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
Stacy Lentz and Angelica Christina of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative
Amitav Ghosh, Author of "Smoke and Ashes: Opium's Hidden Histories"
Black Women Taught Us: Jenn Jackson on the History of Black Feminism
Natalie Weaver on Facial Differences and Fighting the Trolls
Hudson Munoz of Guns Down America
Denise Hamilton, Author of Indivisble: How to Forge our Differences into a Stronger Future
2024 Preview
MLK Day: Revisiting 1,000 words on Race and Hope with Kwame Alexander
Unshrinking: Kate Manne on Fatphobia and its Effects
When Rape Goes Viral with Anna Gjika
Tim Alberta on Evangelical Voters
Heidi Przybyla on The Federalist Society, Leonard Leo, and our Courts
At Your Cervix: A'magine Goddard on Nonconsensual Pelvic Exams on Anesthetized Patients
The Rural Voter with Nick Jacobs and Dan Shea
Who Owns Your Face? AI, Extremism, and Facial Recognition with Kashmir Hill
Thanksgiving 2023 with Denise Kiernan
Oxfam's Abby Maxman on Trying to Save Lives in Gaza
Kristin Song on Ethan's Law: A common-sense, life-saving idea for gun safety
Our Scariest Stories
A Needed Dose of Hope: Our Conversation with Kwame Alexander
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free