Rescuing Hope is a fictional story about child sex trafficking in America that is written by Susan Norris who has spent a lot of time with individuals who were close to sex trafficking here in the US. She’s talked with many women who were being sex trafficked, detectives who have done work related to sex trafficking, people from rescue organizations and even a pimp. So while the story itself is made up, it’s based off of what Susan has learned about the reality of sex trafficking here in the states.
I was sent Rescuing Hope for review. I knew it would be a bit of a tough read just because of the topic, but I think it’s an important topic to be knowledgeable about because it really does happen and we can’t fight against it unless we accept that it exists and know about it.
The story follows Hope, a 14 year old girl who has a pretty decent home life. She seems to have a relationship with her mother that very few girls her age have. Her father isn’t in the picture, but she seems to cope with that fairly well. She’s the type of girl who nobody would expect to end up being sex trafficked. I liked the idea of the girl being someone unexpected because it’s being naive to assume that only people of a certain lifestyle, socioeconomic status, etc are able to end up in this situation. However, I found the story about how she got involved a bit hard to accept. She essentially meets a stranger on public transportation and he asks her on a date – even though he is in his 20’s and she is 14. On their first date, he starts kissing her neck in public and yet she still continues to see him. I don’t know any girls of this age who aren’t intelligent enough to be anxious or nervous by a grown man who flirts with them, wants to date them and then gets physical with them in public without really raising huge red flags – which is what happens in the book.
Yet, the story of Rescuing Hope itself is an important one so I was able to overlook the minor details like that for the sake of the story. I was impressed with how well the book does at describing how and why girls are able to be manipulated mentally/emotionally/psychologically by men. It’s scary how easy many girls can feel intimidated by men and can feel trapped so easily.
The book has the suggested rating of PG13 which I really agree with. However, it is a very heavy topic and I would not recommend allowing your 13 year old (or even 15 year old) to read this book completely alone and without discussion with an adult. I think it is a great educational read for girls of this age but you’ll want to read it with them so that you can discuss it and make sure that they are taking away from the material the messages that you want them to. For example, Hope talks to herself and/or has thoughts about how “ruined” she is after being raped, and there are some religious based judgement that is involved. Of course, everyone has different beliefs and opinions but I would want to point out to teenagers that rape and losing your virginity are very different things and although its normal and natural for girls who are abused to have feelings of guilt or feeling dirty as a result, they are not to blame and are not ruined or dirty or anything like that. The book doesn’t ever address Hope’s negative feelings towards herself so I think a girl who read this on her own (especially if she herself had ever been sexually abused) would think that is how girls should feel as a result. There are some other religion based ideas and symbolism that appear to take place in this book that may or may not align with your own beliefs regarding sexuality and religion, which is something to consider if you’re planning to allow your teenager to read it. The author does speaking engagements about sexual purity as well as sex trafficking.
I liked the ending of the book because it seemed rather realistic. It was not a “and they all lived happily ever after” type ending. While I’m sure many people would prefer that type of ending, I think this book is a great educational tool and as such, I was glad that it had a realistic ending.
Girls or women who have experienced sexual or physical abuse might find Rescuing Hope to be triggering of their trauma.
The book is pretty quick paced and I found myself able to read large chunks of the book in one setting without getting bored. Overall I thought it was a good read and I feel more informed about sex trafficking in America after reading it.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
I can actually see a teenager falling for a 20 something old, so I find that plausible. But like you said, it’s probably a tough read but yet an important one. I think I might pick it up. Thanks!
Emily,
Thank you so much for sharing your platform today and writing about Rescuing Hope. I know it is a hard read. It was really hard to write. It’s not your typical feel good fiction for sure, but it’s necessary. We’ve got to educate our girls, be it those you under your roof or those in your sphere of influence, as well as equip parents so this evil stops.
If any of your readers have questions about Hope or the issue, I’d love to hear from them. They can reach me at susan@susannorris.org. To learn more about the book, they can go to my website, http://www.susannorris.org and click on Rescuing Hope.
Thanks, again, for sharing your space in cyberspace.
Susan
This does sound like a tough read for sure but it certainly sounds like something we should all have our eyes open to. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
What an important book and looking at the topic a few years later, am so happy to see work in this area, making the news. There are a lot of celebrities lending their time to this cause in the LA area so more can see how much more work needs to be done.
Rescuing Hope is a fictional story about child sex trafficking in America that is written by Susan Norris who has spent a lot of time with individuals who were close to sex trafficking here in the US. She’s talked with many women who were being sex trafficked, detectives who have done work related to sex trafficking, people from rescue organizations and even a pimp. So while the story itself is made up, it’s based off of what Susan has learned about the reality of sex trafficking here in the states.
Marina
Deb E
I can actually see a teenager falling for a 20 something old, so I find that plausible. But like you said, it’s probably a tough read but yet an important one. I think I might pick it up. Thanks!