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A deeply moving story by a survivor of the commercial sex industry who has devoted her career to activism and helping other young girls escape "the life"
At thirteen, Rachel Lloyd found herself caught up in a world of pain and abuse, struggling to survive as a child with no responsible adults to support her. Vulnerable yet tough, she eventually ended up a victim of commercial sexual exploitation. It took time and incredible resilience, but finally, with the help of a local church community, she broke free of her pimp and her past.
Three years later, Lloyd arrived in the United States to work with adult women in the sex industry and soon founded her own nonprofit—GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services—to meet the needs of other girls with her history. She also earned her GED and won full scholarships to college and a graduate program. Today Lloyd is executive director of GEMS in New York City and has turned it into one of the nation's most groundbreaking nonprofit organizations.
In Girls Like Us, Lloyd reveals the dark, secretive world of her past in stunning cinematic detail. And, with great humanity, she lovingly shares the stories of the girls whose lives she has helped—small victories that have healed her wounds and made her whole. Revelatory, authentic, and brave, Girls Like Us is an unforgettable memoir.
A former sex worker shares her harrowing history while exposing the ugly truth about young girls who sell their bodies to survive.
Alternating between her own story and those of the girls she has dedicated her life to helping, Lloyd, founder of the nonprofit GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), describes how poverty and abuse create a conflagration of circumstances under which it is commonplace for girls as young as 11 to be commercially trafficked. Born in Britain, Lloyd watched helplessly as her mother descended into drunkenness and despair, and she left home at 13. Like the adolescents she now helps, the author was desperate for love, acceptance and stability. She found it with a man who turned her out on the streets and routinely terrorized her, but she eventually escaped and embarkedon her life's mission of helping others in similar circumstances. Lloyd points out that underage girls molested by one individual are considered victims, to be protected, but when commercially exploited, they are seen as teen hookers and punished. She exposes the brutality punctuated with kindness with which pimps enforce compliance, comparing their methods to those utilized in hostage situations resulting in so-called Stockholm Syndrome. While control is maintained through violence, these adolescents—who may seem sullen and resistant to intervention—are considered to be complicit in their own abuse. Lloyd fought successfully to change New York state law resulting in the Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act, making it the first state to protect rather then prosecute, but she argues that we must all embrace language to reflect this understanding—stipulating that the term "teen prostitute" conveys a pejorative choice rather then the reality of commercial exploitation and trafficking. The author acknowledges but does not directly address males in similar circumstances, but any at-risk child is covered under the new law.
A painful yet powerful book that asks readers to examine personal prejudices, find compassion for those most view as throwaways and recognize child abuse however it manifests.
Prologue 1
1 Learning 15
2 Risk 29
3 Family 47
4 Recruitment 67
5 Pimps 83
6 Johns 101
7 Victims 115
8 Cops 133
9 Staying 149
10 Leaving 169
11 Relapse 185
12 Unlearning 195
13 Stigma 209
14 Healing 223
15 Leadership 237
16 Beginnings 255
Acknowledgments 269
Notes 273
NYU_200
Posted April 16, 2011
What a great book, very touching story. A must read!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 13, 2011
Stop charging girls for crimes for which they are being exploitedw
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 9, 2011
This book was excellent! It sheds light on the unheard truth of sexual exploitation of children. Being a survivor and advocate, I was excited to read the story, reality, and recovery of Rachel Lloyd. It is reflective of many stories hidden within the hearts of women everyone.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JPEmma
Posted July 6, 2011
I read Rachel Lloyd's memoir after watching the documentary: Very Young Girls.
Rachel Lloyd's passion, strength and sense of humor comes across through her words as it does through her actions. She helps us to remove our preconceptions of girls in the life and see them as we see ourselves. Everyone who is a girl, was a girl or loves a girl should read this book (and then share it with a friend).
Commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and youth happens right here in the US. Let's stop turning a blind eye and work together to end modern day slavery today.
Anonymous
Posted April 16, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
At thirteen, Rachel Lloyd found herself caught up in a world of pain and abuse, struggling to survive as a child with no responsible adults to support her. Vulnerable yet tough, she eventually ended up a victim of commercial sexual exploitation. It took time and incredible resilience, but ...