Land of the Free Book Review

"Traffickers have operated under the veil of secrecy for a long time. The less people know, the better it is for them." -Nicolas Canuso

This book was definitely worth a read. I've been trying to educate myself on the dark world of human trafficking. I actually never intended on buying this book, but I was preordering a book (which I will be reviewing next) when this came up in the recommended. I went ahead and bought it, and it's interesting because I didn't see the part where it said it was a prayer guide, but I felt this helped bring home the truth on human trafficking. The book discusses every aspect of human trafficking, and how we (as Christians) can combat human trafficking.

Summary

Nick Canuso begins his book with his first encounter with human trafficking. He discusses the first time he saw it happen, in his hometown of Florida. It always hurts me to see so many cases of human trafficking come out of Florida. Canuso describes how he saw child porn in the process of filming, prostitution, sex trafficking, all in one night. That's why he began getting involved in fighting human trafficking. He explains that he believed the myth that human trafficking doesn't happen in countries like the U.S., when in actuality, we are one of the biggest consumers of trafficking.

"America is known as one of the primary funding nations of the global (human) trafficking." This, simply put, means the United States spends more on products or services from labor/sex trafficking victims.

He then describes the outline to understanding what the process to ending human trafficking, which is described in Chapter 2. The outline is described as the following: Awareness/prevention → Demand → Trafficking → Rescue → Restoration → Justice. That is what he covers in the rest of the book, but he takes time to educate you on the different forms of human trafficking: Sex trafficking, labor trafficking, organ trafficking, and infant trafficking.

At the end of each chapter, Canuso provides a prayer guide to what he discusses. He focuses on three main groups: the victims, the traffickers, and the consumers. He also has different chapters where he prays for governmental figures, law enforcement, non-government agencies, and more, since many of these groups can be involved in supporting traffickers.

Analysis

What I liked about this book is how much you learned about human trafficking. Realizing aspects you never would have thought about until it's presented in front of you. For instance, I hadn't realized how much human trafficking can impact your day-to-day life. Coffee, makeup, vegetables. They come labor trafficking victims, usually illegal immigrants. Labor trafficking is actually worse than sex trafficking, despite sex trafficking getting more attention.

Victims of labor trafficking not only perform hard labor during the day, but are also expected into prostitution during the night.

I even felt a lot of guilt about buying a new laptop, since 99.9% of the electronics you buy are usually made by labor trafficking victims, but you don't need to feel guilty for enjoying life or getting things you need. Canuso told the story of how his family buys chocolate from a local store. "Some abolitionists may frown upon even taking the chocolate, the reality is that we must still live life and enjoy what we can." Pray over the things you buy, and hold no guilt. Be a conscious buyer, and discern if you need new clothes or electronics.

He also mentioned the abolitionist William Wilberforce, and his method to ending the slave trade. Look into who Wilberforce is, because his story is astounding.

Canuso discussed topics or issues that I highlight often on social media or my writings. He explained how pornography can create more victims of human trafficking, as traffickers know there is money to be made selling their victim's body on porn sites, yet so many defend the industry.

"The porn industry creates an illusion of glamour and fame in order to physically dominate and profit from its victims," Canuso explains.

He even shared how the modeling industry can get involved in human trafficking, which really surprised me. A lot of people have told me I should model, since I was probably 12 or 13. In my senior picture photoshoot, I got invited to model for Miss Florida, but my mother said "No." I always used to question why my parents never put my sister and I in modeling. Now I see why.

You're mortified to learn what happens in the human trafficking world, like people raising children like livestock to be sold. Sometimes learning the truth isn't easy, but we, as Christians, have a responsibility to do the right thing. Like William Wilberforce said, "You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know." Becoming an abolitionist for human trafficking has never been more important. Human trafficking affects everyone, whether you realize it or not.

The ending of the book truly stood out the most. The author's challenge is for you to fully commit to being an abolitionist. I will continuously fight human trafficking. I challenge you to do the same.

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is probably my new favorite book. He gives you a new outlook on human trafficking that makes you feel like we could be the generation that abolishes human trafficking. If you can get this book, do it. You won't regret reading it. I give this book 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