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  • Abolitionista!

    Posted on June 11th, 2014 rhonda No comments

    One of the disciples – it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter – said,

    “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.

    But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”

    John 6:8-9

    If you’ve ever wondered what you could do to keep kids safe & combat human trafficking, I’d suggest that you gift a copy of Abolitionista! to a tween.

    Abolitionista! is a manga comic written by Thomas Estler directly for tweens and teaching them how to recognize when they (or their friends) are in danger – and how to get out.  Eden, the 12 year old protagonist, is worried when her best friend, Delilah, gets involved with the wrong guy; and the manga follows their adventure.   I’m far older than the target audience, so reading the manga was like reading a magazine article during my morning commute – quick & easy & interesting.  I assume it would be much more of an educational challenge to an actual 10-12 year old, which is welcome.

    Parents can feel safe giving Abolitionista! to their children.  Despite being about human trafficking, it’s age-appropriate, as is the advice, which comes from characters like Eden’s teacher, “You could have told an adult . . . a teacher, the principal, or even a pastor or priest.  You could have called 911!  The police are trained to rescue people who are in trouble.”  It’s also cheap!  I ordered my copy for $7.50 directly from the website (http://www.abolitionistapress.com/)

    Abolitionista! is only cheap in price – not quality.  The bonus is at the back of the book, which is equipped with cards imprinted with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number.  The cards can be detached and given to at least 8 other people.  There’s also an Abolitionista! Bill of Rights that is child-friendly & appropriate.  Making a book interesting and educational is a hard balance to strike, and I think Thomas Estler (author), Delilah Buckle & Lizbeth R. Jimenez (artists) did it.

    Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually making a “difference” in this world.  Human trafficking, in particular, seems like an overwhelming evil to confront.  Estler reminds me that all I have to do is offer my gifts back to God, and He’ll make sure my offering has an impact. 

     When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples,

    “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.”

    They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with

    leftovers from the five barley loaves

    John 6:12-13