Slave: A Story of the First American Revolution

Jack: Mende Nazer is one amazing human. To read the torture and pain she has been through and to come out the person she is now is utterly inspiring. Highly recommend. I hope one day there is a stop to this evil trade no young person deserves the life poor Mende has had.

United Kingdom on Nov 18, 2023

Gina Ann: I don't think I have ever read a book so horrifying, hurtful and heartfelt that left me in tears and utterly speechless at the end. I didn't want to stop reading hoping Mende could escape, but being manipulated by her enslavor had her terrified. This story is 20 years old, but slavery is still happening around the world especially with young women of color, its on the news every day. I pray that Mende finds her happiness, she deserves it.

United States on Jan 16, 2023

michael dunas: Well written… an overall exhilarating read… an emotional rollercoaster that only hits harder because it’s based on true events. Would recommend this book to anyone, as it’s eye opening to some of the horrors in this world but also to the beauty that is the kindness of some strangers.

United Kingdom on Nov 24, 2022

Walter Scholz: We are all creatures of this world... Uneducated, stupid people... will ignore.

Germany on Jun 19, 2022

Kindle Customer: For anyone who complains about asylum seekers and refugees they ought to read Mende's story. These people are desperate and come from lives of complete misery and we in the western world have a moral duty to help if we can.
Mende's story is heartbreaking, and it's a story of many. The Nuba people are far from savages as claimed by her captors, we have a lot to learn from them, we've forgotten how to be kind to eachother as life has become less simple. I really enjoyed this book, its excellently written and captivating and heartbreaking at the same time. I finished it in little over a day, I couldn't put it down.

United Kingdom on Oct 17, 2020

Siandler: Such a sad story, you can’t even believe that these things happen!! The story telling is so vivid, filled with so much description and detail - all told from Mende’s memory. I enjoyed reading about her life in her village with her family and the culture shock between there and the modern world. The book is very keen to mention little details and explain how she felt when these things happened which I really feel added so much to the story and to me caring more about Mende’s character.
Only downside is I felt the ending was rushed and I wanted to know more about how she felt sort of immediately after she managed to escape and the details of where she went, what she did, how she managed without speaking English, how did she know who she can trust, how did she meet people and make friends etc. I kind of felt it just downplayed that a bit and just skips forward 2 years where she has learnt English and has tons of friends and supporters- publishers, journalists, lawyers etc on her side with the asylum claim. I also wanted to know about her family, could they claim asylum too, could they visit her, could they resettle in another country altogether etc. I can’t believe she...

United Kingdom on Apr 14, 2019

R. Williams: Slave by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis recounts the life of a young Nuba woman from the mountains of Sudan. The book begins Nazer’s life story in the Nuba mountains where everything appears to be comfortable and pleasant. She goes to school, is the baby of a doting family, and is busy enjoying her extended family and friends. While there are some ugly setbacks in her life including an incredibly painful circumcision, she is largely happy.

Nazer gives a thorough description of her life as a child. The reader has an incredible look into a largely remote area and people. She describes not only her childhood, but also the way of life this nation lives out even today. Nazer does not permit the outsider to view her or her people as a primitive group, but as a complex people who love and cherish their children, extended family and friends as much as any other people. Additionally, she talks of dress and fun activities and relations between her people-nation and others. Not everything is beautiful, as she explains when relating her experience with circumcision, and some painful occurrences due to the birth of her sister’s first child.

This small world is completely...

United States on Apr 05, 2016

BTStarz: This book is an interesting read about existing black tribes in Sudan, their Arab conquerors, and the conflict/war/genocide in Sudan. This book is a true story about Mende Nazer, who was captured as a young girl and sold as a slave to the Arabs in Sudan, and later London.

Some Sudanese claim her story is false and that she was never a slave. They say she was free to come and go as she pleased and that she was paid. When she was transported to London, she was working for the family of a Sudanese Diplomat. Therefore, it is easy to see why some people refute her claims. However, I've read books about black tribes all over Sudan and they all have the same story about how the Arabs and the Sudanese government raided their villages. Considering these tribes do not speak the same language, I tend to believe what happened to them. It is hard to dismiss it as mere coincidence.

Mende is an intelligent girl who is loved by her family. When the Arabs raid her Nuba village, she is kidnapped, raped, and sold into slavery to a family in Khartoum. They beat her brutally over the smallest infractions, like playing in the sprinklers. All these beatings eventually cause her some health...

United States on Apr 16, 2015