BOOK REVIEW: THE BRACELET'S SAGA OF CHILD ABDUCTIONS HAS TIMELY RING

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The Bracelet, By Charles A. Bonner (Verily Publishing Company, Sausalito, California, 2009)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

June 17, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Several years ago, my then 11-year old daughter, Brandy, escaped the clutches of a would-be child molester in Chicago, right after she had gotten off the bus from school. Heaven forbid, my daughter could have just as well been one of the victims of a child sex slavery ring, such as Charles A. Bonner writes about in The Bracelet. This is a must-read book that I highly recommend.

Bonner, a 30-year civil rights trial attorney in California, has litigated thousands of cases, many dealing with child protection and safety issues. Now he has written The Bracelet, a book that has been described as “The Story That Will End Child Sex Slavery In The World.”

The fictitious character, “Macie,” is the focal point of the story. Although Bonner has indicated as a disclaimer in his book that all characters are completely fictional, in my interview with him it became clear that there actually is a factual foundation for his story and that some true events inspired elements of the story. In reading his book, it is hard for me to separate facts from fiction.

“Macie is Everywoman, Everywoman who has been interrupted while trying to pursue a life of her own, Everywoman who has been stolen out of that promising life – and thrown into the clutches of horrific circumstances, and survived with a vengeance.,” Bonner writes. “Remember where you are right now, because Macie is going to take you on a journey of self-empowerment you will always remember in the universal fight of good against evil, and when you return from living Macie’s story with her, you will want to re-enter your own life, and never forget what you have learned.”

With the recent revelations of the kidnaps, rapes and murders of Chelsea King and Amber DuBois in Southern California at the hands of John David Gardner, The Bracelet is even more timely. There are parallels in The Bracelet to these young women who had their lives ended in such horrific ways.

In The Bracelet, you will discover why men are obsessed with power, property and world domination of women, and who actually profits from the $10 Billion-a-year business of sex slavery. You will follow “Macie” from the Bay area of California, after she is freed in Syracuse from the clutches of a man intent on including her in a sex slavery ring, to a village in Vietnam where sex slavery is prolific. You will also be made aware of multi-national United Nations forces simultaneously storming city after city, frequently having to use brutal force to free girls and children held as sex slaves in Thailand, India, Africa, England, Italy, the Netherlands--all over the world.

There is an interesting parallel in Mr. Bonner’s book to that of Nick Bryant’s The Franklin Scandal, and that of Sander Hicks’, The Devil In The Vatican, in that there are powerful forces attempting to keep the lid on a dirty little secret. Also, just like in The Franklin Scandal and The Devil In The Vatican, it is the most vulnerable, women and children, who are the victims. There are also cover-ups on the part of politicians.

The Bracelet starts off in a rather seedy side of Syracuse, New York, where Macie and Tanda live with their parents in a dilapidated grey Victorian house, where Macie and Tanda call Syracuse’s most violent neighborhood their home. Macie is the heroine in this story, recovering from a horrific ordeal to become a champion of the fight to end child sex slavery in the world.

Where fantasy ends with Macie, facts begin with a John Jamelske. It is well chronicled that in October of 2002, a John Jamelske gave a 16-year old runaway girl from Syracuse a ride in his car. He would then take this runaway down into a dungeon-like area in his home, where he often raped her. A movie was actually based on this scenario, “Kiss the Girls,” starring Morgan Freeman. The Jamelske home was described as a “Chamber of Horrors,” having a windowless, underground room with a foam bed, a grate with a metal chain, and a bucket for a toilet. Beatings, rape and humiliation occurred in this chamber of horrors, as told by five women dragged off the streets of Syracuse into this dungeon. These are the facts, which author Charles A. Bonner has loosely borrowed from in his book, The Bracelet.

Mr. Bonner dedicates his book to victims of civil and human rights violations. He also directs a portion of the proceeds of his book to The Bracelet Charitable Freedom Fund, to empower victims of all forms of slavery.

Dennis Moore is a member of the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild, and the author of a yet to be published book about Chicago politics; “The City That Works, Power, Politics and Corruption in Chicago.” He is also the President of Bethel A.M.E. Prison Ministry in San Diego. He can be contacted at demoore21@sprint.blackberry.net.
 


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Comments

Dennis Moore Book Review, "The Bracelet"

I really wish I had not been so frightened during my recovery from abuse that happened at such a very very young age. The fear kept me from doing any research Now I see that my story is not a strange one. Sadly, I went through years of recovery before doing research on sexual abuse and had written my book, "The Remembered Self" without having done any reading other than self help books. It can stand alone, I see, and I am glad I have finally shed enough of the terror to read about other stories. It is a great relief to see Dennis Moore's review of "The Bracelet".

