Publisher's Synopsis
How does a sixteen-year-old go from waitressing to a "swinging" lifestyle to dancing at strip clubs to becoming the Detroit Madam by the age of twenty-four? Boldly, and on her own terms.
Navigating a path through life that few of us could hardly imagine, Ayanna Williams-Jones (Kandi) relates a fascinating, no-nonsense, gritty, and sexy true story about her rise to dominate the Detroit night entertainment scene of the late '90s and early 2000s. With sharp instincts honed from early years at her hustler father's side in Brooklyn, and a motto of "if it makes money then it makes sense," Kandi's insistence on not being taken advantage of drove her to ultimately run an operation that provided up to one hundred young women for entertainment at parties and events. Making sure that her "girls" always remained alert for potential trouble at parties, Kandi's rules were set in stone--don't get drunk and don't do drugs. But even with rules, the parties were wild, the girls and clients had fun, and there was money to be made. Detroit Madam is a story of the hustle, but more than that, it's a tale of love, family, friendship, relationships, loyalty, struggle, betrayal, and danger. As she managed her business, her girls, and her clients--all the while providing premium entertainment--Kandi did her best to hide her life as a madam from her mother. The men who fathered her four babies, while flawed in their own ways, provided the support she needed at given times. Kandi remained uncompromising throughout: be smart, take responsibility, keep things legit, jump at opportunity, watch out for your girls and yourself, and protect your kids.
