• The Road of Lost Innocence

  • The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine
  • By: Somaly Mam
  • Narrated by: Tanya Eby Sirois
  • Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (183 ratings)

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The Road of Lost Innocence  By  cover art

The Road of Lost Innocence

By: Somaly Mam
Narrated by: Tanya Eby Sirois
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Publisher's summary

Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was 12 years old. For the next decade, she was shuttled through the brothels that make up the sprawling sex-trade industry of Southeast Asia.

Trapped in this dangerous and desperate world, she suffered the brutality and horrors of human trafficking - rape, torture, deprivation - until she managed to escape with the help of a French aid worker.

Emboldened by her newfound freedom, education, and security, Mam blossomed but remained haunted by the girls in the brothels she left behind.

Written in exquisite, spare, unflinching prose, The Road of Lost Innocence recounts the experiences of Mam's early life and tells the story of her awakening as an activist, and her harrowing and brave fight against the powerful and corrupt forces that steal the lives of these girls.

Mam has orchestrated raids on brothels and rescued sex workers, some as young as five and six; she has built shelters, started schools, and founded an organization that has so far saved more than 3,400 women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Her memoir, an international best seller, will leave you awestruck by the tenacity and courage of this modern-day heroine and will renew your faith in the power of an individual to bring about change.

©2008 Somaly Mam (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This moving, disturbing tale is not one of redemption but a cry for justice and support for women's plight everywhere." ( Publishers Weekly)

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What listeners say about The Road of Lost Innocence

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspired to Action

This book left me so inspired that I had to find out if this sort of thing was happening here in the U.S./Canada like there in Cambodia. Sure enough it is, right here in our own backyard. I now work with a Non-profit organization, volunteering once a week to put an end to the child sex trade right here.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

tough to listen to but important to hear

This book is very important. It is brutally honest and tough to hear. Every person should read this though because without this knowledge we are oblivious to these horrible situations. The more people who know, the less tolerant the world will become and the better it will be for all.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking and Empowering - A Must Listen

If you have only a little knowledge of the evils of human trafficking, this book is the perfect primer. It puts a name, a face, a soul to the countless faceless victims, and it gives us the strength to know that if this woman can overcome and achieve so much despite her humble and tragic beginnings, that we too can affect change by our actions and choices.

When I was much younger, maybe 16 or 17, I saw a news story on Dateline or 60 Minutes about a Doctor from the US that had traveled to Cambodia to take advantage of the poor children in Cambodia's sex trade industry. That segment moved me to do research on Cambodia's History, the growing human trafficking trade both here in the states and abroad, and modern slavery in general. I have been keeping informed on the issues and challenges ever since which is how I first learned of Somaly Man, and there is no stronger voice for the fight against these evils than that of Somaly Mam.

Read her story, share her story, help restore innocence.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Courage

A fantastic revelation of true courage.
I was shaken by the victims' experiences.
I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Somaly. Keep your head high as you are no longer a victim.
Angie

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

I love this book... probably one of the book I've cried the most listening... even though apparently some parts of the book are fictional. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I visited Cambodia and this book gave me a higher sensibility of the country

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very powerful

It is amazing what human beings can do to destroy each other. It is also amazing to see the resiliency of the human spirit facing such adversity. This is the story of such an amazing life.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievable

This story is so interesting, but also deeply disturbing! The story is great and it starts out when the writer is a child and all throughout her being grown up, and how she tries to help other girls like her. This book really opened my eyes and makes me want to get involved in efforts to stop the sex-trafficking. It does make me happy that I was born in America as opposed to Cambodia!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

painful eye-opener

This audio book was painful to listening to but makes you look around you and wonder about the painful past of every women you see walking next to you.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The sorrow of children

After hearing Somali’s story of not only her life, but the lives of so many other girls, I feel called to do something. All our children should hear about this story. Everyone needs to hear about the abuse of not only the children, but all women. We must begin with the clients and the pimps. Thank you Somali Mam for risking your own life to protect these girls. I will go to Somali.org and send you money. It is what I can do right now.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Story

My heart just broke for this girls and women, gave me bad dreams. God bless them.

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