A Harvest of Thorns

by Corban Addison

  In Malaysia, I wish to thank Scott, Palm, and Barbara Feist for hosting me in Kuala Lumpur, and for your friendship; Dr. Kian Ming Ong for your insights into the politics of human rights in Malaysia; Soo Choo and Aegile Fernandez at Tenaganita for your generous support during my time in KL; Ashik Khan for escorting me to Cheras and for your insights into forced labor in the Malaysian apparel industry; Kabita Upreti for sharing your stories about life on the sewing line, Hari Budhathoki for translating, and Shirley Tan for arranging the interview; the Bangladeshi garment workers in Cheras for opening your hostel to me; Harun Al-Rashid at CARAM Asia for talking to me about labor abuses in the apparel industry in Southwest and Southeast Asia; and Sahul Hamid Bin Hussain, Haji Badul Nasser Bin Abd Hamid, and Mohamad Fauzi Ibrahim of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Penang Division, for your insights into the role of labor unions and their leaders in cleaning up global supply chains.

  In Bangladesh, I wish to thank Sharif Alam for being a fabulous fixer; the women of Tazreen for sharing your stories from the fire and showing me the true face of courage; Khalilur Rahman Sohel of Bureau Veritas for your insights into factory fire safety and auditing; Rana Farhad, Olilur Rahman, Sadaf Saaz Sidiqqi, and Rubana Huq for your expertise in so many areas of the Bangladesh apparel industry; K. Anis Ahmed for making critical connections for me and embodying the spirit of corporate social responsibility; and Faruque Ahmed of Warbe for sharing with me the challenges confronted by Bangladeshi migrant workers laboring abroad.

  In Jordan, I wish to thank Phillip Fishman and Nisreen Bathish of the ILO’s Better Work Jordan program for an overview of the Jordanian apparel industry; and Linda Al-Kalash of Tamkeen for talking with me about the way factories, brands, and auditors operate in Jordan.

  Finally, I wish to thank my tireless agents, Dan Raines at Creative Trust, Danny Baror at Baror International, and Brian Lipson at Intellectual Property Group, for believing in me and my work and for representing me with such zeal. I am honored to have you as friends and mentors. To my publishers in North America and the UK, Daisy Hutton and Doug Richmond at HarperCollins and Jane Wood at Quercus, I am ever grateful for the passion you bring to my stories. And to my publishers around the world, thank you for getting my words into the hands of readers. Every book I write is a chapter in my life and a piece of my heart. I am so grateful for the tender way all of you hold it, and care for it, and bring out the shine.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. In the opening chapters of the story, Cameron travels to Bangladesh and meets with Habib Khan, owner of Rahmani Apparel. After being caught in a lie, Habib confesses to Cameron that he colluded with Presto’s local office director in subcontracting part of the order to Millennium in violation of Presto’s Code of Conduct. By way of explanation, Habib tells Cameron about the dilemma he faces. His profits are falling. His competitors outside Bangladesh are undercutting him with superior technology, cheaper labor, and vertical integration. At the same time, Presto is demanding lower prices and faster turnarounds, or it will take its orders elsewhere. In this environment, he has no choice but to agree to Presto’s terms and then to find a way to deliver. What does this dilemma reveal about the power dynamics within the global fashion industry? In your mind, which party (a supplier like Rahmani, or a brand like Presto) bears more responsibility for working conditions and worker safety at the factory level?

  2. In Josh’s meeting with Tony Sharif in Washington, DC, Tony introduces Josh to Rana Jalil. As Tony puts it, Rana is shining a light into the dark hole of American fast fashion. When Josh asks for an explanation, Tony expounds: “You know those teeny bopper stores in the mall, the ones that dress their mannequins like hookers and make you want to keep Lily under lock and key? . . . A lot of the clothes they peddle are made in sweatshops in L.A. The fashion companies know about it, but they don’t give a rat’s ass. So long as they keep feeding American teens a fad a week, they see it as the cost of doing business.” What does this revelation say about the label “Made in the USA”? Does it surprise you that worker abuse is rife in fast fashion garment production in the United States? What, if anything, do you think should be done about it?

  3. What were your initial impressions of Cameron at the beginning of the story? How did those impressions change as his investigation proceeded and he began to advocate for internal change? At what point did you realize that he was Josh’s source? How did that realization affect your feelings toward Cameron? At the end of the story, what were your final impressions of him, both as a business executive and as a man?

  4. Cameron’s decision to betray his company in order to save it is a profound one. The risks are monumental. If the lawsuit goes to trial, he will almost certainly be exposed. If the case destroys Presto, he will go down with it. If Josh fails to keep his identity secret, he will have to flee the country and live in exile or face massive fines and jail time. Cameron is a master strategist, but he isn’t delusional. He knows there are variables beyond his control. What compels him to make such an extraordinary gamble? How much is his decision influenced by his ideals? By his guilt over Presto’s complicity in the suffering of Sonia, Jashel, and Alya, among others? By his culpability in Olivia’s death? By the connection he feels to his ancestor, Cornelius, and his failed quest for reparations? By his desire, as a son, to do something that would make his father proud?

