This book is about a 13 year old girl named Lakshmi who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor. But when a monsoon washes away all that remains of the family's crops, Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. She is introduced to a stranger who tells her she will be working as a maid. After the long trip to India she arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. Lakshmi is in a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words "Simply to endure is to triumph". She forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world.
This was a very good book; I think girls would mostly like it though because they can relate to it in a way because this type of situation happens everyday. But I think guys would be able to read it too, they could learn a lesson. I would also recommend this book to people who like books who like to read about real situations that are often tragic.
I would rate this book an 8 out of 10. I liked this book because I like to read about real life situations. I liked it because there was always something going on, you always wanted to keep reading more to see what happens next. I also liked it because it took place in a different country where the culture is different and people act differently towards each other. Though the beginning was slow it was a very good book overall.
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