Jade Brooks grew up in Halifax's Black community, one of eight brothers and sisters. She lived with her parents until Social Services intervened, placing her with relatives and then in foster care. Obviously gifted, she often excelled in school while she dealt with chaos in her personal and family life. When the first serious love of her life entered the picture, a classmate her own age, that relationship became the centerpiece of everything. Following a path many have taken before, pushed along by her abusive boyfriend, Jade found herself in the sex trade at the age of 15. She learned how to survive selling sex in the bars, clubs, strip clubs, and massage parlours of Montreal and Toronto. Gifted with the ability to recall details of personalities, events, and conversations, Jade offers readers an entry point into a world of young Afro-Canadians born into families where addictions, tangled personal relationships, social workers, and prison terms are everyday facts. Her narrative is grounded in a reality that will be unknown to many of her readers. Jade 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. Jade Brooks, now in her mid-twenties, lives with her family on Canada's west coast. As an advocate against human trafficking, Jade uses her life experiences to raise awareness and prevent young people from being coerced into the sex trade. She holds a college diploma in Community Services.