UNDERSTANDING AND HOPE. THE purpose of this book is twofold: to bring understanding about how America’s children are taken captive into the sex trade and to bring hope and light to one of the darkest subjects on the planet—child sex trafficking.
Most people think I’m a little unconventional. They ask me why I travel the nations to walk the “red light” districts, why I attend court regularly in support of kids giving testimony against their traffickers, and why I’m writing about this horrific issue. The answer: I’m compelled. Compelled to make a difference. And most importantly, compelled to make you aware that this crime is real and is likely happening on your campus and in your neighborhood this very minute.
Staggering, isn’t it!? I’m faced with a challenge: How do I share such disturbing information and not leave you, the reader, feeling overwhelmed and despondent but, rather, hopeful and empowered that this inhumanity can be overcome? With that in mind, I entertained a number of ways to write this book. I could inundate you with statistics (boring), write from an expository approach (interesting), or take you into the hearts and minds of survivors through stories (captivating). I’ve chosen to captivate you with stories—true stories—of courageous adult survivors who were trafficked as children.
These stories are gritty and heartbreaking and, at the same time, riveting. Many of the scenes are difficult to read, and the language among the pimps, johns, and children is rough and sometimes profane. This is intentional. My hope is that, after reading this book, you will understand the psychological and physical abuse these children face daily.
You can expect to experience a wide range of emotions as you read and associate with the vulnerability and fear of these survivors. I personally alternated between sorrow and outrage. I wept with many of the survivors during the personal interviews. Most of the writers and editors admitted to weeping while listening to the audio testimonies as part of the writing process. Tough stuff, but so worth it. And here’s the best part—in the end, you will experience encouraging emotions such as thankfulness, joy, and amazement that each of these survivors has overcome and lived to share his or her story.
I have a personal saying when I am about to embark on a challenging endeavor: Strap in for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride—it’s going to get bumpy. (For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Mr. Toad’s was a crazy little car ride that made even grown-ups sick at Disneyland). So I say, strap in for a wild ride through the labyrinth of child sex trafficking in America.
Here’s what you can expect from Made in the USA. The first two chapters will provide a global perspective on child sex trafficking, followed by the local issue in America. These chapters are by no means exhaustive (I will leave that to the experts) but are intended to give you a foundational understanding of the overall issues. Next come stories where things really get bumpy. To prepare you for each story, you will be given a short overview about the type of trafficking the story addresses. Each story wraps up with closing remarks directly from the survivor. The diversity of these stories is what makes Made in the USA so unique. I purposefully selected these five distinct tales to give you intimate insight into different captivity scenarios: Lover boy syndrome, familial trafficking, survival sex and male prostitution, recruitment, and kidnapping. Finally, you’ll be given practical steps to join the fight through accounts of “normal” people who are making a difference to help trafficked children. That chapter is titled “You Don’t Have to Be a Rock Star: Everyday People Making a Difference.” While these people might not be rock stars to the world, they sure are to the kids for whom they’re fighting.
Your willingness to read this book indicates that you are bold, brave, and living a little on the edge. Thank you for that. Many people cannot, do not, and will not acknowledge or discuss this difficult topic. You may need to take a breather between stories. It’s OK. Each story is unique, so you would be doing yourself a disservice by reading only one. Take the time you need, and finish well. Allow the reading of this book to become a labor of love in honor of these exceptional survivors. The writers and I did, and we are so much better for it.
Congratulations—you already are making a difference. By purchasing this book, you are now a part of the solution to end child sex trafficking in America. All profits from the book will be given to recognized national organizations for the prevention and restoration of child victims of domestic minor sex trafficking. You might think of yourself as “just normal,” but in my book, you have the makings of a rock star!