Escape From Slavery
Francis Bok with Edward Tivnan
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2003 St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0312306237

The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity & My Journey to Freedom in America.

Sr. Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

We might never have heard about Francis Bok, but it sure is a name that is going to be in the news in the years to come.

So what is it that makes this 23 year old Sudanese youth a special person? He is a HERO -- an original real life hero whose deeds & tribulations make a poignant read.

Slavery, I thought was a thing of past. With vociferous Human Rights Organization, & even more vociferous anti-apartheid laws in force, it seemed rather strange that a young boy was kept as a “black slave” for nearly 10 years. Bok was born on a farm in rural southern Sudan. A happy & blissful childhood suddenly changed to horror when on a trip to a local market he was abducted by some Arab militia men, enslaved & kept in custody without proper food, water, clothing or shelter. Ten years he lived in custody, & after 2 botched attempts to escape, at age 17 Bok made it to Khartoum, & from there to Egypt. In Egypt, Bok finally gained status as an UN Refugee.

In 1999, Bok came to America, & slowly with support from a Boston based Anti-Slavery group, Bok decided to speak against his horrible misfortune -- the misfortune of a half-a-million others. He spoke in Capitol Hill, & urged World leaders to take affirmative action to end slavery worldwide.

Now through Escape From Slavery, Bok narrates the various humiliations he underwent, & urges for condemning slavery as a crime against humanity. This is an impassioned plea, in succinct words with a touch of wry satire. The author never indulges in self-pity. The facts are presented as they were & that enhances their credibility.

A truly haunting autobiography.
(01/25/04)

Narayan
2004©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org