Rating: 
Summary: Riveting -
Review: A relative gave me this book, and it sat for months on my shelf unread. It was hard to get up the motivation to read what I thought was a chronicle of poverty and disease, oppression and struggle. I never felt that there was an appropriate moment to pick up the book and delve into that world.
Boy, I was stupid. One day I just picked up the book, and within 24 hours I had read the entire thing. It's well-written, flows easily, and Mr. Bok, while letting us know the details of his slavery and capture, does not exploit them. While the conditions of his life as a slave are shocking, his escape and success in the United States are even more so. Reading about Mr. Bok's journey through the Sudan, Egypt and Fargo, North Dakota (yes, you read it correctly) is a fascinating look into how one man can work to save his people. It is also a unique look at the growth of a human being, the challenges of entering a new culture, and a reminder that every single person, no matter how old, deserves the right to life-long education. I thank Mr. Bok for his courage, and his mentors for providing us with this story.
Any glance at the news is reminder that slavery and conflict in the sudan STILL EXIST TODAY. American foreign policy exists outside of the scope of the Middle East, and I hope this memoir will serve to make more people aware of the horrible human rights abuses that continue, and they will pressure Western governments to provide more relief to Sudanese refugees, and encourage peace and development in the region.
As a former teacher, I would recommend this book to any high school or program. I understand there is also an educational text offered to accompany it. There are some interesting anecdotes about Mr. Bok's experiences as a 21-year-old student in a classroom full of high-school drop-outs; it might spark interesting discussion to a classroom with unmotivated students.
Rating:
Summary: A remarkable man with a diabolical story
Review: At 24, Francis Bok has already led several lives.A happy childhood in his Dinka tribal land in the Southern Sudan ended abruptly at age 7 when Northern Sudanese Arabs captured him in a raid. He spent 10 years enslaved, suffering frequent beatings and, perhaps worse, almost total isolation, until his escape in 1996. Resettled in America, in Fargo, North Dakota, he put his energies into learning two new cultures, the American, and the Dinka culture he had had snatched from him. America was a shock in almost every way - the food, the language, the freedom, and the pace. Of his first job in a pallet factory, Bok says, "For ten years I had been forced to work with Giemma's animals, but not once had I returned home as weary and dirty as I was every night after a shift in the pallet shop." But there was more to come. Feeling his way, Bok quits his job, finds a new one, locates a group of Dinka in Ohio, moves there, acquires one job, then a second, saves for an apartment, makes more friends and discovers contentment. Only to give it all up to move to Boston and become an anti-slavery activist. Despite his total lack of schooling and English, Bok spoke at churches and schools, testified before the Senate and called on two presidents to act. Meanwhile he attended school, and it wasn't easy to place a 6-foot-6 non-English speaker without a first-grade education. Bok's memoir is told in simple, matter-of-fact prose, and the horror and pathos come through all the more strongly for being understated. Throughout his captivity, he slept in a barn, was not spoken to except as related to his work, and was not allowed to associate with any other slaves. He learned Arabic by force of will and kept himself going with thoughts of his parents. Only in America did he find out they had died in the raid. And it's in America that he learns the history of his war-torn country, which he relates briefly, illuminating an old culture clash over land that intensified with British colonization and has since been manipulated into a war between Arabs and Africans, Christians and Muslims. Bok's strength, melancholy and sense of wonder come through on every page, whether he's describing the joy of shopping for hip-hop clothes, the taunts of American classmates, or the awe of speaking before the Senate or meeting President Bush. A heartbreaking and heartening story.
Rating: 
Summary: Be hold
Review: contineously zionest snakes spit out their poisons. One reviewer wrote "the Arabs have been trading christian slaves for 1500 years ago", well, 1500 years ago THERE WAS No Islam and No arabs there and no Chrestians. The people of that regions are African tribes whom adopted Arab language. That happened several hundered of years ago. YOU CANT SAY about all East African nations they are HALF ARABS - because half the SWAHILY language is Arabic. Since the down of history it has been the custom among premative tribes (and old civilizations) to enslave war prisoners and/or their families, or chlderen. Let it be not far of your assumptions that Mr Danka wouldn't be there if it wasn't for his slavery, no praising this doomed costum , but it is highly propable that he would have died after loosing his family with starvation or became a baby solider in Karank army and died in battels.
The book did not address how rehtric christians supported slavery by buying slaves to free them , did not discuss how pagan groups where forced to be cristians.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying events, inspirational attitude.
Review: Francis Bok was only seven years old when he was kidnapped in his southern Sudan village and forced into slavery by a brutal Arab Muslim farmer in the north. Sadly his tale of slavery and torture is only one example of the centuries old practice of slavery and genocide during Sudan's war between the Arab Muslim north and African Christian south. His master treated Francis poorer than his livestock and he was often given garbage and rotten food to eat. He was virtually cut off from other young Dinka slaves in the area and as a result was forced to withdraw into his own mind for survival. One of the truly remarkable aspects of this book is Francis' positive attitude throughout his ordeal. He never lost hope of escaping and creating a better life for himself. Although he was forced into slavery for ten years and lost contact with his tribe customs and language he never lost his will and determinism to learn about his culture after he was free. Additionally I was impressed with his sense of helping others who are victims of Sudan's war and sending back money to friends in Egypt who were denied United Nations refugee status. In the United States where individualism is the way of life it is refreshing to read how Francis reached out to help others instead of falling into a trap of only caring for himself. ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY is a contemporary narrative that effectively shatters the myth that slavery is a problem of the past. It is sad that the world has kept silent about the appalling problems in Sudan. Time is past due for humanity to stop the needless slaughter of innocent southern Sudanese by their northern neighbors. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: The Sudan
Review: I found that this book was very well written, and was written with a great deal of detail. Although I think the book was well written i also think it is very bias towards the northern Sudanese peoples. I, being from North Sudan, know that the northeners of Sudan have made a great deal of mistakes in the past, but i feel as if the book portrayed my peoples as savages. I'm not saying that we are all angels and indeed some are savages but North Sudanese have a beautiful culture which was not portrayed in the book. There are many northeners trying to bring the civil war in Sudan to an end, and i have a great number of aunts and auncles who are living in Canada and The U.S. as refugees from Sudan because of there beliefs of what is going on in Sudan and their views towards the Sudanese government. I also have some who are still in Sudan ad fighting for the south.
