Francis Bok recounts his story in Escape From Slavery. A member of the Dinka tribe of southern Sudan, he enjoyed a happy childhood with his parents and siblings. In 1986, seven-year-old Francis was in the marketplace when Arab raiders began murdering Dinka people. Many children were taken to northern Sudan to be enslaved by wealthy Muslim farmers.

Knowing nothing about the fate of family, Francis began his decade-long servitude to a family that hated and ridiculed him while exploiting him for his labor. He was trained to be a herder, exiled to live in a shed near the animals. He received little food and no education, and he was deprived of affection and friendship for the rest of his childhood.

At seventeen, he managed to escape, making his way to Egypt. Although free from enslavement, he endured three years of refugee camps and time in prison. Eventually he made his way to the United States, where he faced culture shock and limited job prospects since he had not even completed elementary school.