Girls like us : fighting for a world where girls are not for sale, an activist finds her calling and heals herself / Rachel Lloyd.

Includes bibliographical references.

Learning -- Risk -- Family -- Recruitment -- Pimps -- Johns -- Victims -- Cops -- Staying -- Leaving -- Relapse -- Unlearning -- Stigma -- Healing -- Leadership -- Beginnings.

Prologue -- Learning -- Risk -- Family -- Recruitment -- Pimps -- Johns -- Victims -- Cops -- Staying -- Leaving -- Relapse -- Unlearning -- Stigma -- Healing -- Leadership -- Beginnings.

At thirteen, British-born Rachel Lloyd found herself spiraling into a life of torment and abuse. Vulnerable yet tough, she eventually ended up a victim of commercial sexual exploitation, until she broke free of the street and her pimp thanks to the help of a local church. But that was just the beginning. . . . Three years later, Rachel 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 those shunned by society. She also earned her GED and won full scholarships to college and a graduate program. Today, Lloyd is the director of GEMS in New York City, one of the nation's most groundbreaking nonprofit organizations. In stunning detail and with cinematic style, Lloyd tells her story -- a harrowing and inspirational tale of suffering, recovery, discovery, and nobility.