Customer Reviews

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I went to Modern Times Bookstore in San Francisco to hear some of the contributors read from this remarkable anthology. These are people who reside on the front lines of humanity, experiencing life's extremes. There's no doubt these stories, poems and essays are naughty and provocative, but they are also ultimately revealing about America's obsession and hang-ups with sex. Putting this book together was a labor of love for David Henry Sterry and R. J. Martin (no strangers to hardscrabble lives themselves), and it's a tremendous achievement.
--Kemble Scott, bestselling author of SoMa and The Sower

August 10, 2009: Sterry and Martin have managed to bring together a crazy quilt of essays, and work the fabric of the anthology into a rich tapestry. Their successful collaboration initially grew out of workshops conducted at SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) and came to fruition in part, due to determination to give back to a community to which they swear allegiance, if no longer active participation. The entries are loosely grouped under the book's subtitle: life, love, money and sex; though they could be categorized interchangeably since all are inextricably connected. Some of the narratives are polished and savvy, or wonderfully matter of fact about the all too often hushed and vilified matters of fact under consideration. Some are as hard and rough as drug addiction that dogs a body and soul. Others reveal a tarnished realism about the painful truths of being in the life. Many include family relations issues that are not exclusive to hos, hookers, call girls and rent boys; to one degree or another we all know mothers who are witches and fathers who are brutes, lovers and others who berate or betray. The most compelling are those which give voice to the most vulnerable, in the chapter written by sexually exploited youth. Helping Daddy Pay the Rent is a devastating indictment of societal neglect and despicable acts of parental desperation combust in one abused child that will tear at your heart.

The writing is diverse and eclectic, a mirror into the nature of the industry itself. Sex workers with advanced academic degrees, porn stars and anonymous phone operators, exotic dancers in various states of gender and undress, have more in common than sex for money; they are united in their courage to tell their stories. They unabashedly relate their emotions, actions and reactions, in situations from victimization to domination, hunger to satiation; size twelve stiletto wearing cross dressers, full body massage providers, plaster casted exhibitionists all tell their tales in gripping first person I-live(d)-it-so-there's-no-sugar-coating-it manner. Hearts, heads and other assorted body parts, seedy strip joints, broken down bars and spirits, upscale hotels and high rollers are exposed with unflinching candor and gritty authenticity, bringing to light the world of industrial sex workers.

This book is more than an interesting and affecting read. In its entirety, in its insistence that the gamut of personal histories about sex/money/power/frailty is a reflection of the human condition, it speaks to a broad audience. A bit of paraphrasing may serve to place the content in its most valuable context: Roman philosopher, Terence, said nothing in humanity can be alien to man; and renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung said that light is revealed by uncovering shadow. HHCG&RB presents the universality of ancient archetypal themes playing out in modern day scenes, and in doing so, uncovers shadow for all.

A most interesting read.
A new view point of those in the sex industry, when you find out they are most times, the boy or girl next door. If your looking for a book full of trash, this is not for you.

This book has six sections. It is comprised mostly of short stories as well as some poems written, by my count, 69 authors, some of whom remain anonymous. A significant number are by gay males. Any compendium featuring so many different perspectives is bound to be somewhat uneven in content. Some of the stories are quite compelling. Particularly those involving the abuse and exploitation of minors. The ingrained contempt held by some providers for customers is evidenced. Though several stories speak of some affection for some customers. A worthwhile read.

An interesting peek into the lives of people caught up in the sex industry, though without ever going into real depth, which made it seem more voyeuristic than anything else. More insight into what brought them there in the first place, the difficulties in extricating themselves from it and what some of the long term effects were upon them would have added trmendously to this compendium.

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys is a collection of essays, stories and poems by people who work or have previously worked in the sex industry. Unlike similar books, this one stands out by portraying the full spectrum of experiences: from the 'happy hooker' who feel empowered by her work, to the child fleeing sexual abuse from her father who finds herself forced into a life of prostitution at the cruel hands of a pimp. Representatives from just about every aspect of sex work are represented here, from phone entertainers to street hustlers to highly paid escorts.

Not all of the pieces focus on the work itself; one of the most moving is one woman's account of her mother's rejection when she reveals that she has been stripping. This book is a good place to start for the reader curious about what it is like working in the sex industry as it shows the good and bad but is always honest.

This collection of essays rarely gets to the heart of the matter; why the writers chose the lifestyle. Instead, it alternates between funny anecdotes and scary experiences. The writing is not brilliant and in many cases comes across as shallow and self-satisfied - I'm not interested in hearing how great it is/was to be a whore. If you are interested in a collection of essays/poems/anecdotes, by all means pick this up. If you are looking for something that speaks more about the human condition, you're best off looking somewhere else.

Sex workers speak for themselves in this blunt collection of essays, "Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rent Boys" edited by David Henry Sterry and R.J. Martin, Jr. Sterry is best-known as the author of the memoir "Chicken" which describes the nine-month period he spent as a male prostitute at the age of 17 for wealthy and elderly women in San Francisco. Sterry points out in his introduction that participants in the sex industry range in character from the poor and abused who tend to be characterized as victims, to middle and upper-class women and men who enter the trade with their eyes open. He writes "[o]ne of the saddest things I discovered as I penetrated deeper and deeper [sic] into this sex business war was that neither side seems to be able to easily acknowledge the truth of the other." (p. 5)

The essays bring the perspectives of the abused to the seemingly empowered to bear on the timeless exchange of sex for money. Some of the essays are by sex workers who have earned advanced degrees and professions while others are by the most abused streetwalker. The essays describe the participants' attitudes towards their trade, their backgrounds, and their relationship to family friends, clients, coworkers, and pimps. Some of the essays show literary polish while others are raw. The latter essays have more of a sense if immediacy, passion, and, frequently, anger.

