Read/Recomend/Act Campaign

Many people have told us that they would like to do something to help fight human trafficking, but they don’t have the time or resources to do much. We tell them the first thing they can do to be helpful is to get informed and to inform others.

This program was started at the suggestion of one of HTAP’s long time board members who travels a great deal on business. She found that often bookstores do not carry books on human trafficking even though it is the second largest criminal activity in the world. Now whenever she travels she goes to bookstores and asks them for some of these specific titles, if they don’t have them, she takes the opportunity to ask them to stock some of these books.

We’ve selected books that cover a broad range of aspects of human trafficking. Some are written by recovering survivors of trafficking, some by academics, some by reporters. The international and North American differences and similarities are covered in others and some fit human trafficking into the global issue of violence against women. All use case histories to put faces on this subject. We chose books that we felt were well-written, were classics in the field or were on the cutting edge.

We’ve included some popular fiction where the authors have done some research and give a sometimes dramatic twist to the stories. Just as when we watch Hollywood movies about trafficking, we know that fiction is a dramatic interpretation and not a necessarily factual account, but if it gives insight into the issue and causes people to want to know more, we’ve included it.

Many of these books are readily available in libraries or at your local bookstore and more would be if you suggested to the bookseller or librarian that they stock these books. Most librarians are very open to recommendations of books by their patrons. You might ask them to feature books on human trafficking in January, Human Trafficking Awareness Month, along with posters or artwork to help build awareness of the crime.

We have divided all of the books into three categories: The Big Picture, Child Sex Trafficking, Demand and Economic Issues. We believe that the more available information about human trafficking is, the more likely it is that people will learn and take action. If you’d like recommendations on what action you might take, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

HTAP's Recommended Reading List

The Big Picture:

• “A Crime So Monstrous” by E. Benjamin Skinner
• "Ending Slavery: How we Free Today’s Slaves“ by Kevin Bales
• “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
• “Not for Sale” by David Batsone
• "In Our Backyard; A Christian Perspective on Human Trafficking in the United States"by Nita Belles
• “Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking” by Benjamin Perrin
• “One Child at a Time” by Julian Sher
•"The Essential Abolitionist" by John Vanek