Book excerpt: Jade Brooks grew up like any other kid — she played with friends, lovingly teased and was teased by her siblings, and excelled at school. It wasn't until she was removed from her family at age 11 that she felt something was wrong. Growing up between two of Halifax's predominantly black neighbourhoods, Jade was raised in communities plagued by social problems. Addictions, tangled personal relationships, social workers, and prison terms became everyday facts. When the first serious love of her life entered the picture at age 15, that relationship became the centre of everything. Following a path many have taken before, pushed along by her abusive boyfriend, Jade found herself in the sex trade. She learned to sell her body in the strip clubs and massage parlours of Toronto and Montreal in order to survive. Gifted with the ability to recall details of personalities, events, and conversations, Jade reveals a reality that will be unknown to many of her readers. She tells her story straight out, no holds barred, just as she remembers it. By doing so, she allows her readers to come to a far deeper appreciation of the circumstances that lead to the trafficking of young women in Canada today.