Francis Bok was born into a privileged life, with a loving family and all of the freedom in the world. At age seven, when he went to the market to sell some goods, the market was raided and the Arabs killed all the men and took all of the women and children as slaves.
Bok was forced to care for his master’s livestock with the utmost care, and with nothing but scraps for return. He lived like this for ten years until his first escape attempt, which failed.
He finally escaped on his third try and sought the police for help, instead of helping him, they too forced him into slavery. After a few moths of unfair treatment, he decided to try and escape yet again.
With the help of a kind Arab, he was safely transported to a refugee camp where he met hundreds of fellow people from his Dinka tribe. He shared his story to the surrounding camps in hopes of finding someone with information about what happened to his parents and siblings.
The police soon came and arrested him for speaking against the govenment and kept him in prison for four years. He continually denied he was ever a slave or that he ever said anything against the government, and with no evidence to keep him, they let him go.
In prison, he realized that in order to truly be free, he needed to get out of Sudan as soon as possible and go to Cairo. With much dedication and hard work, Francis eventually made his way into Cairo and began his new life.
He met lots of new friends with good connections who encouraged him to apply for refugee status and to go to America. Shortly after his interview, he found himself as an official refugee.
He was also accepted to be one of the few to go to America and begin a new, free life. He struggled with the new culture and language here in the U.S., but was eventually approached by an anti-slavery commitee. They asked if he would tell his inspiring story, and shortly after he began telling his story, he was meeting many people in very high places; his story stil inspired people today.
Imagine swinging on your six foot tall father’s shoulders, looking over your lush green farm and hundreds of livestock with the warm breeze brushing against your skin. You feel safe and loved as your father tells you that he believes that you will one day do great things. You cannot help but feel proud because out of your several bothers and sisters, you are the one he believes will go far.
Now imagine waking up in a strange house, hearing people speak a language you are not able to understand, and feeling utterly alone. Seven year old Francis Bok was forced to spend the rest of his childhood years as a slave and being treated as nothing more than a hard working piece of meat in the novel Escape From Slavery by Bok and Edward Tivnan.
Had it not been for the requirement to read this book, I am positive I would have never given it a chance. I often find that biographical books are depressing and difficult to relate to, but this particular novel caught me by surprise; I could not put it down.
When I think of Africa, I usually think of dry, brown and I hate to admit, ugly terrain. But within the first five pages of the book, Bok had me adding it to my list of places to visit before I die.
He decribes it as full of life and beauty, with his fruit trees, endless green fields and thousands of livestock. This immediately got me excited to find what other things Bok would put into perspective for me.
When he was caputed by Giemma (his master), and was treated with such cruely and inhumanity, I instantly found myself hating everything he (Giemma) believed in and stood for.
This novel took me by suprise emotionally, in ways I never even thought possible. When Bok continually tried to escape, I realized that I was at the edge of my seat completely poured into those terrifying moments. I found myself sharing and, in a way, experiencing crucial moments with him.
As Bok arrives in Cairo and makes new friends, he finally knows what it is like to have friends other than animals for the first time. Can you imagine not being able to trust a single soul other than yourself for ten years of your life?
This book was written very well, and it immediately draws the reader in. Not only does it begin unexpecedly, but also had a very inspiring and heartwarming ending to it.
Anyone would be able to relate to this book, whether it be having trouble fitting in, feeling alone, having good friends that you enjoy spending your time with, or fighing for what is right. This book contains all of those and more.
I must admit at the very end when he is learing about the history and politics of Sudan, I found myself trudging along, but at the end of the day, reading through it all was worth it.
For more book reviews, read the March 4 article, Steinbeck elaborates on 1960s, expresses America.
