In the Non-Fiction Corner---Slave Stealers: True Accounts of Slave Rescues Then and Now

In the Non-Fiction Corner with Lauren

This book. I have a feeling that I won't be able to describe to you how much I liked it and how well written it was. But, for the sake of this post, I am going to try anyway.

First of all, I (probably like you) don't usually seek out books on slavery. I have lots of siblings and teach elementary school, so I usually feel sick when I read about children suffering. But this book is different. Even though Tim Ballard doesn't spare you the details, this book focuses on hope. You can't wait to hear the rest of the story and see what the people he writes about are able to overcome. I could not stop reading, I almost finished the entire book in one sitting!

Here's why. This book switches between two stories. Apparently, not only does Tim Ballard save children but he is also an expert in American history. Could he get any cooler? So the two stories are how Ballard saved many, but specifically two very special children in Haiti, and how a slave in the 1800's named Harriet Jacob saved herself and her two children from the darkness of slavery. But how Ballard tells the stories is truly genius! You're reading along and get to the end of the chapter, and can't wait to see wait to see what happens next. But then he switches back to the other story! You're torn because both are suspenseful and you can't wait to finish one, so you have to keep reading until, next thing you know, its 2 a.m.

If you want to feel love for people you've never met, read this book. If you need some new heroes, read this book. If you want to start making a difference and change your own life, READ THIS BOOK. Ballard is doing incredible things, and I love that he is sharing it with the world. He has seen things in our day and learned about the past and through quotes, stories, and personal experiences, Tim Ballard is changing even more lives through his book.

You can get your own copy of Slave Stealers here

Here's the back copy:

In the 1800s American South, Harriet Jacobs is enslaved and tormented by a cruel master. He relentlessly attempts to force her into a sexual union, and, when rebuffed, he separates her from her children and spends a lifetime trying to coerce her and then recapture her when she escapes to freedom. Jacobs outwits her tormentor and eventually reunites with her children, works in the cause of abolition and reform, and helps newly freed slaves with education and aftercare.

In 2012, Timothy Ballard encounters a grieving father in Haiti whose three-year-old son has been kidnapped and sold into slavery, along with thousands of children who were orphaned after an earthquake devastated the country. Inspired by Harriet Jacobs, Tim pledges to track down the missing child and leaves his job at the Department of Homeland Security to establish Operation Underground Railroad. This foundation infiltrates black markets in human trafficking, liberates victims, and provides a comprehensive aftercare process involving justice and rehabilitation for survivors.

Slave Stealers alternates these two riveting stories, weaving them together to expose the persistent evil of trafficking and sexual exploitation that has existed for centuries—and inspiring us to find a way to end it. Filled with heartbreaks and triumphs, miracles and disappointments, hair-raising escapes and daring rescues, this gripping book provides insight into this terrible evil and the good that can be done when caring people step up and stand in the light.