Top 10 Kaci Owens

1. Things dont always turn out the way

they seem
Zana though she was going to
Yemen for a holiday visit, but
things didnt turn out that way.
Abdul Khada sat on the
blanket-covered platform,
between me and the boy. I was
in my favorite place next to
the window, which was the
coolest spot in the room. The
boy was staring at the floor
saying nothing. Abdul Khada
spoke softly and casually to me. This is your husband. I thought it
was a joke. I just looked at him, not sure whether to laugh or not.
What? I asked. Abdullah is your husband (Muhsen and Crofts
45).

2. Never stop fighting

Zana never wanted to give in and become a traditional Yemeni
wife, she always tried to stay strong and fight, especially around
her sister, Nadia. She told me Gowad had hit her and kicked her
in the ribs one day when she refused to sleep with his son, but
Gowads wife Salama had come to her rescue. I told her she had to
keep her hopes up and stay strong because something would
happen eventually to save us (Muhsen and Crofts 97).

3. Getting your hopes up isnt always the

best
Abdul Khada had always told Zana she could go back to England
once she became pregnant so she could give birth there. When
Zana got pregnant, little did she know, she had been misled. I was
pleased too, because Abdul Khada had always promised me that if
I got pregnant I could go back to England to have it. I had been
doing my best in the recent months to give him the impression that
I was settling down at last and that I was getting on with the
family. I was lying a lot by then, to make him feel confident
enough to send me back to Birmingham with Abdullah to give
birth (Muhsen and Crofts148).

4. Be patient and good things will come

Zana and Nadia had waited years for help to escape Yemen. They
wrote letter to their mother but never heard a response. One day,
their mother showed up and told them everything that was
happening. Things soon became better. What Mum wasnt doing
was going to the press and getting publicity. I kept trying to tell her
in my letters to do that and let the public know what was
happening I kept hinting to her in my letters to put it in the
newspapers, but she didnt seem to understand, she kept trying to
do everything herself (Muhsen and Crofts 144).

5. Aggression doesnt help anything

Ever since Zana came to Yemen and was told she was married, she
became aggressive, never wanting to listen or talk to people. She
wanted to be strong, but it got to her head.A lot of them obviously
wanted to find out what was happening to us but they must have
been warned that I was very aggressive when people asked me
questions, so they usually kept quiet about it. The odd one would

ask me if we were going home or if Mum was coming for us, and I
would just tell them to mind their own business (Muhsen and
Crofts 210).

6. You are not alone

In any situation, you are never alone. Zana knew that because of
Nadia and some of her other family members. Once Zana heard
another girls story she had never met before, she knew it was not
just her family. She told me at ten her uncle married her to his
son, and she described the way her mother-in-law treated her,
which was just like the spiteful way Ward treated me. Her sister
was married off to another cousin. She couldnt remember
anything about England. She didnt know if she had any relations
there, and the only English she could remember was counting from
one to ten. She counted the numbers for me, very slowly, and I felt
tears welling up at the thought of the life she must have had as a
small child, which she now couldnt remember. When we left the
village I wished her luck, but I knew she had no hope, because
there was no one left to help her (Muhsen and Crofts 130).

7. Dont let fear ruin your life

Ever since Zana had moved to Yemen, she became scared
slowly, and then all at once. She was scared of Abdullah, and
she was scared of Abdul Khada mainly. She was scared for her
life and her sisters lives, and then their childrens lives. I was
slowly growing to fear him as much as everyone else, knowing
how ruthlessly he would beat me if I displeased him, but I still
remained determined to win in the end (Muhsen and Crofts
104-105).

8. You cant always trust everyone

Zana had always loved her father. She trusted him, sometimes,
before he sent her off. She learned that she couldnt trust him

soon after she arrived in Yemen, she saw how wrong her life
had been in her beliefs of him. Then we received a call from
Dad. He was on the phone for over an hour, begging us not to
come home because he would die of shame. He kept saying,
If you love me, dont come home. Well, we didnt love him
and he must have known that. He begged us to stay in Taiz
until the press had forgotten the story. I told him he would be
lucky. He said he would kill himself if we came home and I
said, Good. (Muhsen and Crofts 212).

9. Dont do something you will regret

Zanas dad claimed he felt bad after what he had done to her
and Nadia. Dad found out what was happening and did
everything he could to stop it. I suppose he was ashamed of all
the things he had done and didnt want to have to face up to
Ahmed (Muhsen and Crofts 225).

10. Freedom can be frightening when you

are not used to it (Muhsen and Crofts
260).
Zana was afraid when she arrived back in England. She had all
this freedom she hadnt had since she was 15. It was seven
years later. Freedom can be frightening when you are not
used to it (Muhsen and Crofts 260).

Citation
Muhsen, Zana, and Andrew Crofts. Sold: One Woman's True
Account of Modern Slavery. London: Sphere, 2010. Print.