Sterry divides the collection into six chapters, the first four of which are captioned "life", "love", "money", and "sex". The final two chapters of the book differ in character from what proceeds. They consist of short paragraphs of largely anonymous writing which results from various outreach programs in which sex workers are encouraged to reflect upon their lives and put their thoughts on paper. These two final chapters include some of the best and most disturbing material in the book, particularly a harrowing essay of a little over one page called "Helping Daddy Pay the Rent."

The materials vary in tone and quality. The opening piece by Annie Sprinkle, PhD offers "Forty Reasons why Whores are my Heroes", but most of the contributors see considerably less to celebrate. Sterry's own essay, "I was a Birthday Present for an Eighty-Two Year-Old Grandmother and April Daisy White's "The First Time", which describes the difficulty of determining when one crosses the line to become a paid sex worker, are among the better efforts in the book's first chapter. The book's second chapter, which deals with a variety of relationships between sex workers and their families may be the most interesting of the four. Laura Shaw's "Mother-Daughter Day" and Anastasia Krylov's "My Daughter is a Prostitute" offer portraits of parental unhappiness when they discover their daughters' career choices. In chapter three, Sadie Lune's essay "Envelopes" and Dianna Morgaine's "A Little Crispy Around the Edges" are among the more perceptive in discussing their various perceptions of the relationship between sex and money. And in the fourth chapter, Matilda Bernstein Sycamore's essay "All that Sheltering Emptiness" discusses the thin line that sometimes separates consensual from nonconsensual paid sex.

The overall aim of these essays is to show sex workers and their clients as well as flawed but valuable human beings. Sexuality, and the portion of its expression that involves monetary exchange, are never-ending sources of fascination. This collection offers insight into the paid sex that is, for both sex workers and their clients, an embarrassing but seemingly inevitable part of human sexual experience.

Robin Friedman

This anthology of writings by people who have all been part of the sex trade is much better than many of the others on the market that are simply porn masquerading as contemporary literature or research studies. The two previous books this reviewer was given to review went right into the trash where they belonged after reading only a portion of the stories and then checking the biographies of the contributors. The stated agendas of the writers didn't match the drivel contained in their books. Those books didn't have any redeeming values. This book, however, has real value.
One of the two editors of this book wrote a best selling book, "Chicken," but has long since retired from the sex trade and is now volunteering with a San Francisco mission-like organization called SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) "that offers medical, emotional, and vocational help to people who've worked in the sex business." As that editors says: "Since I was living in San Francisco at the time, I began by establishing a writing program in the basement."
"Every Tuesday afternoon in the basement of SAGE on Mission Street, in San Francisco, right across the street from a porn emporium, my ex-literary agent/now wife...ran a writer's workshop."
"My wife, who had absolutely never sold sex for money, was shocked to discover that the level of writing talent and story telling skill was often higher in that basement than it was among the published authors who sent her manuscripts in her capacity as a literary agent."
"Bear in mind that all the stories written at SAGE are first drafts, written in forty minutes. Which, to my mind, makes them even more remarkable. And because many of these people don't have email addresses or reliable telephone numbers, there was no way even to do second drafts or edits on the pieces they wrote. I look at these stories kind of like the recordings of anonymous but brilliant musicians that folklorist Alan Lomax made for the Library of Congress. I believe that, raw as they are, they're a true piece of Americana."
All that said, some of the writings in this book will stun the reader. Many of the poems or single-page life incidents described, will as we used to say, "knock the reader for a loop." Some of these stories are very, very powerful and it's obvious from the way they are written that they are true.
The book's material is divided into six main categories, "Life, Love, Money, Sex, The Sage Stories and National Summit of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth." This reader particularly enjoyed the story, "The Accidental Hooker" that was contributed by Georgina Spelvin former porn actress who is best known for "The Devil in Miss Jones." The author met the infamous movie actress when she came to meet him in a high-end Beverly Hills Delicatessen. She wanted to write a book about her life story.
She "worked her ass off" as the author amusingly described her tackling her writing tasks. "She has a real old-school work ethic. Nose to the grindstone. Elbow grease. Of all the book doctor clients I've ever had, and I've had many of them, Georgina was the most fun to work with. An easy laugh, a dry, ironic, naughty sense of humor, and a lifetime of observing the human condition the way only she can."
Georgina's story is from one of the most successful writers included in the anthology. Other professional, ex-professionals, writers such as Xaviera Hollander also contributed to this collection. While Hollander's piece is called, "Five Things I Learned Being a Happy Hooker,'" some of the short stories from the SAGE basement are infinitely more powerful. There are several related memories from Anonymous Writers.
This collection of tales edited by David Henry Sterry and R.J. Martin, Jr. will provide a glimpse into the lives and characters of the oldest profession that will literally astound the average middle-class reader. Say good-bye to the old stereotypes.

This is pretty gripping and interesting and most of the stories you read, you'll wish they were longer or that that particular author had written an autobiography that you could buy. This has a little bit of everything. But the last couple of sections of the book seem directionless, too short and also have little to do with prostitution--or anything for that matter. But it is such a short section of the book that I wouldn't NOT buy the book just based on those last few short sections. The first 80% of the book is quite gripping. I read the other reviews before I bought this and I disagree with the assessment that the writing is not that good. In fact, almost all of the writing in this collection is far better than the average novel you pull off the shelf at your local bookstore. A lot of these people clearly missed their calling. I think this is worth buying and worth reading if you want to know more about the lives of prostitutes/sex workers. I would definitely read any other books most of these authors may have written and will definitely now read Sterry's autobiography.