Life Interrupted: Trafficking into Forced Labor in the United States - Hardcover

Brennan, Denise

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0822356244 ISBN 13: 9780822356240

Publisher: Duke University Press Books, 2014

Synopsis

Life Interrupted introduces us to survivors of human trafficking who are struggling to get by and make homes for themselves in the United States. Having spent nearly a decade following the lives of formerly trafficked men and women, Denise Brennan recounts in close detail their flight from their abusers and their courageous efforts to rebuild their lives. At once scholarly and accessible, her book links these firsthand accounts to global economic inequities and under-regulated and unprotected workplaces that routinely exploit migrant laborers in the United States. Brennan contends that today's punitive immigration policies undermine efforts to fight trafficking. While many believe trafficking happens only in the sex trade, Brennan shows that across low-wage labor sectors-in fields, in factories, and on construction sites-widespread exploitation can lead to and conceal forced labor. Life Interrupted is a riveting account of life in and after trafficking and a forceful call for meaningful immigration and labor reform. All royalties from this book will be donated to the nonprofit Survivor Leadership Training Fund administered through the Freedom Network.

About this title

Review:

"The very real people portrayed in Life Interrupted do shine brightly; their stories make it personal for us, the readers. We're reminded that these individuals are certainly not forgotten in the eyes of God, as much as we might long to stay unaware of them."--D.L. Mayfield "Books and Culture "

"Life Interrupted is a highly engaging book that will be of great interest to anyone interested in forced labor and human trafficking."--Sverre Molland"International Migration Review" (01/01/2016)

"Life Interrupted is a must-read for those seeking to understand why immigration policies, US and otherwise, can prolong human misery. Bluntly confronting the risks and dangers all immigrants face when they must leave their homes in search of better lives, this admirable book is a major contribution to productive ways to rethink global immigration."--Lee Maril "Times Higher Education Supplement "

"Steering clear of lurid depictions of sexual slavery, Brennan has written a serious yet readable account of trafficking in the United States."--Karunesh Tuli "Foreword Reviews "

"[A] concise yet comprehensive account of trafficking in the US. . . . Bluntly confronting the risks and dangers all immigrants face when they must leave their homes in search of better lives, this admirable book is a major contribution to productive ways to rethink global immigration. Whether it is Mexican agricultural workers risking their lives by crossing a desert to find work, or Egyptians and Pakistanis crossing the Mediterranean in fragile boats, their lives dependent on rescue at sea by the Italian navy, suffering is omnipresent. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."--W. T. Howard "Choice "

"This book should appeal to anyone who wants to learn more about the devastating and long-lasting impact of human trafficking at both the global and individual/familial level from those who lived it, as well as the effectiveness of current immigration policies. . . . It is particularly valuable to those who (like me) work in service-providing professions that may encounter this vulnerable, yet resilient, population. I recommend it highly."--Stacie Dubay "Monthly Labor Review "

"One of the most important sections of Brennan's book includes suggestions for action and ways to become involved in improving the lives of trafficked persons. . . . She demonstrates that a commitment to each individual is what it takes to help trafficked persons transcend poverty. These important findings are the result of studying real people who have left extreme situations, and assessing which factors made the difference between moving ahead or struggling forever."--Melissa Ditmore "Women's Review of Books "

"[B]ringing rich ethnographic detail and compelling stories from survivors of trafficking, case workers, advocates, and others. She eschews any grand theoretical gestures in favor of rigorous but readable prose and has crafted a book that is at once a major academic contribution for specialists and also a text that should be required reading for public health workers, policymakers, NGO administrators, and undergraduate or graduate students interested in the practical applications of anthropology."--Gregory Mitchell "Medical Anthropology Quarterly "

"Life Interrupted is an important book. Intensely researched and accessibly written, this ethnographically rich work is recommended for anyone concerned about human trafficking. Brennan masterfully connects the plight of victims of forced labor to larger questions about U.S. labor practices and immigration policies."--Amy Farrell "American Journal of Sociology "

"Denise Brennan's in situ empirical study of a well-defined, accurately counted, richly engaged subset of the principals in the human trafficking drama is a welcome addition to a growing body of knowledge that uses rigorous research to study a population that has been wrongly identified as 'unresearchable.'"--Anthony Marcus"American Anthropologist" (03/01/2016)

About the Author:

Denise Brennan is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Georgetown University. She is the author of What's Love Got to Do with It? Transnational Desires and Sex Tourism in the Dominican Republic, also published by Duke University Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: Duke University Press Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0822356244
• ISBN 13: 9780822356240
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304