This book is still a great book and should be read by all to show that slavery does still exsist in Sudan and many other parts of the world and some one should do something about it. I wish Francis the best of luck in his future and would like to invite him over to meet my family and have some tea to see Northern Sudanese culture at its finest. Asim Musa
Rating:
Summary: I...
Review: I have taken particular interest in the situation in Sudan for months now. Whenever I think of it I get enraged. The whole animal in me comes out. I read the book and was incensed. Francis Bok is a man worth twelve men, if not more. He is brave and handsome. I couldn't help but notice his long, elegant neck. I wish all the best for him. I am wondering why the world is doing nothing about this. The slavery in Sudan is a centuries-old practice and genocide. It is shameful that the Western media would rather televise naked Dinka men wrestling and drinking milk--and yet the world is not being told how these people have been torn..literally - by slavery, famine, and war. I feel for Sudan. The Arabs in the North are just shameful. This should end! The majestic Dinka, Shilluk, Nuer, and other tribes in Southern Sudan are an African treasure..the famed Ethiopians of the ancients. Yes, the very ones living closest to the sun, the favorites of the gods. They were once famous (all over the world) for "feasting with the gods" and being the holiest of people. I read about Sudanese slavery today and feel angry that even African countries have turned themselves away from this devastating situation. Time is running out!
Rating:
Summary: It will make you cry, but then laugh in celebration!
Review: I heard Francis Bok speak in Washington DC a few years ago and so I knew his basic story about being a slave for ten years. But even already having heard his story, the details he goes into in this book still brought me to tears! His will to survive makes Francis a roll model to freedom loving people everywhere. This book will make you cry along with Francis when he learns why he is a slave, but then also laugh along with him when he moves to America and learns about things like pizza and snow. This book is a "must read" and a "must give" to everyone on your holiday list this year!
Rating: 
Summary: Misses a great opportunity
Review: I hoped to be enamored of this book. Unfortunately, it fell way short. Basically, Escape from Slavery is a Cliff Notes version of what could have been a much more compelling account of a nation that has lived a hell. Francis Bok is a Dinka who was enslaved for ten years, from the age of seven to seventeen, in northern Sudan where he was subject to beatings and raw treatment from an Arab family. The father had capture Bok in southern Sudan during one of many raids made by the powerful Islamic forces of the north on the Christian and animist people of southern Sudan. After escaping, Bok traveled to Khartoum and then onto Cairo where he was given a coveted UN Refugee card, allowing him transport to any country that would take him in. Fortunately for Bok, a Lutheran group sponsored him and placed him in Fargo, North Dakota. He moved to Ames, Iowa after six months to be closer to other Dinka. Eventually his story made its way to a Boston-based anti-slavery group who convinced him to tell his story. In less than a year he was speaking to the Congressional committees in Washington about his story. His climax was an invitation to the signing ceremony of the Sudan Peace Act, a somewhat flawed piece of legislation aimed at ending the debilitating civil war in Sudan but a positive step nonetheless. Today Bok continues his work as a spokesperson for anti-slavery forces. I wish him the best. However, this book is not the best. While I am sure it is faithful to his story, it is weak and very thin. Edward Tivnan, the real writer, takes a couple of political pot shots at the Khartoum government that is dominated by Moslems but he never gives the reader a fully balanced and historical account of the conflict raging in Sudan. Because of this, Escape from Slavery only marginally advances our knowledge of the deep and powerful forces that shape the conflict in Sudan. If Bok and Tivnan intended to expand knowledge of the war and grace reader's minds with the tools necessary to rationally comprehend what is happening, they have missed their mark. The southern Sudanese have a telling story to tell and Bok's account of his time in captivity is compelling and important to communicate. Regrettably, this book could have been much more.
Rating:
Summary: Moving and Inspiring!
Review: I ran into this book at a local store this weekend. I saw the word slavery and looked at the person on the front cover and was surprised that the picture was not medieval but one of a modern looking young gentleman. I went on to buy the book which I read with heightened interest within five hours. I admire Francis' strong will and determination for a better life for his people and his pursuit for peace in his country. I am Kenyan. A luo to be precise. Our tribe migrated from the Sudan about 500 years ago in the wake of war and famine. As I read this book I noticed that some of the Dinka names are ours which means that I may be a descendant of a Dinka. I am therefore shocked and appalled at what is going on at my old home. I don't know why my country never publicized this war while I was growing up. (I was twelve in 1986).
Rating:
Summary: A must for those with (and who need) a conscience
Review: People must read this book and share with friends and family. So much horror is going on in this world, and reading Francis Bok's tale of slavery IN THIS DAY AND AGE is staggering and a shock to the system regarding the lack of heart and soul of his capturers, and those that are still enslaving people. WE CAN HELP--just read the book!
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