  5. In their independent investigations overseas, Cameron and Josh discover all manner of worker abuse, corporate complicity, and even criminal behavior within Presto’s apparel supply chains. In Bangladesh, bottom-tier factories like Millennium are inherently dangerous to workers like Nasima and Sonia. In Malaysia, even in the best factories, some foreign workers like Jashel are hired under false pretenses and forced to work without pay for years. In the worst factories, workers are treated like beasts of burden. In Jordan, female garment workers like Alya are sexually abused by their supervisors. How do these discoveries make you feel about the clothes you are wearing right now? What do you think should be done to improve the rights and treatment of garment workers in the developing world? Should brands like Presto make more clothing in countries where legal protections for workers are stronger? What role should governments and labor unions play?

  6. After the filing of the lawsuit and the dueling press conferences, Josh and friends from the Washington Post visit a Presto superstore in the rush before Black Friday. Josh interviews a diverse array of shoppers, all of whom have different opinions about the allegations and what relevance, if any, they have to the shoppers’ buying decisions. What did you feel about these exchanges, particularly the final exchange between Alisa and Donna? Have you ever wondered whether the products you buy—clothing or otherwise—are ethically made? How does that concern affect your decisions as a consumer?

  7. In Vance’s remarks at the press conference, he issues an apology to Sonia, Ashik, Jashel, and Alya for the suffering they have experienced. But he denies that Presto caused their suffering. Later on, Presto’s lead attorney makes the same argument in court. The complaint, he says, is a case of mistaken identity. What do you think about this argument? Where do you believe a multinational corporation’s legal responsibility should end? Should US courts be empowered to hold US companies like Presto liable for the abusive and/or illegal behavior of their contracting partners overseas? Should liability be limited to what the corporation actually knows? Should the law require corporations like Presto to take active measures to monitor and correct the abusive behavior of their suppliers, or should monitoring remain a voluntary matter?

  8. After the extraordinary efforts of Josh, Madison, and Lewis, after impassioned argument by the lawyers, and after a great deal of soul-searching by Judge Chandler, the judge throws out the lawsuit on points of procedure so arcane that the plaintiffs believe the only explanation is bias. How did you feel when the judge announced the dismissal? After reading the arguments of counsel, did you expect him to permit the lawsuit to proceed? If you were in Judge Chandler’s shoes, facing a decis
ion in which the law you had sworn to serve directly conflicted with the demands of your conscience, what would you do?

  9. Critical to Cameron’s plan to force Presto’s hand is a massive, multibillion-dollar stock purchase by Stephen Carroll. Without Carroll’s money and vote of confidence in the market, Cameron knows that Vance and the board will never agree to undertake serious reforms to Presto’s business model. In the last decade, the world has witnessed firsthand the dangers that high finance can pose to the global economy. We have also seen, as never before, the profound wealth disparity between people like Carroll and the rest of humanity. What does Carroll’s role in reforming Presto say, if anything, about the morality of wealth and power? Do you think billionaires like Carroll and activist funds like Social Capital should take a leading role in reforming business and making economic outcomes more humane? Or do you think that role should be left to government (or the market itself)?

  10. Cameron and Josh are complex individuals. In one sense, they are both idealists, but they are not averse to making pragmatic concessions that will hurt people they care about. In approaching Josh, Cameron betrays his best friend, his company, the board and shareholders to whom he is responsible, and, ultimately, Josh and the plaintiffs. Yet his goal is laudable. He wants to give Presto a conscience. Josh, meanwhile, continues to fund Maria’s nonprofit in Brazil, keeping the gifts and the ongoing relationship hidden from Madison, all because he doesn’t want Maria’s girls to end up on the street. What do these concessions say about the challenge of maintaining and advancing one’s ideals in a complex world? In the final analysis, do you think Cameron or Josh is the better man?

  11. The title of the novel comes from the last entry in Cornelius’s journal, which Ben reads in the final scene. In that entry, Cornelius reflects on the moral paradox at the heart of the US economy in the 1860s, an economy built upon, and fueled by, the labor of slaves. Did his reflections in the journal—or the larger arc of the story itself—make you think differently about the ethical assumptions that lie beneath our own global economy? Do you think the exploitation of the poor by those of greater means is endemic in human society, or is it possible to achieve a more equitable system? After reading the novel, what actors do you believe are in the best position to effect the greatest change? Companies? Investors? Governments? Or does the buck ultimately stop with consumers like you and me?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CORBAN ADDISON is the internationally bestselling author of A Walk Across the Sun, The Garden of Burning Sand, and The Tears of Dark Water, winner of the 2016 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. His work has been published in twenty countries. A Harvest of Thorns is his fourth novel. An attorney, activist, and world traveler, he is a supporter of human rights and social justice causes around the world. He lives with his wife and children in Virginia.

  Visit the author’s website at corbanaddison.com

  Facebook: CorbanAddison

  Twitter: @CorbanAddison

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at harpercollins.ca.

