The Red Market- Reviews and Thoughts

By vinodnarayan on August 16, 2011 • ( 1 )

“From those who can spare to those who are in need” can be a tagline for anything that is given in the sense altruism. But when money is involved in the supply chain and the demand is ready to pay a hefty fee for getting it, the whole equation goes wrong. With brokers emerging to manage the supply chain and trying to get a share of the money that changes hands. This is the underlying story of ‘The Red Market’ by Journalist Scott Carney.

Scott through his book shows us the trail of the world’s organ brokers, bone thieves, blood farmers and child traffickers. Travelling in India,Nepal, Cyprus and the United states he takes us through bone factories, adoption centers, nursing homes, refugee camps, clinical Drug trial centers, blood banks and more

Introducing us to the stories of real time grave diggers, parents who lost their children to the international adoption market, organ donors duped by the brokers, egg donors, doctors, social workers and Lab technicians in private blood farms he tells us what we would often not want to hear. It will disturb you and I think that is the purpose of the book.

Scott also tells his experience as a human guinea pig trying to make a few bucks after college by participating in a drug trial and introduces us to a sizable number of people who make a living in US doing the same. He introduces us to the laws of the countries that ban money transaction for selling organs, but have a supply chain in place that transacts money in various levels.

He has his observations and more than solutions it is also a call for debate to read, respond and act if one can. Appreciate Scott on his effort to not allow the reader to close their eyes and turn the head away.