I appreciated the way this book took on myths about human trafficking and gave steps on how to stop it. It will go a long way in teaching Christians about what it really looks like.

Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler is not designed to be an easy read. It works to make the reader uncomfortable enough to make a change for the better, to engage with human vulnerability, what it means and how to recognise it. Raleigh remarks “Human trafficking happens anywhere there is vulnerability.” Slavery is at the heart of this discussion but it is woven with Biblical truths and a study what being vulnerable means, positively and negatively.

The book is filled with terrifying statistics which shock such as “After reviewing 116 cases involving 382 traffickers, it was discovered that 93 percent of the victims were trafficked by someone within their own community.“ but they are contrasted by stories and testimonies of those saved, those rescued and those who’ve helped them.

“When we are isolated in our vulnerability, we are not only less likely to flourish, but we are more likely to be targeted by those who wish to exploit us.” - From Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler

Raleigh builds a solid argument that, as Christians, God set us a task to love others as we love ourselves and to seek the vulnerable. In doing so, each one of us can work to fight modern day slavery,

In order to help the vulnerable, we have to know what they look like. He spends a considerable amount of the book unpacking it. If you have been exposed to Brené Brown and similar authors, these principles will be familiar but the slavery context will reframe it for you.

Raleigh also explores the various forms of slavery including forced labour highlighting ways in which we, as everyday consumers, can fight slavery with our purchasing choices.

“The International Labor Organization estimates that 24.9 million people are currently victims of forced labor.6 In other words, you can rest assured that someone is paying the ultimate cost for your choice, even if you aren’t.” - From Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler

If you are like me, you may feel squeamish picking up a slavery book, but rest assured whilst the stories are heartbreaking, they aren’t graphic. It is a book of hope, of what we can do rather than focusing on the horror of what is.

I found it a fascinating and enlightening read. There is a great resource at the end too of 100 ways to combat slavery. It’s a four out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended.

I feel it was either negligent or misleading of the publisher to put out such a religious book without identifying it as such on its cover. I would suggest"Vulnerable People Loving Other Vulnerable People because Christ was Made Vulnerable for Them" as a more suitable title, since the author describes that as being this book's theme and also it is honestly indicative of his writing style. I may have been too hasty in skimming the blurb I read that led to my requesting this book for review, but I expected an informational resource about human trafficking, and was disappointed to find so little on that topic of substance. Someone interested in what the Bible says about human trafficking would be thrilled to read this book, but they would have just as much trouble identifying it as I would have in avoiding it.

I liked the bits about the UN's Palermo protocols, and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, Aside from simplistic definitions of human trafficking and vulnerability, Sadler does a disservice in drudging up misinformation like the Attorney General of Texas pronouncing the Super Bowl the "single largest human trafficking incident" in the US, and then rehashing all the commonsense reasons why it should be ignored. I had never been confronted with the gospel-centric perspective before, and come away with the sense that it uses twice as many words to yield about one-quarter the amount of usable information that regular writing does.