Capturing Jasmina by Kimberly Rae

Capturing Jasmina by Kimberly Rae ISBN-13: 9781606828533 Paperback: 116 pages Publisher: Journey Forth Released: May 27, 2014

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Capturing Jasmina, fiction for young adult readers by Kimberly Rae, is the story of Jasmina, a young girl in India, and her brother, Samir. The children are sold by their father to a man promising them an education and good jobs.

But, as Jasmina and Samir soon discover, the man is providing an education, not in a school, but as a slave in his sweatshop garment factory. While Samir quickly submits to his new life of misery, Jasmina never stops planning an escape. She comes to realize that escape doesn’t always mean freedom.


My Review:
Capturing Jasmina is Christian, young adult fiction. This short book is the first in a series. Through Jasmina's story, we learn what life is like for a trafficked child and a street child and about Christian outreaches to these people. Based on my knowledge from non-fiction sources, I believe this story accurately portrays human trafficking and what life is like in India.

Perhaps due to its young adult target audience, not a lot of time or graphic description was spent on the horrors of child slavery--just enough detail to let you know what it's like and how it effects a person without personally pulling you into the horror of it.

However, people sometimes explained more than I think they would in real life. I doubt the factory owner would have explained to his new slaves that his "work until you pay back your debt" system was designed to keep them in perpetual debt. That system works through maintaining their hope that they can, someday, pay off the debt. But it would be difficult to explain some of what's going on in a natural way because most readers will be so unfamiliar with it.

I think this is a great way to introduce teens to other cultures and important issues. As an adult, I found the story interesting enough to want to know what happened to her brother, which is the topic of the second book in the series. Overall, I'd recommend this novella.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.