Summer is generally the time that most American’s are taking vacation. (At least we hope you are!) So whatever destination you choose to relax, whether it’s the beach, lake, mountains, or desert, we hope that you are also dreaming of the far-off countries you plan to explore on your future career break.
So with summer reading lists being so popular, we decided to have our own. Here are some memoirs based in Asia that have inspired, enlightened, and opened us up to new worlds. We hope they do the same for you. (Note: These aren’t our reviews but descriptions of the books. Because they are listed means that we enjoyed them!)
CAMBODIA
The Road of Lost Innocence – The True Story of a Cambodia Heroine
A memoir by Somaly Mam
A riveting and beautiful memoir of tragedy and hope–by a woman named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelve years old. For the next decade she was shuttled through the brothels that make up the sprawling sex trade of Southeast Asia. She suffered unspeakable acts of brutality and witnessed horrors that would haunt her for the rest of her life – until, in her early twenties, she managed to escape. Unable to forget the girls she left behind, Mam became a tenacious and brave leader in the fight against human trafficking, rescuing sex workers–some as young as five and six–offering them shelter, rehabilitation, healing, and love and leading them into new life.
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