Wow. There is so much I want to say, but all I can think of is WOW. This woman went through so much when she was so young, and credits God and her faith, but she deserves some credit too. She was a strong, strong lady who managed to make it through some awful stuff onto the other side. She's now in a great place helping turn victims into survivors and God bless her. 5 stars. Trigger warnings galore - this is NOT a light read - but man, it is powerful.

I have started this book and put it down more times than I can count. I tried it on audio as well as the ebook.

To be honest, the content is interesting so I hope to pick it up again one day in the future, but for now, I am putting this one down, again.

This book took me on a wild ride. I pray the author continues to help other victims of human trafficking. She’s an angel.

Brenda Myers-Powell is the co-founder of the Dreamcatcher Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to fight human trafficking and prostitution in the Chicagoland area. Brenda is just about the most qualified person to run a foundation with this aim, because she herself was a victim of human trafficking, a drug user, a sexual abuse survivor, a teen mom with hardly any resources to support her kids, and so much more. In this book, Brenda tells the story of Breezy, her nickname when she was a prostitute, and the persona that Brenda often slipped behind when she needed to get tough, because things were tougher than tough.

As a child, Brenda was raised by her grandmother (her own mother had passed away). Her grandmother was good and bad - she provided for Brenda, but was an alcoholic, and often became emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive to Brenda was she was drunk. She loved Brenda and taught her countless life lessons, but she wasn't nurturing in the slightest. She exposed Brenda to every bit of the craziness and hardship of Chicago, from the violence to the drugs to the sex to the lack of safety. When she grew up a bit, Brenda went to live with her aunt in Evanston and got a taste of the suburban life, but her aunt's husband began to sexually abuse her from a young age. She never, ever forgot this - and it basically shaped the rest of her life, causing her to fall into bad things, sell her body, and find other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Before she was 15, Brenda had two young kids, Peaches and Prune.

With no other way of providing for them, she started to turn to sex work - regardless of the fact that she was well underage. In fact, some pimps and tricks wanted her because she was so young and fresh. Not long after that, Brenda was kidnapped by two "gorilla pimps," the worst kind of pimp, one that brutally beats and rapes a victim until they agree to have sex with strangers. Although she managed to escape this relationship, she was forever scarred. She had short- and long-term relationships with other pimps, ones that were kinder to her than the gorilla pimps (although the bar is shockingly low), but continued on this path. There were "good" tricks and "bad" tricks, and there was always a constant, constant fear that one bad trick would end your life right then and there.

Brenda had a wild and chaotic young life, traveling all over the country, getting addicted to drugs, getting shot and stabbed multiple times and surviving, and many more insane incidents - she must be right when she says that God was watching over her the entire time, knowing that there was something better in store for her. She was unable to take care of her children and sometimes put them in very dangerous situations, even losing one of her children at the hospital immediately after she was born because she was addicted to drugs. She reflects on the profound loneliness she felt during this period, when she had nothing and nobody looking out for her or really in her corner. She felt empty, and tried to fill that emptiness with drugs, sometimes sex, and always the urge to keep moving on.

Eventually, after many, many hardships, Brenda got clean, stopped selling her body, and got on a better path. Her story is difficult to read - one can't even imagine how difficult to actually live - and her strength is unbelievable. She credits a lot of her recovery to God and faith, but a lot to herself as well: her own self-reliance, her own belief that she could overcome, and her own toughness from fighting some of the hardest conditions a person could go through. Her memoir is an honest and realistic perspective of what many women have survived, as well as a path forward. Although she admits that things are different, probably worse, now with social media, she knows many, many of the tricks of the trade and is a veritable expert in how human traffickers work. She now dedicates her life to getting through to young women who are victims of human trafficking, trying to steer them in a different direction and show them how their lives could be different. Highly recommend this book if you're interested in human trafficking, powerful memoirs, and surviving abuse.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co for the ARC via Netgalley!

I love all things Chicago and all things memoir so this piece of work checked all the marks for my literary tastes. Highly recommend it.

Wow. That's the first word that comes to mind when I think of what I just read. This was a very clear look at what it is like to live the life of a prostitute. Brenda touches on her childhood and the things that led her down the path she took, as well as the reasons she stayed in that life for as long as she did. It was a deep, dark look at a world that I previously knew nothing about. One thing that really struck me is that she didn't necessarily dislike the lifestyle. After leaving that world, she was still drawn to it. The other thing that jumped out at me is how strong and brave Brenda had to be to live that life. She got herself out of situations that I cannot imagine ever living through. Her life was not easy, but at no point in this book did it ever seem that Brenda was looking for pity or even feeling sorry for herself. She is able to look back at her childhood and even turn the challenges and struggles into something positive.

I am really impressed that she was able to get away from a life that so many get trapped it or never make it out of. And not only that, but she took her experiences and used them for good by starting a foundation to help others that have ended up as prostitutes.

