I am 17 and this is by far the best book I have ever read. Lakshmi is an absolutely real character who's pain and sorrows remind us to be grateful for all we have. Having already grown up in a dirt poor village she is forced into a life of oppression in one of the worst ways.
Her emotional journey is one that any reader can appreciate, and I myself cried many times will reading this book.
This is absolutely based on things that happen to children who are trafficked in India. I think people need to be informed and somehow get involved because those kids need someone to save them.