In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking in America and What We Can Do to Stop It by Nita Belles

★★★★★

In recent years, Americans have woken up to the reality that human trafficking is not just something that happens in other countries. But what most still do not understand is that neither is it something that just happens to "other people" such as runaways or the disenfranchised. The sex trafficker is no respecter of faith, education, or socioeconomic status, and even kids who are raised in solid families in middle and upper class suburbs can fall victim. Likewise, labor trafficking happens in our cities, neighborhoods and rural areas.

Through true stories and years of boots-on-the-ground experience, including at the Super Bowl, anti-trafficking expert Nita Belles teaches readers everything they need to know about human trafficking in the United States and what they can do to join the fight against it. She helps concerned parents, friends, teachers, law enforcement, government officials, and other leaders understand all forms of trafficking, identify risk factors, and take practical steps to keep their loved ones and neighbors safe from predators.

Nita Belles’ book, In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking in America and What We Can Do to Stop It, addresses, as the title suggests, the prominent issue of human trafficking. Belles writes stories of how human trafficking happens in the United States and includes important information for anyone to know. Often, I found what she shared to be surprising and heartbreaking, and as a whole, her book is powerful and educational with notable ways to help. I would definitely recommend In Our Backyard as a worthwhile read for any reader looking to learn more about the issue of human trafficking.

Thanks to Baker Book Bloggers, I received a copy of In Our Backyard and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

About the Author

Nita Belles is an author, speaker, and anti-human trafficking crusader. She has worked in a broad scope of venues with law enforcement, government officials, social services, and the medical and faith communities to combat human trafficking. She is the managing director of In Our Backyard (www.InOurBackyard365.org) and regional director for Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans (www.cooath.org).