This was a really interesting memoir and while it was written by a ghostwriter, it certainly felt like it was being told in Brenda's voice. The language is definitely vulgar, so if that is something that offends you, it's something to take into consideration before reading this book. Even though I am not typically a fan of vulgarity, I did feel that it lent authenticity to this story and it felt appropriate given the topic.

Wow, this was so powerful and testament to a human's ability to survive in the worst of circumstances. It is a life so opposite of my own that my heart aches Brenda. Very well-written and flowed nicely. I felt all of her emotions and I thank her for being brave enough to share her story with us.

Leaving Breezy Street is a memoir written by a gutsy woman. A lot of her story might be difficult to read. The author led a pretty rough life. She was molested at a young age, had two children while she was still a child, and eventually turned to prostitution to support herself. She also because a drug addict. Much of the book is about her life as a prostitute. In 1997 she had an epiphany and decided she wanted a better life. It’s a good read about a woman who overcame adversity and has acclaim and prowess as a public speaker. It’s an enlightening read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a tough book to read due to the content of human trafficking, a variety of abuse, and prostitution. But it is also an inspiring book that shows these young women can change their lives for the better. It's so sad to think there are 12 year olds (or any age, really) that are already caught up in the lifestyle. Non-profit organizations such as Dreamcatchers are incredibly important.

It seems like anyone with an millisecond of reality television airtime gets a memoir deal, making us often wonder what some people could POSSIBLY have to say. Leaving Breezy Street is the reason why memoirs exist! Brenda Myers-Powell truly went through it all and has A LOT to say about it. She endured heinous abuse consistently throughout her life, from her grandmother to her boyfriends/pimps to complete strangers. With two kids by 15, she fell into the only life she saw fit— prostitution. Her life by the time she’s 18 is trauma-filled, and yet the author maintains a sense of humor and transfixing style of storytelling. Some memoirs feel like the author is grasping for straws. In this book, the author introduces us to a parade of characters, and yet it still feels like she hasn’t even scratched the surface of her wild life. The memoir culminates in a beautifully written send off to Breezy (the author’s street persona), with Brenda Jean’s consistently well-adjusted, self aware and positive reflection that without Breezy, Brenda wouldn’t have made it. Fans of urban fiction will love this!

Brenda Myers-Powell's "Leaving Breezy Street" is a memoir about how events in the author's childhood led to a life of drugs, travel, and prostitution. The messages we receive as a society about people who grow up and become involved in drugs and prostitution neglect to mention the trauma that may lead to these choices. This book turns this incorrect narrative on its head through Myers-Powell's descriptions of the repetitive cycle of trauma in her life that started at a very young age and left her with few options. "Leaving Breezy Street" also highlights how human trafficking is very much present in our towns and cities and how difficult, or even impossible, it is for young girls and women to walk away. Myers-Powell is now dedicated to educating others about human trafficking in the United States and helping women find a new path."Leaving Breezy Street" can be hard to read but is really well-written and informative.

A naked look at what happens when real life takes over and the system fails yet again. I it’s heartbreaking, true and might help some stop turning a blind eye to those not like yourself.

Lover of Urban Lit or street lit will enjoy this harrowing true story of life on the streets. Ms. Myers-Powell's life story is heart stopping. Language alert, for those who dislike strong language. Violence, drug usage, prostitution, fair warning. It's not a pretty picture here, This is a very gritty short read that editing would have ruined.

Leaving Breezy Street is an eye-opening, but brutally difficult, read. The subject matter -- human trafficking -- will rip your heart out. However, author Brenda Myers-Powell relates her life story in a humorous and salty manner that will have the reader laughing and gasping in horror at the same time.

Myers-Powell gives us a memoir detailing her physically abusive childhood which led to a life of prostitution before she was thirteen years old. The obstacles that arise seem insurmountable, and the situation becomes even more dire when Myers-Powell develops a crack habit, cycles in and out of jail, experiences multiple health problems and is unable to raise her daughters. Abusive men play a starring role in her life as uncles, pimps and boyfriends. And the violence they perpetrate on Myers-Powell is very difficult to read.

However, the bright light in this book is Myers-Powell. With her faith in God and Divine Providence as her touchstone, she chronicles her escape from prostitution and drug addiction with the help of strong women, good recovery programs and devoted friends who loved her and always wanted the best for her.

Myers-Powell was finally able to leave this cycle of violence and start a non-profit called "Dreamcatchers" which provides counseling and refuge for children and young women between the ages of 12 and 24 who are victims of human trafficking. Her work with the cohort from which she came is miraculous and inspiring. Her superhero-like strength and resiliency is mind-boggling. Others who have endured such a lifetime of torture end up dead or mentally devastated. This woman is the definition of "survivor."

Although I thought the descriptions of life on the streets, and stories with the pimps and tricks was maybe a bit too extensive (story after story after story -- some could have been eliminated), Leaving Breezy Street is a testimony to the resiliency of the human spirit, forgiveness and the triumph of good over evil.

Trigger warning: the language is very graphic along with detailed descriptions of rape and other types of violence against women.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the advance copy of #LeavingBreezyStreet