Your Reading List for Understanding Human Trafficking, Trauma and Empowering Survivors

In a world where exploitation and abuse often go unseen, deepening our knowledge of trauma, human trafficking, and restoration is a powerful way to make a difference in the world.  

Whether you’re a frontline professional, a committed supporter, or someone seeking to make sense of suffering in today’s world, this curated reading list is for you. 

This reading list sheds light on trends in human trafficking, what survivors face, and how healing happens – providing insight, empathy, and tools for meaningful advocacy. 

When we understand how human trafficking works and wounds trauma leaves behind, we become better allies in the work of restoration.  

As we learn, we help to create a world where every survivor is seen, heard, and empowered to thrive. 

Essential Reading to Understand Trauma

The Deepest Well
The Deepest WellKathleen Janus - Book Reviewer
A must-read for anyone who cares about children and the future of our society!! Thanks to Dr. Burke Harris's engaging storytelling, this was a book that I literally could not put down.

At its heart, trauma-informed care invites us to ask not “What’s wrong with you?” but “What happened to you?” It reshapes how we see others and ourselves, rooted in safety, empathy, and empowerment. 

  • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. 
    A landmark book that explains how trauma imprints on the brain and body—and how healing is possible through a range of practices.  
  • What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Bruce Perry 
    Through deeply personal stories and clinical insights, this accessible guide helps readers reframe pain with compassion and hope. 
  • My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem 
    An essential work exploring racialized trauma and the healing that must happen in our bodies—not just our minds. 
  • Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman, M.D. 
    A foundational text that traces trauma’s psychological impact—from domestic violence to exploitation and trafficking—and charts a survivor-centered path to recovery. 
  • The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris 
    This powerful exploration of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) connects early trauma to lifelong health outcomes, advocating for trauma-informed public health systems. 

Powerful Books to Help Others Heal

Re-Regulated
Re-Regulatedreadwithlynsey - Book Reviewer
This book resonated with me so strongly. It explains the complexity of complex PTSD in simple yet extremely authentic terms. I feel genuinely transformed by what I have read and it will be a book I rely on and recommend for a long time!

Healing from trauma is not linear—it’s a lifelong, courageous journey. This reading list offers insights, tools, and hope for those navigating their recovery, or walking alongside someone who is. 

  • It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn 
    Explores inherited trauma and how to break harmful cycles through insight and ritual. 
  • The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté 
    A sweeping, provocative look at how Western culture creates illness—and how reconnecting with ourselves and others can restore wellness. 
  • Re-Regulated by Anna Runkle 
    A practical guide and workbook to understand childhood trauma, and to heal from dysregulation, disconnection and self-defeating behaviours.  
  • The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary L. McBride
    A beautiful invitation to befriend the body as a site of healing and wholeness, particularly for women and trauma survivors. 

The Crime Hiding in Plain Sight: Deepen Your Knowledge of Human Trafficking

Girls Like Us
Girls Like UsMarie Claire reviewer
"Girls Like Us awakens the struggles behind this truth, inspiring women everywhere to change these happenings".

Human trafficking is a hidden epidemic, and no country or region of the world is untouched. Understanding it is not just about grasping statistics—it’s about listening to stories and seeing people behind the pain. 

  • A Crime So Monstrous by E. Benjamin Skinner 
    A haunting investigation into global slavery—from forced labour in Haiti to sexual exploitation in Eastern Europe. 
  • Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd 
    A raw, personal, and activist-driven memoir from a survivor who has helped thousands of trafficked youth find freedom. 
  • Disposable People by Kevin Bales 
    Explores the economic systems behind modern slavery and how consumer choices are linked to exploitation. 
  • Sold by Patricia McCormick 
    This young adult novel, based on real accounts, opens the eyes and hearts of readers with a poignant story of a trafficked girl in South Asia. 

Why This Matters

At Hagar, we believe knowledge is the first step toward justice and restoration. These books don’t just inform—they transform by growing empathy and connection. 

Let your reading deepen your empathy, sharpen your understanding, and inspire action for a world where every survivor can heal and thrive. 

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