Trafficked post #1

3. When are you surprised or confused? What does not fit? If something or someone does not

make sense, write about it.

• In the book I am reading, a young girl leaves her country to go to America to experience the freedom it has to offer. She leaves, knowing she will be staying with a host family while she tries to pay back the debt she owes for her trips. When I began to read this book, I was expecting it to be intense right away, this is not the case. The book begins with Hannah getting ready to embark on a journey for a better life in the United States. The story starts off slow because for a good 20 or so pages, she arrives at the US and goes home with the father of the host family. I am surprised to find out that the dad of the family is just a normal looking guy. Most time when you think of human trafficking, you think of grungy, creepy people. He seemed like an upstanding man from a middle class family. Later on, when Hannah arrives at the home, she meets the mom and the two children. The two children are weary of her at first, but then the young girl warms up and won't stop talking to Hannah. The mother seems unusually tough on Hannah. She treats her almost as a slave without feelings. As the story continues, Hannah begins to feel bad about her decision. She senses something is not right about the family. When she meets her hostdad's friend, she is only strengthened in this feeling. I am confused as to why they would make Hannah believe that she is going to be treated well in America if they only plan on selling her as a sexual object. Another thing that surprised me was why the mother seemed to be more worried about Hannah if he was acting like he controlled the show. The mother made harsh rules for Hannah, telling her she was not allowed in certain parts of the house to allowed to have a certain amount of food. It almost seems like she is the mastermind beneath the trafficking. I have not gotten far enough in the book to determine much. But what surprised/confused me the most was that the family that Hannah is staying with is so normal. How could a family involved with such an evil thing seem so casual and normal.