Sold- 11th Post

I am glad that I finished this book. Near the end of the book, a time period of one year has passed. It is amazing that there are only two girl characters left in the house after one year, Lakshmi and Anita. It is strange to think that Lakshmi went throught all of that in one year. She is only fourteen at the end of the novel, and yet she has experienced what I could never dream of. I am very happy that Lakshmi survived this horrible ordeal. It shows that girls can be strong in the toughest of situations. Overall, I really loved this novel. McCormick's style of writing kept me interested. Most of the time, it was hard to read some of the pages. They were so detailed about the rapes and beatings. It really gave me a glimpse into what is happening in the world. It is hard to imagine that this novel was written such a short time ago and that child prostitution occurs in the present day. This book is kind of haunting in a way. Some of the images are going to be hard to get out of my mind. "Sold" is a one of those books that opens your eyes to the reality of the world.

Sold- 10th Post

Pushpa and her children have been kicked out of the house because she was sick. Lakshmi misses Pushpa and Harish. Harish was such a good friend to her. Many men come and go, but one day an American man comes to visit Lakshmi. Auntie Mumtaz believes that he is just sleeping with her, but the man only talks to Lakshmi. He gives her a card so that she will call him for help. This is a good sign for Lakshmi. Maybe now she can escape from the "Happiness House." She keeps the meeting a secret from Auntie Mumtaz so she will not get in trouble. I believe that Lakshmi will finally be rescued.

Sold- 9th Post

Lakshmi's friendship with Harish continues to blossum. One day he gives her a pencil. She is so appreciative of this gift that he has given her. I guess it is a symbol of hope to her. Harish's mother, Pushpa, is sick. I think that she has gotten an STD. It must be common for this to happen in the house, being that the women sleep with many men. Auntie Mumtaz is being her usual self by threatening Pushpa about her illness. She even threatens to take away her children. How cold-hearted could she be to take away a mother's children? This is such a sad story.

Sold- 8th Post

The poems of this story are getting harder to read. The author describes the events going on with such detail. Lakshmi explains about how the men use her and tear her apart. It is almost unbearable to think about. The thought that child prostitution is going on today all over the world is unimagineable. While Lakshmi is at the whore house, she makes friends with Pushpa's son, Harish. He is very nice to her. He gave her a book. He is also trying to teach her how to read. There is a connention between the two. Lakshmi grows to like some of her clients. She does not hate all of them. Some of them treat her with respect and do not just use her. I thought that it very surprising that the girls watched American soap operas. I did not think that they could watch television shows broadcasted from America. They all like to watch "The Bold and the Beautiful." That is a show that I sometimes watch. I can understand Lakshmi's confusion about the show, being that the show's world is so perfect, and her world is the complete opposite of that. The television shows happily-ever-afters, while she must worry if she will every leave the house or even make it out alive.

Sold- 7th Post

Lakshmi continues making friends with the girls. She meets Anita. I fell bad for Anita. She tells Lakshmi about the time she tried to run away. Auntie Mumtaz had these guys called goondas to find her and bring her back to the house. They disfigured her face. This reminded me of another novel I am reading. It is called "A Fine Balance." It is based in India, and the author uses the word goondas, too. From reading both novels, I have learned that goondas are not the type of people that you would want to mess with. I can only imagine how terrified of them Anita was. Pushpa is another girls Lakshmi talks to. She has two children that live in the house with her. It is interesting that Lakshmi can make friends is such a depressing situation. She is strong and tries to make the best of things.

Sold- 6th Post

From the very beginning at "Happiness House," Lakshmi refuses to work as a prostitute. I think this is very noble of her. At first, despite beatings and starvation, she does not comply to sell her body. I think that Auntie Mumtaz is a horrible person. How could a woman force young girls, even children, to become prostitutes. What if she was in that situation? I think that she oly thinks about herself and no one else. It is sad that Lakshmi, after refusing to be a prostitute, is drugged and raped. It is very hard to read these poems about how the men rape her. After a while, Lakshmi decides that she must sleep with the men to pay off her debt to Auntie Mumtaz. It must have been hard to make that decision. Auntie Mumtaz then advertises Lakshmi as the "virgin" of "Happiness House." She could only be named that for a while, so Auntie Mumtaz decided that she was no better than the rest of the girls. She told Lakshmi to live witht he other girls of the house. Lakshmi makes friends with some of the girls. They give her advice on how to survive in the house. One of these girls in named Shahanna. She tells Lakshmi how the house works and what she should do to make life easier. I like Shahanna. She seems like a genuine friend to Lakshmi.

Sold- 5th Post

The man that is Lakshmi's "Uncle" tells Lakshmi that she needs to call him her husband. He seems like a shifty character. I can tell that Lakshmi is afraid of him and that she is confused. To make her feel better, the man gives Lakshmi sweets and food. Theycontinue to travel into India where they reach the city and a place called the "Happiness House." For the third time, Lakshmi is sold to a woman named Auntie Mumtaz. I cannot imagine how scared Lakshmi must have been to be sold to different people in such a short period of time. Lakshmi finds out that "Happiness House" is a place of prostitution. I think that it is very ironic that the whore house is called "Happiness House," being that it is anything but happy. I did not know that there was child prostitution like this in other countries. It is very disturbing to read about these kinds of events.