Strapped to horses and donkeys, Francis and others were taken north, into lives of slavery under wealthy Muslim farmers.įor ten years, Francis lived alone in a shed near the goats and cattle that were his responsibility. May, 1986: Selling his mother's eggs and peanuts near his village in southern Sudan, seven year old Francis Bok's life was shattered when Arab raiders on horseback, armed with rifles and long knives, burst into the quiet marketplace, murdering men and women and gathering the young children into a group.

Maps, photos not seen by PWįorecast: An author tour, a print advertising campaign, and broadcast and print publicity should stoke interest in this important book.In this groundbreaking modern slave narrative, Francis Bok shares his remarkable story with grace, honesty, and a wisdom gained from surviving ten years in captivity. Although legal strides have been made, with the help of people like Bok, the persistence of slavery in the world makes this a work that can't be ignored. This is a powerful, exceptionally well-told story, equally riveting and heartbreaking. He thanks God and everyone who helps him escape slavery. For all his emotional strength, though, Bok remains humble. My mind preferred death.' Yet when his master changes his mind, Bok immediately starts plotting again. After two failed escape attempts, he's told he'll be killed in the morning, and while bound, he thinks of the morning ahead: 'I would be dead and finally through with this place and this family. His sincerity compels, especially when he describes the decade of mistreatment he endured. While this is a remarkable story, its power is conveyed most effectively through Bok's simple retelling. Although he found contentment in Iowa among other refugees, the following year Bok decided to work with an American antislavery organization, and testified before Congress about the atrocities in Sudan. After he escaped at age 17, Buk made his way to Cairo with a black market passport incorrectly listing his name as Bok and became a U.N. There, a slave raid ripped him from his contented life and threw him into a wretched existence serving under a northern Sudanese Arab.

One day in 1986, he was sent on errands to the marketplace.

Seven-year-old Francis Piol Bol Buk was living happily on his family's southern Sudan farm.

Escape from slavery francis bok pdf