Told in an inimitable voice, Leaving Breezy Street is the stunning account of Brenda Myers-Powell's brutal and beautiful life."Careful-don't think prostitution is just about money. It's never just the money. It's about slipping in at all the wrong places. Getting into dangerous situations and getting out of them. That's exciting. That's what you want. But you want something else, too."What did Brenda Myers-Powell want? When she turned to prostitution at the age of fifteen, she wanted to support her two baby daughters and have a little money for herself. She was pretty and funny as hell, and although she called herself "Breezy," she was also tough-a survivor in every sense of the word. Over the next twenty-five years, she would move across the country, finding new pimps, parties, drugs, and endless, profound heartache. And she would begin to want something else, something huge: a life of dignity, self-acceptance, and love. Astonishingly, she managed to find the strength to break from an unsparing world and save not only herself but also future Breezys.We have no say into which worlds we are born. But sometimes we can find a way out.

Author's NoteIntroduction: Every Road Has to End SomewherePart I: It starts in the family1. Life with Ma'Dea2. Where's My Shine?3. Suburban BullshitPart II: What's in the mirror is not always who you are4. The Making of a Real Ho5. When the Gorilla Pimps Want YouPart III: Fake love can never own you6. The Beginning of the Lie7. Loving the Knockout8. The Gangster Pimp9. Love in the GamePart IV: Running10. Chi Town's Finest11. The Tricks of the Trade12. Keep It Moving13. The Unforgivable Things We Do14. Famous in California15. Friends? How Many of Us Have Them?16. The Facts of Life17. Madison Street18. Chicago, Take Two19. Chicago, Take Two, For Real20. Me, Living with Me21. A Funeral for BreezyAfterword: I Make Plans, God LaughsAcknowledgments