Review: Gritty, Good and Could be a Bit Better
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 2, 2013
This is a book depicting something I couldn't understand in a million years-life on the street.  It's a story of one woman's (she's just a girl really) struggle to get out of the life of prostitution she was born into.Kandi is the product of a Pimp and a Madam, she and her twin brother are being groomed from a young age to take over the "family business", this means Kandi will learn to be a hoe while Kris will learn to be a pimp.  Evan as children, they lived in conditions that are absolutely unspeakable and actually hard to read about at times.Finally at the age of 15 Kris escaped the hell that was his home life leaving Kandi to bear the brunt of it.  She was then turned out into the streets and officially started working.  This went on for years until Kandi broke free of her so-called parents and right into the nasty hands of Blaque (loved that name) and his brother Moe.  Blaque was another big-time pimp that used and abused Kandi.  This girl endured so much in her young life it was hard to imagine her not ending at her own hands.Kandi was a popular hooker and everybody knew her, even the crooked cops of Compton.  So with no family and no law to protect her, Kandi did what she had to do to survive.  She was constantly being smacked around and attacked by those she should be able to trust.  Eventually fed up, Kandi starts to hatch a plan, getting off of the streets and into a normal life was her goal.  Sorry to be vague, I don't to spoil the story line of the bookI was proud to see that Kandi wanted a life away from the hell she knew.  After all that has happened to her, she still held out hope there was something better waiting for her.I said the book could be better and that is due to its lack of editing.  Yes the book is written in slang, but there are some words like pelvis that is spelled pelvic and a few minor things that trip up a reader.  Otherwise the story seems original and is written in such great detail you start to have feelings towards the characters.  I am glad I gave this book a chance, it was well worth it.