Obscured Passages: A Memoir in Verse of Child Trafficking and the Resilience of the Human Mind

They remind me, "Be a good girl."

Good means silent.

Nichole is six years old when she's dressed in white, carried into the candlelit dark, and sold as a single-use bride for the first time.

Expected to be good, silent, and obedient, Nichole is indoctrinated to believe she's doing God's work. She's told she will bring blessings for her family. But really, she's just broken into pieces.

The pieces have names. They have roles. They have identities. And not all of them are willing to be silent. Even with the life-threatening consequences of defying The Priesthood hanging over her head, Nichole and her parts are not content to stay in the dark forever.

It is time to break the silence.