The Slave Across the Street [Paperback]

Theresa Flores (Author), PeggySue Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2010

While more and more people each day become aware of the dangerous world of human trafficking, most people in the U.S. still believe this is something that happens to foreign women, men and children--not something that happens to their own.

In this powerful true story, Theresa Flores shares how her life as an All-American, blue-eyed, blond-haired 15-year-old teenager who could have been your neighbor was enslaved into the dangerous world of sex trafficking while living in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit. Her story peels the cover off of this horrific criminal activity and gives dedicated activists as well as casual bystanders a glimpse into the underbelly of trafficking. And it all happened while living at home without her parents ever knowing about it. Involuntarily involved in a large underground criminal ring, Ms. Flores endured more as a child than most adults will ever face their entire lives.

In this book, Ms. Flores discusses how she healed the wounds of sexual servitude and offers advice to parents and professionals on preventing this from occurring again, educating and presenting significant facts on human trafficking in modern day American.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ms. Flores has been a licensed social worker in Ohio for nearly 20 years. She received a Bachelor s in Social Work from Ball State University in Indiana and a Master s in Counseling Education from the University of Dayton as a Human Development Specialist. She is featured by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum in a traveling exhibit entitled, Invisible Slavery. She lectures internationally on human trafficking and currently works for Gracehaven House, a therapeutic, long term home being built for young girls under the age of 18 who have been victimized by domestic sexual exploitation.

She has made it her mission to bring awareness to the subject of human trafficking so that other young girls never have to endure what she did in silence. She was a guest speaker at the Child Slavery Now conference in Hull, England at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation and has been featured on MSNBC/The Today Show in an investigative series called Sex Slaves: The Teen Trade.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ampelon Publishing (January 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780982328682
• ISBN-13: 978-0982328682
• ASIN: 0982328680
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Race Relations
  • #67 in Books > History > Americas > United States > African Americans > Discrimination & Racism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An imporant stroy regarding human trafficking December 29, 2009

By Chad Estes

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When Liam Neeson's movie "Taken" came out in 2008 many people were shocked. The film portrayed how easily it was for unassuming girls to get pulled into the slave trade. As the setting was Paris, I had several friends question my sanity in sending my teenage daughter on a student ambassador program which included a week in France. The movie and my daughter's trip both had a good ending, but for many girls the horrors of the slave trade are an awful reality.

In her book, "The Slave Across the Street," Theresa Flores brings the human trafficking story home to the United States, to a wealthy suburb of Detroit, sharing what really happened in her own life. Not the victim we tend to imagine in these crimes--white, upper class, stable family--Theresa was taken advantage of, repeatedly, and was in a cycle of abuse that was so cruel she was lucky to have escaped with her life.

Flores now shares about these teen years as part of her own healing, uncovering what had lain secret for years, but needed to be brought into the light of truth not only for her but also for current victims and potential ones.

Although the subject matter of the book is by its nature adult material Flores descriptions of her life are not graphic in detail. I have read similar themed books that emphasize the horror of the lifestyle with only a chapter of redemption at the end. They make for a titillating read, but are hardly helpful in the fight against human trafficking. This book is bare of the glamorization of such tragedies and only provides enough story to understand the enslavement issue.

The book also includes several chapters regarding the facts about human trafficking, how to seek help for victims, indentify red flags on the slave trade, and provides important pointers for parents and professionals. Anything this book may lack in its presentation and prose is made up in its substance..

(Please note that the current Kindle version is not formatted correctly. The navigation and pagination need attention from the publisher and from Amazon.)

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Slavery Can Happen Anywhere January 12, 2010

By David VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

In The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores, she recounts her terrible nightmare of being used as a sex slave in the Detroit area. As she recounts her story, I found myself wanting to vomit at some of the hidious acts against this young teen.

Theresa was fifteen when her whole world turned upside down. At fifteen, you think that nothing can touch you. You start thinking about the opposite sex, and your stomach turns to mush when that special someone walks by. She recounts how a simple act of flirtation led to one wrong decision, which led to one nightmare after another. She was forced into losing her virginity at fifteen and then pictures surfaced that forced her to choose between her family's safety or embarassment. She chose to protect her family & that single decision catapulted into eighteen months of servitude to a human trafficking ring.

Hearing Theresa's story made my stomach spin in disgust. Theresa came from an upper middle income family. She was white, blonde and blue-eyed. Human trafficking is not isolated to third-world countries. This book pulls the lid off sex slavery and child exploitation. This story is not devoid of pain, sorrow, hurt or healing. Theresa is healing - emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally.

After she tells her story, she provides valuable information for parents, law enforcement, friends, educators to be aware of the signs of someone who is hurting. We always think that we will see the signs, but the truth is, we don't want to look deep enough into people to see their hurt.

This book is a must read for parents, counselors, teachers, kids, friends and whomever you can put it in their hands. This book is graphic and it will shock you, so consider yourself warned, but it is important to read or listen. I was a bit naive that something like this could touch me in my middle class world, I'm glad I listened to this book.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How a Lost Soul Can Heal January 30, 2010

By Traci McDonough

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book with a little bit of knowledge about the subject matter going in. What I read was nothing I was prepared for in the least. An upper middle class teen in the suburbs of Detroit who should be trying our for cheerleading or worrying about that term paper due at the end of the week, was instead fearing for her life and being heinously brutalized on a nearly daily basis - and hiding the entire thing from her family in fear she would put them in harm's way.

As you read this book, Teresa's story unfolds in front of you but you have to remind yourself over and over that this is a "normal American teen from the suburbs". She tells of her deep pain and confusion, but moreover, she tells of her healing process which I found to be quite amazing and something that I am certain that will give others in similar, or maybe not so similar, situations the hope they so desperately need to move on with their lives.

Well written with plenty of information at the end to help anyone who reads the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who has been abused, knows someone who has, or who has a son or daughter that could easily get caught up in this horrible scenario. I also recommend this book to teachers
and other mandated reporters as it will show you signs that you might not know to look for otherwise.

Overall I wold recommend this book to anyone and everyone who would be interested in hearing such an unbelievable story that happened in Detroit, but could, and probably does, happen anywhere.