In the summer of 2006 a large group of industrial workers - pipefitters and welders - were recruited in India for work in the United States. The men (and they were all men) were promised green cards, which would allow them permanent residence in the US. They were also promised the ability to bring their families to America. All of these men paid the recruiters large sums of money - putting their families deep into debt on the promise of a better life in the US.

Yet what the men received were temporary worker visas. Their recruiters led them to believe that, with the help of an American attorney, they would be able to turn these visas into green cards after the workers came to America. Their families would be able to join them in nine months.

They were deceived. Temporary worker visas do not turn into green cards. There was no way they were going to be joined by their families.

The men were all hired to work for Signal International, a marine construction firm specializing in offshore oil rigs. Signal had a backlog of work following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and was in desperate need of additional workers. When an immigration lawyer promised he could bring over a large number of workers from India the company jumped at the chance.

The men were housed in “man camps” in Alabama and Texas, surrounded by barbed wire fences and heavily supervised. They were only allowed out of the man camps when accompanied by a minder from Signal. Housing was in crowded and poorly constructed dormitory style buildings. Food rations were inadequate.

The Great Escape tells the story of these workers and how they overcame very long odds to right the wrongs done to them. This is the true story of one of the largest human trafficking cases ever brought in the United States, as told by Saket Soni, the labor activist who helped them through their fight. With his help, they were able to arrange the simultaneous “escape” of almost all of the men from the man camps. Then their fight for justice began.

This book is the rare nonfiction that reads like a novel, as Soni expertly builds suspense with every twist and turn. He also does a masterful job of letting us into the lives of several of the men so that we can understand them as human beings.

I flew through this book. It’s so well written that it’s hard to put down. The Great Escape will appeal to anyone who appreciates an underdog story, and a true story at that.

RATING: Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

NOTE: I read an advanced review copy of the book courtesy of LibraryThing and the publisher Algonquin Books. The book is currently out in hardcover, audiobook and ebook, and will be released in paperback on January 16, 2024. ( )

"Despite your fears, despite anything they've told you, you have labor rights in America."

No, I don't read a ton of nonfiction. But I immensely enjoyed this book. Not because the layered and grave issue it tackles somehow makes for a "fun" read. It certainly doesn't.

Yet, the author here hasn't presented a mere report about some..."thing" that happened. He presents a story, with the style of a skilled storyteller, that does justice to the fact that this story's people are indeed that.

People. Real. Human beings with real lives. Real loved ones. Real hopes. Real dilemmas they've faced.

That's what it is to be a migrant worker: you leave the ones you love to help them live. In America, he wouldn't have to choose. (Or so the migrant worker in this case, among too many other men, had been led to believe. Before he was trafficked.)

By turns, I found this accessible and engrossing story to be informative, angering (but unfortunately, not too surprising in regard to the angering parts), heart-stirring, heartbreaking, rousing, gratifying...

...and thought-provoking. Especially concerning the question of how a nation can, in a sense, forget its wrongs of the past when finding a way to repeat them in repackaged forms.

Hmm. Well. It may not be possible to keep everyone from forgetting that way. But books like this play a critical role in ensuring that someone remembers. And that kind of memory helps to empower those who can, who must, and who will be forces for good. ( )

The information presented is very important, but I wish it had been clearer and in a more chronological fashion. I also wish that this country was now more interested in workers' rights. This book portrayed well the exploitation of workers from India by Signal, an American corporation. It also discussed that government agencies set up to protect workers were involved with the company itself in exploiting, injuring, and killing these workers. Greed is everywhere. ( )

The subtitle, "A True story of forced labor and immigrant dreams in America," accurately tells the subject of this book. The laborers involved were recruited from India to repair and replace destroyed oil rigs following Hurricane Katrina; they were skilled workers who were led to believe that they would be well paid. Instead, they were charged large sums of money to come over, and then were subjected to horrible living conditions after arriving to the United States. Only the men could came; they could not bring their families. The author Saket Soni, was helping them to escape this appalling situation. After escaping from the Signal Corporation for which they were working, some of the men were optimistic that they would receive justice. However, during the escape ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was following them and turned out to be the agency in charge of the investigation instead of the FBI. Finally, in this case after much hard work on the part of Mr. Soni and others, ICE was investigate. The recruiters of the men were found guilty as was the Signal Corporation although the leaders of Signal were not tried. The book ends on a happy note for some of the key immigrant workers, but not for others.

This review is based on an advanced reading copy. There is no index or glossary briefly identifying the main characters, which would have been useful. ( )

After Hurricane Katrina, America needed experienced workers to replace destroyed oil rigs. India had welders looking to improve the lives of their families. The Americans promised work and a Green Card. It should have been a win-win agreement. The oil rigs would get built. The Indian workers would find financial security.

First, the workers were told to pay $20,000 to the job broker–with additional fees along the way. They were told not to mention they were charged for the jobs. Their paperwork and visas and temporary cards were held by the job broker. Once the men arrived in America, they were bused to a fenced Man Camp. Signal Corporation had spent a lot of money to provide housing for them, but the trailers built for four were overcrowded, the sanitation facilities were inadequate, and the food was meagre and badly prepared. Once a week, the men were bused to Walmart for an hour’s shopping.

Months passed. The temporary cards expired, and there was no hint of a green card. The men were trapped. They could not leave for other work. They worried they would be sent home before they earned the money to repay the loans for the $20,000 they borrowed to get the job.

Saket Soni was contacted. He saw their situation through new eyes: they were victims of a human trafficking scheme. Signal and the job brokers were making money of these men who had paid to be trapped in their system.

Soni worked with five hundred Indian workers, determined to find justice. They went through all the usual paperwork, but no action came. Finally, in desperation, the men escaped from the Man Camp and regrouped, returning in protest. It meant losing the jobs and the income needed to support families and protect them from the loan sharks.

When that didn’t work, a hundred men marched to Washington, D. C. When that didn’t work, they went on a hunger strike. And when that didn’t work, they spoke with Congressional leaders to tell their tales.

Soni discovered that informers had worked with Signal, and Signal had worked with ICE. The system was structured to protect the American company and to find the men guilty.

The love Soni had for these men shines through. We get to hear their stories and experience their lives, impressed by their transformation from powerless outsiders into experienced and capable advocates. I was so emotionally moved by a man who stayed on the hunger strike for twenty-two days, unwilling to give in.

It is an immersive story, an inspiring one, and an expose of our flawed immigration system.

(Also, the descriptions of Indian food made my mouth water! Soni includes a recipe, too.)

I received an ARC from the publisher through LibraryThing. My review is fair and unbiased. ( )