenting as the book comments itself and also because, no matter how "used" we are to hear about atrocities nowadays, it is difficult to convey in written words the outrage in the knowledge that such horrors still exist. Just one thing: this should be a compulsory read. It is not only informative and an eye-opener, it also goes to show that, thankfully, goodness still exists too, despite everything, and it unites everybody, irrespective of race, religion, social background.
This story is a condensation of facts reported simply and clearly by Mende in first person, beginning with her childhood (a very happy one despite her painful female circumcision at a very young age), all the way through her life and up until the events leading to freedom in London. She was helped in this process by journalist Damien Lewis and the result is a compelling read, where all is pieced together in a very accessible way. Mende's young and sober voice emerges with a powerful resonance in its quiet simplicity, a sad reminder of contemporary slavery. It's like a blow knocking the air out of you.
I am omitting further details as the reading would be spoiled. I abstain from commenting as the book comments itself and also because, no matter how "used" we are to hear about atrocities nowadays, it is difficult to convey in written words the outrage in the knowledge that such horrors still exist. Just one thing: this should be a compulsory read. It is not only informative and an eye-opener, it also goes to show that, thankfully, goodness still exists too, despite everything, and it unites everybody, irrespective of race, religion, social background.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Ed Taylor
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Slave is the first hand account of the life of a young Sudanese girl who was kidnapped by the Mujahidin when they raided her village hacking down the men, raping the women and abducting the children before raping them and selling them on into slavery in Khartoum. She was used as a domestic slave without pay, days off or even food as she had to live off what the family she was working for left uneaten on their plates. After seven years of hell for a young girl when she was frequently beaten and forced to sleep on the floor of the garden shed she was "passed on" by her master and brought to London. I could not believe that girls were kept in these harsh conditions in UK in the 21st century. This is a different insight into modern day slavery than the human trafficking that is so prevalent at this time. You cannot fail but be moved by this moving testimony to a young girl's indomitable spirit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book!
A thoughtfully written book which will reduce you to tears.
Treated worse than an animal you empathise with the character. Read more
Treated worse than an animal you empathise with the character. Read more
Published 13 days ago by elldeetee
2.0 out of 5 stars
Story and story telling mismatch
Sounds like could be an interesting story...couldnt put the book down hoping that it would improve somehow. Story itself is good but the story telling is a bit elementary I feel.
Published 2 months ago by M Vinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impelling
An achingly heart wrenching account from such a strong, Nobel young woman. Sympathetically written by Damien Lewis. Mende your are such an inspiration to all of us!
Published 4 months ago by Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars
A harrowing and extremely eye-opening true life story of a childhood...
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. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gary Selikow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lavender
Excellent read you could actually feel what the author is feeling and really appreciate where she is actually coming from it made me appreciate my life even more
Published 18 months ago by Lady Lavender
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read
It is hard to believe this still happens in this day and age!
This book is absolutely amazing, thought provoking and heart wrenching >
a life story told with so many... Read more
This book is absolutely amazing, thought provoking and heart wrenching >
a life story told with so many... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Lizzie
4.0 out of 5 stars
a wake up call
Here Mende Nazer tells her story and tells it well.
This book serves as a reminder that slavery still exists and opened my eyes to the nuba people and the war in Sudan. Read more
This book serves as a reminder that slavery still exists and opened my eyes to the nuba people and the war in Sudan. Read more
Published 22 months ago by AMAZONIA
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent.
What makes this book a thrilling read is its frankness. It certainly hits close to the bone on many levels. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Existentialist.
5.0 out of 5 stars
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER READ
Slave is a book I believe everyone should read.
The story of Mende awakened my appreciation of what I've got and made me realise how naive i'd been taking for granted all the... Read more
The story of Mende awakened my appreciation of what I've got and made me realise how naive i'd been taking for granted all the... Read more
Published on 8 April 2011 by Anqi Wang
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read!
From the moment I started reading I found it hard to put my kindle down. I would definately recommend this book.
Published on 3 Jan 2011 by Mrs. Lm Youngs
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