The value of this book lies not only in its adroit exposure of bonded labor in South Asia but in the way in which Kara explains the nature of bonded labor with both simplicity and sophistication so that, as a reader coming to the book with no knowledge of the subject matter, I was able to walk away feeling informed and enlightened. Kara also offers a model to scholars on how to introduce a moral ingredient into writings about atrocities such as slavery. Further, he demonstrates skill in investigating the systemic nature of bonded labor, using a dogged persistence to pursue and deconstruct a variety of written and oral sources, even when they were not always forthcoming. An excellent book to introduce any reader to the subject of modern slavery.
