Customer Reviews

Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A fun, amusing read with solid scholarly underpinnings that should further galvanize the growing movement to legalize prostitution. Anyone who stands against the exploitation of women must know that removing the fear of criminal prosecution will empower women who wish to earn a living by renting their bodies for sexual recreation, wipe out human-trafficking rings and vicious pimps who clog our criminal justice system -- and add billions of dollars to our national coffers. What this country needs in every neighborhood is an old-fashioned, well-run whorehouse -- the kind with a guy playing piano in the parlor -- and Gene Simmons has made his case with this fascinating potpourri of social history and SEX!

This book is a very easy, fast read. Since it's clear that Gene and his co-author (Julie McCarron) had done their homework, I wish they had included their sources, because I'd love to be able to cite some of the information that was included. Since they chose to omit references, that leaves it an entertaining book, but unfortunately not one that can be used credibly in serious discussions on the topic.

I understand that he wrote this to reach the widest audience possible, but I think it could have easily been written at higher than a third-grade reading level: as most people have graduated high school these days, if not attended at least some college.

Overall, this is still a very beautifully-produced and enjoyable book.

Did you know Gene Simmons was a teacher before he was the front man for the rock group KISS? Well he was. And Proffessor Simmons gives an interesting history lesson of the ladies of the night.

Gene calmly narrates this scholarly work..and keeps the listener rivited. He does not down the subject of his discourse, he praises them. He shows their legacy from early cavemen days to modern day. He shows he is great teacher teaching a lesson of history unknown to many. He even covers the relationship of Jesus and Mary..without sounding preachy



If you are expecting something KISS like you will be disappointed. This audio is a great lecture about the oldest proffessor that should be taught in high school or college..Great work and great use of the subject matter

So Professor Simmons, with an audio that is this good..when is your next intriging history lesson. With you teaching this, I am an apt pupil and all ears!

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

I've got to admit, the Gene Simmons POV really grows on you.... Here he's as diplomatic as ever, this time tackling--wait for it--SEX, or as he insists: "The oldest profession in the world."

This is a hot topic, put briefly and (dare I say it) eloquently.

I was totally impressed by the book itself--classic in its look and style. This one's for any history lovers, fans of Gene/Family Jewels/SEX MONEY KISS, fans of sex (and money and KISS), art...you get the point. Well worth the 40 bucks (or 20-something if you buy on Amazon).

Another literary classic from a greedy, egomaniac, over-the-hill rocker, that will never be happy until he's taken every last penny from KISS fans around the world. Simmons argues that prostitution has been a way for women to "monetize" the "only thing that women have ever owned." His book makes prostitution seem glamorous, without bringing up any of the dark side of it. As usual, the only part of it he really relates to is the money.

I am surprised by others' reviews, given that I found Ladies of the Night more cover and less content and not unlike the approach that every school yearbook takes. Do grown-ups know so little about the subject? I had really hoped for more, given the hype.

Gene has had a tendency in the past to be somewhat obnoxious in interviews and in his writing. However, this time out he has written a well thought out book that is very fun to read. It provides a high level overview of the "oldest profession in the world". It is interesting and thought-provoking. I think you would be hard pressed to disagree with Gene on this one!

It's the the 1st chapter that was the worst, he just talks about how a woman has power over a man because of her sex (okay), and then he talks (quoted directly) "Her value, she realized, was the children she could bear and the sex she could offer" and he goes on to say "Women are biologically (pardon me) desperate" (direct quote)...So yeah, if you are an old man who lived in the time of ignorance...But I kinda wanted to vomit when I was reading this.

His explanation for such claims was also really bad, and really inaccurate. He isn't a scientist and he tries to back up his claims with science as if he knows science.

After chapter one, his historical information on prostitution was not THAT bad but that is probably because he's not too bad at looking up information and putting it in his book.

I was hoping to find an interesting, acknowledging read on prostitution...This isn't it.


The book looks nice though.

Gene Simmons of "KISS" fame is, of course partially known for his legions of women fans and his unabashed appreciation of their regard. He is less known, perhaps, insofar as I know, for his deep respect for his fascinating mother and his companion, the beautiful but grounded Shannon Tweed. So, given the fact that Simmons has been surrounded for decades by women both empowered and not, it is perhaps not surprising that he chose to write about the "world's oldest profession" which, largely, has been a feminine domain (with multitudinous exceptions).

Simmons does not believe in the institution of marriage, and his personal philosophy regarding the proper relationships between man and woman is either profoundly off-putting or curiously frank and enlightened, depending on your point of view. But at least his writing provokes thought about the commodification of the female body as a source of empowerment, sometimes, the only empowerment women were ever able to enjoy for much of human history. Simmons admits freely that he is not discussing the dark side of prostitution and celebrating sexual exploitation and enslavement. He is, rather, discussing the role prostitution has played in the lives of some women and how some turned it into a kind of liberation through money and goods in exchange for sexual favors in order to craft their own worlds and their own realities in the very teeth of hostile societies. And this almost Foucaultian idea, the commodifcation of body and acquisition of liberation through money (i.e. "power-knowledge"), is an intriguing take on the old question of whether or not prostitution is "good," "bad," or "somewhere in between depending."

I did not care for the first chapter which I thought a little pseudo-scientific and which radially oversimplifies human sexuality in general, but past that, the prose is very, very simple and a very fast read. The history, while selectively chosen to support the hypothesis, is competent and generally correct, although not especially scholarly in presentation. But this is not Simmons' aim, so that is really beside the point. And, he punctuates his text with a pleasing and dry sense of humor that does not mock the subject and reduce it to a chauvanistic meditation. And, to Simmons credit, I found absolutely nothing but regard - even respect - for his selected subjects.

Do I agree with Simmons? No, not especially. But the text did make me think about an old issue I have not thought of in years in a new way, and that's always appreciated.

The last thing I will mention is that this book, while coffee table size, is very attractive and solidly constructed. The reprinted images of famous works like "The Harlot's Progress" and Roman frescoes are complimentary to the text and well chosen in very high-quality repro. But parents should be warned that many of these images are graphic and not suitable for minor children.

Recommended for those who want an engaging and attractive primer on the history of prostitution or who have an interest in Simmons' personal philosophy. And certainly, any KISS fan would love it.

I thought is was a really fun book, Simmons understands the art of entertainment! I admire the hard work that clearly went into writing the book, a work ethic to back up his well thought out insights. Bottom line, he wrote a great book!!