  ACCLAIM FOR CORBAN ADDISON

  A HARVEST OF THORNS

  “This exposé of the underbelly of the international fashion industry is disturbing, moving, and thoroughly engrossing.”

  —PHILLIP MARGOLIN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF VIOLENT CRIMES

  “This a poignant and engrossing description of the manner in which men and women from the poorest countries on the globe are pressed into working for slave wages to manufacture soft goods to be sold in the most affluent countries such as North America and Western Europe. Corban Addison will hold you spellbound with his elegant prose from his first word to his last. A statement he placed in the mouth of one of his leading characters could have been uttered by the author speaking of himself: ‘He told me to go to law school to learn how the world works, and then to go into journalism to change it.’”

  —WILBUR SMITH, BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  “A must read book which uncovers what lies behind what we wear every single day. I promise that you will never be able to look at your clothes the same way again.”

  —LIVIA FIRTH, OXFAM GLOBAL AMBASSADOR, UN LEADER OF CHANGE, FOUNDER OF ECO AGE LTD.

  THE TEARS OF DARK WATER

  “Beautifully written, The Tears of Dark Water spins an intricate tale, involving hostage taking on the high seas. This novel has love, romance, guilt, and suspense all in one story. Corban Addison is a truly gifted storyteller, and The Tears of Dark Water will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page. The Tears of Dark Water is pure gold!”

  —LIS WIEHL, FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  “This is great storytelling. A riveting story of modern-day piracy, a clash of cultures [and] people’s lives torn apart.”

  —BOOKSELLERS NEW ZEALAND

  “Read [The Tears of Dark Water] for entertainment, and you will find yourself pondering the machinations of the world’s largest democracy, and who really wields the power.”

  —CAPE TIMES, SOUTH AFRICA

  A WALK ACROSS THE SUN

  “Since my first novel was released over twenty years ago, I have been presented with many opportunities to endorse the works of other authors hoping to find a publisher. I have always declined, until now. Corban Addison has written a novel that is beautiful in its story and also important in its message. A Walk Across the Sun deserves a wide audience. And I strongly suspect that Mr. Addison will be heard from again and again.”

  —JOHN GRISHAM

  “In his debut novel, lawyer Addison uncovers the labyrinthine underside of human trafficking in this dazzling transcontinental story about the power of conviction, the bonds of family, and the tenacity of love . . . The novel successfully explicates the magnitude of the human trafficking business, the complexities of international legalities, and the impact of the Internet’s role in this horrifying underworld.”

  —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON A WALK ACROSS THE SUN

  “A compelling read. Corban Addison deals with challenging issues but in a way that keeps readers gripped to every page—a remarkable literary feat.”

  —DR. SAMANTHA NUTT, AUTHOR OF DAMNED NATIONS, ON A WALK ACROSS THE SUN

  “This chilling, suspenseful, and powerful debut weaves fictional characters into the reality of contemporary slavery . . . The story is compelling, but the message is greater and will leave an impact on every person who picks up the book. Readers will mourn the injustices depicted and celebrate the triumphs long after the last page is turned.”

  —LIBRARY JOURNAL ON A WALK ACROSS THE SUN

  “An insightful take on the all-too-real problems of international human trafficking.”

  —BOOKLIST ON A WALK ACROSS THE SUN

  “A pulse-revving novel with a serious message.”

  —O MAGAZINE ON A WALK ACROSS THE SUN (16 BOOKS TO WATCH FOR IN JANUARY 2012)

  THE GARDEN OF BURNING SAND

  “A compelling novel with a conscience and a heart, gripping in its drama and unique in its insights into a hidden and dangerous world. Resonant with authenticity, The Garden of Burning Sand rewards the reader on every level.”

  —RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  “Corban Addison is a rare find in the world of thriller writers. Timely, topical, and impeccably researched, his novels embrace the full sweep of the human experience. Depravity. Destruction. Heroism. Love. If you like stories of good people struggling to do right in the world’s forgotten places, there is no one better suited to take you on the ride of your life.”

  —JOHN HART, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ON THE GARDEN OF BURNING SAND

  “Addison’s second novel is both an affecting tale of a tragically abused girl and a convincing plea for humanitarian support in Africa.”

  —KIRKUS REVIEWS ON THE GARDEN OF BURNING SAND

  “A hauntingly good read. The Garden of Burning Sand is a powerful and moving novel . . . This one’s an absolute must-read.”


  —RT BOOK REVIEWS, 41/2 STARS, TOP PICK!

  “In dealing bluntly with crucial issues such as rape, AIDS, superstition, and poverty, [Addison] effectively touches the consciousness of his readers.”

  —BOOKLIST ON THE GARDEN OF BURNING SAND (STEPHANIE ZVIRIN)

  CREDITS

  Cover design: debbieclementdesign.com

  Cover images: Alamy

  COPYRIGHT

  A Harvest of Thorns

  Copyright © 2017 by Regulus Books, LLC.

  All rights reserved under all applicable International Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

  First Canadian edition

  EPub Edition: January 2017 EPub ISBN: 9781443451987

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

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