Introduction
The readings on the celebrated Somaly Mam showcase impeccable writing skills that are evidenced in the works of the author. Somaly is credited for her story in Abby Sher’s book.” Breaking free: true stories of girls who Escaped Modern Slavery,” highlights her struggle with sex slavery and tells the story of two other women. The book was subsequently followed by criticism by Simon Marks, “The Holy Saint (and sinner) of sex trafficking. “It was replied by Mam in, “Somaly’s Story: I didn’t lie.” In both accounts, she gives the story of her life and reaffirms that the representations in her books are not based on imagined events. The writing skills used in her books incorporates the habits of the mind. Working with the different accounts of Mam has made me realize that curiosity is an important part of the writing process.
Curiosity is the need to know about everything that happens in the world. It is a paramount element in the writing process because the thirst for knowledge is the key to accessing it. The story told by Somaly depicts a person who had a need to acquire the knowledge that existed beyond the world of prostitution. “Breaking free: true stories of girls who Escaped Modern Slavery,” tells the story of three women, Somaly, Dang and Maria Suarez, who were forced into sexual slavery in Cambodia. The three women served as prostitutes in a brothel together with many other teenage girls who were captured in one way or another (Sher, 2014). Mam was forced into sexual slavery by her grandfather, whose identity was not revealed in the book. The girls who did not do as they were told were killed, which meant that there was no escape. After some time, she was given some leeway by the lady who headed the brothel. She then met her husband, who made her serious about the world beyond the Cambodian prostitution. She quit the brothel and explored Europe, where she worked as a maid. Eventually, Somaly started her organization, AFESIP, which is centered on delivering girls from sexual slavery.
The story on this book focuses on writing from a curious perspective. From the text, the writer is seen to explore all spheres of the life around her, which was essential for her book. Her husband describes her eager and curious nature when he says,” I was amazed at how easily Mam took in the life in Europe. She found a job as a maid, even before I did.” Her curious nature made her meet many people who have shaped the course of her life. Her husband says, “We were now thinking big, beyond the borders of Cambodia. We opened AFESIP offices in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, France and Switzerland.” From the journey of her story, Mam is portrayed as being thirsty for knowledge and having an explorative nature. I have learnt the importance of curiosity in writing, where it provides the essentials that make the text interesting and gives insight into the different happenings around the world.
After the book had been published, Simon marks wrote a follow up article on Mam’s story. The article is premised on the inconsistencies that exist in the story told by Somaly (Marks, 2014). Because of his curious nature, a writer in the article, “The Holy Saint (and sinner) of sex trafficking,” establishes the falsehood in the story of Somarly. Earlier on, the writer had been curious about the difference in accounts of the stories that Mam gave in interviews. He states, “In the white house interview, she said she was sold into slavery at age nine 0r ten and spent a decade in a brothel. On Tyra banks show, she said she spent four or five years in the brothel and her book says she was trafficked when she was sixteen years of age.” He further states that the renowned activist failed to appear on an interview to establish put the matter to rest. Somaly is alleged to have coached the girls in her Camp to give false stories of being sexually trafficked. The writer gives evidence in the story told by Meas Ratha, one of the girls who later retracted her statements. In this article, the writer does not overly criticize her but argues that she is a hero either way. The author reasons that the issues she presented happen in the society in any case, even if they did not truly happen in her story. The article brings to light the creativity that can be fostered by curiosity. He says, “Equally hard to believe that Pross’s Family, neighbors and medical reports tell a different story. “Curiosity leads to an active imagination that forms the basis for good writing. Simon portrayed Mam as having a good imagination resulted in the birth of an award-winning book and earned her a lot of money. She is also characterized as being dishonest. Simon’s curious nature led to his investigative role in uncovering of the truth and used it in his writing. From his article, the importance of being curious in critical writing is reinforced.
In “Somarly’s Story: I didn’t lie,” as reported in Marie Clair, is curious to find the truth about what happened to Somaly. In the report, Mam says that she did not lie. The reporter is curious on why she remained silent through the scandal. Mam says, “For me, it’s not about fighting with anyone. My priority was the girls.” The writer uses her curious nature to portray Mam as being innocent in all the chaos. She exploits all the angles that were alleged in the story by Newsweek. She addresses the rumor that Mams daughter ran away with a boyfriend by talking to Nieng (Pesta, 2014). Nieng refutes the allegations and insists she was kidnapped.
Conclusion
The above readings illustrate how curiosity is important in finding knowledge and truth. All the readings are believable because they are based on evidence. They are a representation of knowledge that the reader would not have possessed save for the curious nature of the authors. Therefore, it is important to have and seek knowledge in writing as I learnt from the above stories about Somaly Mam. All of them have something new to give about the life of the celebrated activist.
References
Sher, A. (2014). Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 226). Barrons educational Series.
Pesta, A. (2014, January 1). Somaly's Story: 'I Didn't Lie.' Marie Clair.
Marks, S. (2014, May 21). Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficking. Newsweek.
