Customer Reviews

To Love, to Obey, to Serve: Diary of an Old Guard Slave

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

... but it is brutally real.
If you are looking for fantasy fodder, look elsewhere. This is reality, raw and unpolished.
Vi is one of the Mothers of the modern BDSM scene. She put her life out there so that others could learn from her mistakes. Anyone who ever thought it would be a good idea to sign their life completely over to someone should be made to read this book before they continue along that path. As the saying goes - Be careful what you wish for.
This book is an emotional roller coaster. When Mother Vi writes about her mother I was moved to tears. I felt angry for her when she was "forgotten" by her owners. The thing that drove me to turn the page was the realization that this is as real as it gets. This happened.
If you've been in the scene long enough, some of the players will sound familiar. This just adds to the weight of its truthfulness. And although there are always several versions of the truth, rarely will you ever find someone with the guts to tell their version of it with such frank honesty.
Mother Vi lays it all on the line so that we may learn and grow. To that I say "Thank You."

I got this book as a gift, and started reading it voraciously. I got it to learn what the Old Guard way of life was. I, too, am a Dominant Woman, and I play 100% SSC, but some of the things that Vi was put through was just plain bordering on abusive. there is a very fine line between what we do and abuse, I know.. I remain appalled with the way she was treated by some of her "owners". Yet, she never complained, except in the pages of her journal. So, to say that it was abusive may be too harsh. Yet, abused women rarely, if ever, speak up in vanilla worlds or safeword in a BDSM world... or even begin to know how to save themselves from more pain. If I was reading reviews, and trying to decide whether to buy this book or not, I would advise to read it more for the informative nature of this type of servitude, a book to learn more about "Old Guard" type of BDSM.. or even to learn how not to do things, if you are budding Dominant. It was very obvious that Vi loved her tormentors, but I wonder if the first 2 loved her in the least. I started to read this book, because I wanted to learn about the "old" way of BDSM.. Boy, did I ever. No thank you..

and that is, as they say, our choice.. no?
Lynne

I have many people who go on and on about the "good old days" of SM -- frankly I think their romantic notions need a bit of checking and this diary does it. It is a bit difficult to follow because it is in diary form. You will be shocked, you will be frightened, and you may be turned-off especially if you came into BDSM in the 1990s when SSC because was pretty standard. Because it is a diary, because it attempts to look at Johnson's life, there is little reflection or questioning of the events and people protrayed though there are entries where such analysis does appear it is still from within the mindset of an "old guard slave". For people who "pine for the good old days" this can be a reality check but it may not have been the average reality for every person in the SM lifestyle in the 1970s and 1980s.

This book is a reprint of a real live slave's journal. This work affords an opportunity to peer into the life of one of the few people whom have had the courage and strength to devote themselves to true 24x7 servitude.

However, you should be prepared for the fact that a slave's journal is not intended to be literary masterpiece and you will often find yourself wishing for more detail about events or the thoughts of others.

It is rare to get a real, unhyped view into the hardcore S&M scene, which makes this book potentially interesting. However, just like many things, real life isn't always as exciting as fantasy.

As real as it gets. This brutally honest book describes in sometimes graphic detail the life, love and thoughts of an old guard slave, directly from her journals over several years. Vi Johnson began her journey as a slave at the time when "...the concept of a 'safeword' would get you laughed out of a public playspace". If you want to get a true feel for what it is like to be a true slave in every sense of the word, this is a *must read*.

As an Old Guard submissive, I was amazed by Vi Johnson's diary. I, too, am expected to keep a journal but the depth of mine does not compare to hers. Expectations differ by Dominant. While my Dominant does not expect me to construct a dungeon in Her home and would absolutely kill me if I were to turn to drugs, She does expect me to change in the ways She considers to be growth. This isn't easy but, after reading this book, I now appreciate how much my Dominant cares. I highly recommend this book to any submissive who thinks there's more to BDSM but doesn't know where to look.

Vi Johnson has written one of the best first hand accounts of consensual slavery ever written and provides a perspective from well before BDSM was nearly as popular as it is today. I could not put the book down, except to make myself digest sections of it before going on. This is not a "how to" book, nor is it romance, though the love she has for the people in the book does shine through. This is not a book intended for one handed reading, its not racey or sexy nor does it cater to fantasy. What it does provide is the truth in a no holds barred account about one persons first hand experences.

An emotional rollercoaster for any submissive or slave to read. i was moved by vi's dedication even when the Mistress she had been contracted to abandoned her emotionally and turned deep into a drugged existance. This is a no holds barred account of the real BDSM world, no fairytale soft sell... Dungeons, Knife Play, Canning... "Safe Words" forget it you are owned, bought and sold at the wim of your Master or Mistress. This is one honest diary and will open eyes to a reality rarely experience yet often fantasized about.

While I admire Ms. Johnson's amazing trajectory through the Leather world, and laud her substantial accomplishments, this book is not one of her finest works. I do understand that this is a reprint of her journal; however, some (well, lots) of judicious editing could have made what is a confusing jumble of narrative and impressions into something worth reading. It was an effort to plow through dozens of unclear, badly punctuated, plainly badly written pages to try to extract her meaning. Some of it is harrowing; some is beautiful, but to get to these little nuggets of readability and authenticity was a painful process. I hate to say it, but unfortunately such lack of quality is "par for the course" with BDSM books, including personal narrative. Save your money.

I will say, however, there may be a newly edited version of this about (I have seen it for sale); if this subject matter is what you seek, get the newly edited version and hope for the best. I for one will not allow a second chance.

WOW!!! If you are submissive or have ever dreamed of being a 24/7 slave you've gotta read this. Masters tell the story one way, this woman tells it no holds barred.