Somebody's Daughter
Somebody's Daughter is the story of a prostitution ring, based in Nova Scotia, Canada. It opens with the murder of a nineteen year old prostitute, and concludes with the pimps who ran the rings being convicted for their crimes. It's a harrowing look into "The Game", and the lives of people caught up in it.
Somebody's Daughter was first released in 1996, and as such, is rather outdated. However, the fact that child prostitution is a problem is still relevant today. Perhaps even more so than twenty years ago. Somebody's Daughter follows a number of girls through their lives in "The Game", as it's called by the people involved with it.
The book starts with the murder of nineteen year old Annie Mae Wilson, who was trying to switch pimps. Her current pimp was angered, and killed Annie Mae. It also follows her fellow girls Stacey Jackson and Taunya Terriault, among others.
It's also the story of two task forces, created to help end these prostitution rings, and help the girls re-acclimate to the "Straight World." These stings, called Operation Heart and Operation Hectic, were rather successful in their intentions. They helped girls escape the Game, and put their pimps behind bars. The police worked at making friends with the girls, giving them options that many of them didn't know they had. Not only of help leaving the game, but trust for people who aren't part of the family that the pimps created for the girls.
Part of the success of these operations was in treating the girls as people. They weren't referred to as sluts, whores, or criminals. They were young women, who were victims of their pimps. And the police worked to let the girls know that they weren't interested in charging the girls with prostitution, or bringing them to jail. The police were more concerned with jailing the pimps. Which looks to be a much more successful way of combating a prostitution ring. It helps girls escape the violence and rape at the hands of their pimps. Which is essential for the well being of the girls.
There is a chapter dedicated to the what steps were taken to help keep the girls off the streets. From going to reform schools, women's shelters, and the quite successful location of the Sullivan House. A secure facility that served multiple purposes, including keeping the girls safe from retribution from others in the Game.
Somebody's Daughter wasn't a particularly easy read, there is some very explicit violence, murder, rape, and psychological torture. It's also not one of those "light" reading books. It's a deep book, filled with facts, police presence, and insight into how a prostitution ring works, and how to bring it down. It's a lot of information to digest, but is written in a manner that is easy to digest and read. I'll recommend it, but it requires a specific audience. I enjoyed it, and it will appeal to fans of true crime novels, true crime non-fic, police procedurals, and informational non-fic.
Somebody's Daughter: Inside an International Prostitution Ring
Phonse Jessome
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (June 28, 2016)
Publication Date: June 28, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01GR10MOO
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