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Stung with the bitter loss of the life she had built, Gladys's story from The Girl from Old Nichol continues with Gladys as a housekeeper for the wealthy widower, James Hornby. 

Reunited with Toughie for one night before he leaves for New York with his bride, their romantic interlude leaves Gladys alone and pregnant. Fearing the workhouse, Gladys confesses all to James, who offers to marry her and legitimize Toughie’s baby. The new family lives happily, adding a daughter of their own. 

When Toughie returns years later as a widower, he meets his son and begs Gladys to travel to New York with him. Torn between the man she has loved since childhood and a comfortable life of luxury for herself and her children, Gladys faces a decision that will only lead to devastation; no matter what choice she makes, someone will be hurt and abandoned.

This is a raw and powerful memoir not only of one woman’s struggle to survive the streets but also of her ascent to the top ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs were members of her own. At age five Sonia Rodriguez’s stepfather began to abuse her; at 10 she was molested by her uncle and beaten by her mother when she told on him; and by 13 her home had become a hangout for the Latin Kings and Queens who were friends with her older sister. Threatened by rival gang members at school, Sonia turned away from her education and extracurricular activities in favor of a world of drugs and violence. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became her refuge, but its violence cost her friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly her life. As a Latin Queen, she experienced the exhilarating highs and unbelievable lows of gang life. From being shot at by her own gang and kicked out at age 18 with an infant daughter to rejoining the gang and distinguishing herself as a leader, her legacy as Lady Q was cemented both for her willingness to commit violence and for her role as a drug mule. For the first time, a woman’s perspective on gang life is presented.