Good Reads
The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam is the poignant true story of her life. Her experiences of her childhood innocence through her physical, emotional and mental humiliations endured in Cambodia strengthened her to become a remarkable influence of change for women ultimately all over the world. Taken by her grandfather from her remote village at the age of ten, she is abused, physically and sexually, and then sold into prostitution. She tells her tale so all can know the indignities that women still suffer in this day and age. She has dedicated her life to helping the innocent who have been caught in the sexual slavery web.
It is an unforgettable story, made all the more sad as this tale is still occurring to little girls across the world. As Somaly states, “The point is not what happened to me. I write my story to shed light on the lives of so many thousands of other women. They have no voice, so let this one life stand for their stories.” In 1996 she founded AFESIP (translates as Acting for Women in Distressing Situations). This organization has helped thousands of women, rescuing them from the chains of sexual slavery and returning to them the sense of safety, love and hope for new beginnings.
It is inspiring and a wonderful lesson to remember that one person can make a difference.
To learn more visit the following websites.
http://www.afesip.org/
http://www.somaly.org/
BOOKOF THE WEEK – ILLEGAL, NAFTA refugees forced to Flee
By Peter A. Geniesse
Read it now – get it from the bookshelf outside the Cahokia Room – find our when millions of undocumented Mexicans have come to the U.S. Explore this complex issue by reading about real people with real experiences, witness to a system gone awry and filled with injustices.
This is good preparation for our upcoming 175th Celebration where the focus for justice is on Immigration.
Everyday Sacred
by Clarence Heller
Reviewed by Sister Marian Cowan, CSJ, spritual director, writer, lecturer and artist
"Of all the ways God seeps out through my life..." leads into one of Clarence Heller's poems. Everyday Sacred is one of those ways. Earthy and alive in imagery, his poetic writing seduces the reader into desiring a relationship with God as rich and sensual as the author's. Not to be read cursorily, each poem offers a mirrored moment in which to catch the reflection of one's own deepest longing.
- Learn more about the book at www.clarenceheller.com.
- Register for an Art Media program with Sister Marian Cowan (Winter 2011).
