Sold: Crucial but Taboo

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Sold by Patricia McCormick is a novel that gripped me dearly as I read. By reading the Story of Lakshmi I was immediately engulfed with her experiences. I decided that this novel was beneficial to high school students, even though it was a heavy novel. I have come across not many books that make me feel like this novel does. The reader gains a view into the world of Lakshmi on her journey to, in, and out of the "happiness house". I understand fully that this novel would be considered heavy and possibly inappropriate for high school students, but I feel readers get a sense of how truly lucky they are in the fact that they are not living in this situation. Secondly, this novel gets kids to wake up to the real-world dangers around them that they are likely blind to. There are dangers around students that our youth are quite ignorant to. This novel would highlight how this issue is prevalent in all cultures and can be turned into a lesson of how to prevent this to the best of your ability from happening to you. Would you teach this novel in your classroom? Why or why not?

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