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