When Rashid was eight, he was sold to a camel trainer so that he could become a jockey. He lost everything. He lost his home. He lost his brother. He lost his freedom. He even lost his name, just like all the other boys in the stables. Starved to keep down their weight, and beaten to force them to race, there were those who lost even more. This is a very powerful book, about a form of slavery that has received little media attention.

The story begins in Pakistan, after the death of Rashid’s father. His mother cannot afford to keep the family, so Rashid’s uncle offers to help. He takes both Rashid and his younger brother, Shari, to Dubai, where they are sold to different stables. Neither the uncle nor the mother are aware of what is entailed; they think the children will have the opportunity to earn some money, and send it home. The reality is very different.

Camel racing is a dangerous sport; falling off is a continual danger, a bite or a kick from a camel can kill, and the riders need to be as small and light as possible. This means half-starving the boys, and not allowing them to drink at all on race days. The rewards for the owners are huge. Rashid and the three other boys in his stable have to look after the camels as well as ride them, and the exercising is done in the middle of the night, when it’s cool. Beatings are common for small misdemeanours. Rashid’s brother, however, ends up at the worst stable of all, and there is a very fleeting and subtle hint that sexual abuse occurs too. When Shari receives no medical treatment after a fall as it’s not cost effective, Rashid manages to get in contact with his uncle.

The story ends happily, when robots are developed to take the place of human jockeys, the practice is outlawed altogether, and the boys are returned to their mother in Pakistan.

This book is well researched and beautifully written, with an easy-to-follow story – but it’s quite shocking in its portrayal of the slavery of young children in an age of mobile phones and Land Cruisers. Elizabeth Laird doesn’t shrink from difficult subject matter. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

2008-05-24