The Essential Abolitionist: What You Need to Know About Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery Paperback – February 19, 2016

I decided to download this book because Mr. Vanek would be facilitating a workshop at my institution and I wanted to be ahead of the lesson. This book is an excellent introduction to the terms, policy, and common misconceptions surrounding human trafficking. If you’re well versed in human trafficking, this book will help with filling in the blanks by providing information about response to the issue at the local, state, and national levels. Because the majority of my research on the issue has been in an academic context, I have never been fortunate enough to hear about human trafficking from the perspective of law enforcement and to have been lectured by Mr. Vanek was an honor. I enjoyed reading the chapters written by the guest contributors and appreciated reading their professional perspectives of the issues. The most beneficial portions of the book was the candid discussion of the issue of human trafficking in relation to those in sex work. Mr. Vanek reveals common misconceptions about human trafficking that I often encountered in my own research. His chapter on misconceptions helped me to address my own confusions from outside sources contradicting each other their efforts to emphasize the problem of human trafficking. I appreciated the opportunity to read Mr. Vanek’s book and later speak to the author directly regarding the issues he wrote about. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in helping solve the problem of human trafficking through either action or awareness.

I cannot recommend this book enough to those interested in human trafficking and modern slavery. I originally bought it in preparation for a workshop on human trafficking taught by the author himself, John Vanek, and I am so pleased I did. The book is easily digestible and simple to understand even with no background in the topic. One of my favorite things about it is that, rather than trying to sound unnecessarily dull and academic, it is written in a way that seems as if John himself is talking to you. Additionally, great definitions and examples makes it a must for anyone doing research in human trafficking and modern slavery (especially when you have the kindle version). John's experience in the field, as well as that of his contributors, really shows through. This book has challenged me to change my initial conception of human trafficking and modern slavery. If you ever have the chance to attend one of his workshops, even though the book is optional, I highly recommend buying it. It is basically everything he goes over in the classroom and more.

John Vanek’s book serves as an easy to understand a follow introduction to the subject of human trafficking and its scope both in the United States and Globally. Although very content heavy, Vanek’s book is suitable even for those who have not had much or any research experience in the field of anti-human trafficking and really provides a basic level of understanding onto which deeper research can be built. One really great aspect of this book is that Vanek not only provides in depth discussion on the crime of human trafficking, but also provides resources and information as to how the general public can work to combat this crime. In fact, chapter 6 of the book even encourages members of the public to reach out to their local legislatures to enact policy changes that will work to combat human trafficking. However, while I did this find this suggestion to be valuable one, I’m not sure how realistic this would be for the average person Regardless of this, various other suggestions as simple as volunteering for local anti-trafficking organizations were made that are very much accessible to the public. book serves not just as an informative read, but a call to action as well.

(tech specs: I bought the kindle version of this book, and the formatting was fine)This book was a great way to understand the multiple sectors involved in anti-human trafficking efforts, what makes anti-trafficking work so challenging, and how different individuals and groups are able to make positive changes (or what prevents them from doing so). It was an extremely well organized book. Vanek typically starts chapters by describing trafficking-related definitions central to the chapter topic being discussed (for example, you will soon be conversant in describing NGOs vs. MANGOs vs. FBOs vs. VSPs, or victim-centered vs. trauma-informed responses to trafficking) and then layers in multiple excerpts from relevant professionals in the anti-trafficking world. Sometimes, professionals provided structured lists that answered a variety of questions relating to their battle against human trafficking. For example, in a chapter describing successful prosecution of trafficking cases, a guest contributor (a prosecutor) described her 6-step personal checklist when assessing a trafficking case and working with a victim to enable the best possible odds for trial success. Other sections of the book proceed in much the same way, and in similarly simple and clear language. As someone who thinks fairly linearly, these structured contributions to the book were particularly helpful. Overall, I think this is the best introduction to anyone interested in understanding more about anti-human trafficking efforts and how they might get involved.