Slave

At age twelve, Mende Nazer lost her childhood. It began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village, setting fire to the village huts and murdering the adults. They rounded up thirty-one young children, including Mende, who was eventually sold to a wealthy Arab family in Sudans capital city, Khartoum. So began Mendes seven dark years of enslavement. Normally, Mendes story never would have come to light, but when she was sent to work for another mastera diplomat working in Londonshe made a dramatic break for freedom. Published to critical acclaim for the honesty and clarity of its prose, Slave is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage cruelty of the secret, modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a profound meditation on the human ability to survive under virtually any circumstances. (Publishers Weekly)