Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry
News:Politics
Fighting sex trafficking is a cause that we are passionate about at Sorry Not Sorry, and our guest this week has made it her life’s work. Ruchira Gupta is a former journalist and founder of Apne Aap, an NGO that works to end child sex trafficking. She’s the author of the acclaimed new novel I Kick and Fly which is based on her experiences.
Praise for I Kick and Fly:
"In I Kick and I Fly, Ruchira Gupta has given young readers an irresistible story, and also one that could save lives. This book is a gift." -- Gloria Steinem
"Any work from Ruchira Gupta is sure to further the cause of liberating women, especially, and in this novel, girls. It takes a strong belief in us, and especially in our young ones, to persevere as she does in both art and politics. The absolute belief that if the heart is moved, so might be the positive activities for justice and freedom, of the mind." -- Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple
"I Kick and I Fly is a powerhouse of a debut. Ruchira Gupta has crafted a page-turner of a read, stepped in place and full of indelible characters, managing to be at once propulsive and enlightening, infuriating and inspiring. But maybe most important, Heera’s story is a beacon of hope to a generation of young people trying to transform an unjust world." -- Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and We Are Inevitable
"Having been to the brothels and red-light district I Kick and I Fly so searingly captures, I can testify that this book is essential reading for anyone interested in how to empower girls to break free from intergenerational prostitution and sex trafficking. Ruchira Gupta is nothing less than a great hero, and in her book, she has created one in Heera, as she seeks to defy the destiny of rape that poverty and men have assigned her." -- Ashley Judd
"An empathetic and unflinching glimpse into a world little known to outsiders. We watch breathlessly, never sure until the very end how she will kick and punch her way past her circumstances to find her own path to freedom." -- Natalie C Anderson
"This book is a call to action, it an invitation for the rest of us to rise from the pall of apathy and join the movement to fight and fight and keep fighting―until we retrieve the last girl from the ugly jaws of the very worst effects of the patriarchy." -- Staceyann Chin
“Gupta renders Heera’s perseverance amid grueling circumstances via straightforward prose and imbues this searing tale with an ominous ambiance that complements its dark themes.” – Publisher’s Weekly
"The depth of the story’s details and its themes of bodily autonomy, community, and women’s empowerment reflect Gupta’s experience as the founder of Apne Aap, an NGO working to end sex trafficking... atriumphant debut." - Kirkus Reviews
Episode 35: A Call to Men - Ted Bunch Talks Healthy Masculinity
Episode 33: Ammar Campa-Najjar, Candidate for Congress in California's 50th District
Episode 32: Heather Matarazzo
The Student Debt Crisis with Natalia Abrams
Taking on the NRA: NoRA Co-Founder Ben Jackson
22Kill's Executive Director Corporal Jacob Schick
Former Senior Border Patrol Agent Jenn Budd
Hope: The Power of Youth Activists
"Insatiable" Creator Lauren Gussis
#MeToo Anniversary
Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang
Joe Sanberg: Working to End Poverty
Matt McGorry: Actor, Activist and Ally
A Conversation with Senator Ted Cruz, Fred Guttenberg, and Ben Jackson
Jaime King: Body Image, Bullying, and the Importance of Being Kind
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Marijuana, Mental Health, and Eliminating Stigma
Gloria Allred: Fighting for Equal Rights
My Abortion Story
Frances Fisher on the Importance of Art and Activism
To Impeach or Not to Impeach?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free