"Believe it or not, human trafficking happens here in the United States. It's a disturbing phenomenon. Bales and Soodalter's riveting account of modern-day slavery is a call to action. We can stop this crime. We must."

- Yoko Ono

"The most important thing that one should take out of the book is that we should not take things for granted. Here in America we have a great opinion about this beautiful country and are proud of what our nation has achieved. But as the two authors show, we tend to miss or neglect what we don't see. Slavery in America is not something most of us see or even want to see. With the help of this great book, I believe we can shift from ignoring this crude reality to doing something to eradicate this abominable practice."

- African Politics Portal

"If you read one book on human trafficking this year, make it The Slave Next Door. In this exciting and compelling expose on human trafficking, authors Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter systematically break down all the media stereotypes of who is and isn't a trafficking victim, why trafficking happens, and how this systemic exploitation works.  The authors handle delicate and painful material with grace and aplomb, resulting in an unforgettable education in the reality of modern-day slavery.

While the book is non-fiction (that rare brand of accurate, interesting non-fiction), much of the book is based on narratives of real slavery cases and the stories of the people involved in them.  Throughout the book, you connect with the slaves, their families, and the men and women who fight to bring them to freedom.  The stories are also very timely; one prominent "character" in many of the stories is Lou de Baca, who was recently confirmed as the new U.S. anti-trafficking czar.

The Slave Next Door does what much other media around the issue of slavery has failed to do: tell a complex, often depressing story in a digestible, enjoyable, and ultimately uplifting way.  Despite the heavy subject matter, you finish the book motivated and energized.  Ironically for a book about slavery, the central message I got when I was done was that the world is a place full of hope and possibility for everyone, no matter how dire the circumstances seem.  And any book that can make slavery = hope, is a good read.

I cannot tell you strongly enough to buy this book."

- Amanda Kloer, "End Human Trafficking," Change.Org

"The book, which is essential reading for anyone interested in human rights, covers every major policy and practice related to slavery and trafficking....This isn't just an academic commentary on slavery, however; it's also a manual for action. In the second half of the book, Bales and Soodalter describe specific community organizing and consumer activism tactics, policy prescriptions, and ways that "good Samaritans" can contribute through volunteering and donations to service organizations. They tell the compelling personal stories of victims with empathy and appeal to the reader's sense of justice and compassion."

- Tiffany Williams, Foreign Policy in Focus

"Once again, Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter make us confront a tragic reality - there are as many as 27 million people trapped in modern slavery worldwide.  In this book, we hear the voices of survivors and those who are fighting every day for freedom."

- Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee

"Most Americans believe that slavery in our country ended with the Emancipation Proclamation.  They are wrong. As Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter document in this excellent volume, human bondage is a reality for thousands of children, women and men living in the United States. The Slave Next Door exposes slavery in today's America in all its forms, and sounds a call to arms to government, corporations, and private citizens alike."

- Kerry Kennedy, Founder
Robert F Kennedy Center for Human Rights

"This is a book to make you angry. From Florida field workers who pick some of the fruits and vegetables we eat to prisoners in China who make desk lamps we can buy at Wal-Mart, Bales and Soodalter show us the manifold ways that unfree labor is woven into the American economy. And, most important, they show us what we can do to stop it."

- Adam Hochschild
author of Bury the Chains, and King Leopold's Ghost