VAST INTERNATIONAL CHILD-PORN NETWORK UNCOVERED

The men came from different walks of life on two continents: a children's puppeteer in Florida, a hotel manager in Massachusetts, an emergency medical technical technician in Kansas, a day care worker in the Netherlands, according to an Associated Press story by Denise Lavoie. In all 43 men have been arrested over the last two years in a horrific, far-flung child porn network that unraveled like a sweater with a single loose thread. Authorities have identified more than 140 young victims and saythere is no end in sight as they pore through hundreds of thousands of images found on the suspect's computers.

Police bust 30-nation Web child-porn ring

Police said Wednesday that they have smashed a huge international pedophile ring, rescuing 230 children from abuse and arresting 184 suspects, including teachers and police officers.

Police bust 30-nation Web child-porn ring

The investigation uncovered 670 suspects and safeguarded children in more than 30 countries with the arrests, said Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union agency Europol. The investigation, centered on an Amsterdam-based online forum, was led by Britain's Child Exploitation and online Protection Center. It involved detectives in nations including the USA, Australia and Thailand.

The Bracelet

Alisa Maier's homecoming Thursday in Louisiana, Month., was a joyful gathering of cheers and hugs on the front lawn that she was snatched from three days before. In St. Louis, police offered more details on the hunt for her kidnapper - and how the man's purchase of cigarettes helped to give away his identity. Alisa, 4, was abducted about 8 p.m. Monday and released 26 hours later at a car wash in Fenton, a southwest suburb of St. Louis, 80 miles south of Louisiana. Police expressed confidence Thursday that the kidnapper was Paul S. Smith, a convicted sex offender who fatally shot himself Wednesday as deputies approached him in Hawk Point. A relative said Alisa and her brother, Blake, 6, also identified Smith when his face was shown on TV. When Lincoln County deputies arrived at Smith's Hawk Point address, he was spraying his dark colored, 19-year-old Mazda with silver paint. Blake and two witnesses in Fenton had described seeing a dark-colored, beat-up car.

By Christine Byers and Stephen Deere, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Bracelet

Paul S. Smith was her boyfriend in the early 1990s. He was young then, barely 20 and with no money. They met in a trailer park in Rolla, Month., and later moved in together. He worked for a time as a mechanic. He helped raise her three young kids. She says there were clues that maybe something was not right with Smith. Then, when he sexually abused her 10-year-old son, he tore apart the bonds of her family and left her with a lifetime of regret. "I was stupid enough to let him stay in my trailer with me and my kids," the woman, now 53, said in an interview Thursday in the Rolla apartment complex where she lives. For Smith, the case would mean years behind bars. It was also one of the red flags that led police to him in the abduction of Alisa Maier. For his former girlfriend, Smith's death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound brings a sense of relief.

By Jesse Bogan, Jeremy Kohler and Susan Welch, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Bracelet

The Bracelet

The Bracelet by Charles Bonner is brilliant. Mr. Bonner's writer's voice is powerful and transformational. I believe this book and the radio interviews I have heard with Mr. Bonner have the power to be a tipping point in the history of stopping Trafficking. Mr. Bonner's book and his world view have the passion of a Martin Luther King. I firmly believe that he is creating a tipping point...a Movement to change history. He will not only help liberate young girls from the atrocities of sexual abuse, he will transform men with his understanding of the Divine Feminine.

This book should be made into a movie. I look forward to seeing the "The Bracelet" up on the "Big Screen," where its message will reach more people and create the powerful visceral impact only cinema can do.

Ruth Falk, Author, Women Loving, Random House

The Bracelet

Ruth Falk, author of "Women Loving," published by Random House in 1975, suggests that "The Bracelet" should be made into a movie, as she is that impressed with the overall theme and message of Charles A. Bonner's book. I indicate in my review of this book that there is actually a movie, starring Morgan Freeman, that borrows on certain aspects of the book. It is now in the hands of the Publicist and/or Marketing Director if in fact, this book is translated into a movie.

Exploitation of Children forum in La Mesa, California

The City of La Mesa will host a community forum to discuss the impact of the exploitation of children and sex trafficking on our society. This event will occur on June 23rd, and it relates to issues in Charles A. Bonner's book, The Bracelet, and reviewed in the East County Magazine.