At just twelve years of age, Ionna has already experienced a life filled with unimaginable horrors. After years of savage beatings and severe emotional abuse, she has finally left her parents’ house behind. But life on the streets can be cruel—especially for a young, beautiful girl. With her newfound freedom, Ionna discovers that new dangers lurk around every corner.
This includes the thriving human trafficking trade—a multibillion dollar industry surviving on the exploitation of children and women all over the world. Vulnerable, starving, and struggling for survival, Ionna is just the type to get ensnared in the flesh trade’s despicable practices—and as she wades through the seedy underworld of organized crime, the future begins to look even more bleak.
Inspired by a true story, the award-winning author Mary Jordan pens a dark and compelling narrative that gives a voice to the millions of victims of the human trafficking trade. In partnership with several organizations, Jordan has pledged 50 percent of this book’s royalties to ending forced prostitution.
KIRKUS REVIEWS - One of the most trusted and authoritative voices in book industry writes:
"Ionna never had a very peaceful childhood: “My father was particularly inventive in his punishments and in his beatings had no equal.” She ran away from home after suffering “things that would make your hair stand on end,” and eventually falls in with a young criminal named Krasi and his gang of miscreants. They steal from foreigners in seaside resorts, and their operation is small but very successful. However, the waves of excitement and spending come to an abrupt standstill when Krasi kills someone and must flee the country. After refusing to go with him, Ionna is left with limited money and a broken heart. She eventually finds herself part of a sex trafficking ring and becomes a prostitute in an upscale hotel catering to wealthy, foreign men. Her work is often painful and grotesque (“Even the memory of what that pervert did to me makes me feel ashamed”). How will Ionna survive such an existence? Jordan provides insight into the types of traps that might face a girl like Ionna, but although the young woman’s actions are clear, much of her interior life remains opaque. Occasional flashes of personality offer captivating details (such as when Ionna encounters a videocassette recorder: “…soon the film was beginning. It was called ‘Ghost’, a marvellous story about love, death and human morality”), but she can feel, at times, like any other girl stuck in hard times. The book succeeds in illuminating a broad picture of shady dealings and the people swept up in them"
This includes the thriving human trafficking trade—a multibillion dollar industry surviving on the exploitation of children and women all over the world. Vulnerable, starving, and struggling for survival, Ionna is just the type to get ensnared in the flesh trade’s despicable practices—and as she wades through the seedy underworld of organized crime, the future begins to look even more bleak.
Inspired by a true story, the award-winning author Mary Jordan pens a dark and compelling narrative that gives a voice to the millions of victims of the human trafficking trade. In partnership with several organizations, Jordan has pledged 50 percent of this book’s royalties to ending forced prostitution.
KIRKUS REVIEWS - One of the most trusted and authoritative voices in book industry writes:
"Ionna never had a very peaceful childhood: “My father was particularly inventive in his punishments and in his beatings had no equal.” She ran away from home after suffering “things that would make your hair stand on end,” and eventually falls in with a young criminal named Krasi and his gang of miscreants. They steal from foreigners in seaside resorts, and their operation is small but very successful. However, the waves of excitement and spending come to an abrupt standstill when Krasi kills someone and must flee the country. After refusing to go with him, Ionna is left with limited money and a broken heart. She eventually finds herself part of a sex trafficking ring and becomes a prostitute in an upscale hotel catering to wealthy, foreign men. Her work is often painful and grotesque (“Even the memory of what that pervert did to me makes me feel ashamed”). How will Ionna survive such an existence? Jordan provides insight into the types of traps that might face a girl like Ionna, but although the young woman’s actions are clear, much of her interior life remains opaque. Occasional flashes of personality offer captivating details (such as when Ionna encounters a videocassette recorder: “…soon the film was beginning. It was called ‘Ghost’, a marvellous story about love, death and human morality”), but she can feel, at times, like any other girl stuck in hard times. The book succeeds in illuminating a broad picture of shady dealings and the people swept up in them"
