Book Review: Girls Like Us

Filed under Books Get Resourced on Oct 05 12 by Lauren D'Alessandro

GEMS founder Rachel Lloyd’s book, Girls Like Us, is both a memoir and a call to action. Rachel’s story of her own experience in the sex industry and of her exit and healing process is interwoven with stories of other women and girls in similar situations. She shares these stories with the purpose of exposing and discussing the problem of human trafficking in the United States, while offering hope that even women in the most desperate of situations can heal and uncover their own significance and value.

As a teenager, Rachel found herself alone and without any family support. She found her way into the sex industry, but through her toughness and resolve, was able to free herself from her past. She eventually moved to New York City, where she became the founder of GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), the only organization in the city that works specifically with sexually exploited women. Today, GEMS provides counseling and support for victims and seeks to educate the public on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation.

If you are looking to learn more about the issue of trafficking and the problems and mindsets involved, reading this book is a great way to start educating yourself. Rachel explains the issues with the pimps (the ones selling the girls), the johns (the ones buying), and the problems with the legal system that hinder justice being brought to the girls who are victimized by this system.

In my opinion, the most inspiring aspect of this book is the transformation that takes place in Rachel’s life and in the lives of the women who are affected by GEMS. Toward the end of the book, Rachel explains how she decided on the name of her organization:

“I’ve been reading that verse in Isaiah about laying your foundation with stones…It talks about being afflicted and tossed with tempest, like violence. But then how God will lay your foundation with colorful gems…to everyone else, they just look like regular old rocks and stones, but to a master jeweler, who can see the beauty and potential in a stone and knows that with some polishing, some care and attention, just like these girls need, that the precious stone, the gem, will come out and be shining.”

More than anything, this book caused me to remember that no matter what social situation, family background, or struggles a person has gone through, each of us has inherent value that is placed on us by God. What these girls need is someone who is willing to recognize that value, a person who will hold out their hand and lead them to become everything that they are capable of becoming.

The learn more about GEMS’ and their work, please visit www.gems-girls.org.