Nepal, May 24 -- Patricia McCormick's 'Sold' confronts one of humanity's most disturbing realities through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old Nepali girl named Lakshmi. Published in 2006, this young adult novel has opened the eyes of readers worldwide to the harsh truth of human trafficking. What makes this book remarkable is its unflinching portrayal of a painful subject and McCormick's ability to tell the story with brutal honesty and deep compassion.

The story traces Lakshmi's journey from her impoverished mountain village in Nepal, where farming offers little more than survival, to the brothels of Kolkata, India, where survival becomes even more uncertain. What begins as a promise of work as a maid in the city, a chance to support her s...