Customer Reviews

Memoirs of a Sex Industry Survivor

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a voice of clarity and truth amidst the cacophony of canned statements by sex industry representatives. Anne Bissell records with chilling accuracy the expendable nature of sex industry workers. Her characters grapple with the temptation to give in to society's demand for commodified female sexuality. Reading this book validated my own struggle to connect a sexually abusive childhood with my later work as a stripper. I recommend it to anyone who questions the death grip pornographers and "pimp culture" have on our society.
Jennifer Ross
former topless dancer

Kudos to Anne Bissell and her enlighting book on the harsh realities of being a sex worker. Bissell has so eloquently brought to light the damaged psyche of those who choose to work in this profession. I highly recommend this book for it's redeeming nature. I have been in the sex industry for the last ten years both as a stripper and an actress in porn. I am not proud of what I do and have given up on myself over and over. Unfortunately, the media continues to glamorize sex work without revealing the real truth. Bissell exposes the life circumstances and the dark cloud of shame that surrounds not only me but my fellow collegues. This book has inspired me to make a change in my life and for that I am deeply grateful.

Anne Bissell [is] the founder of Sex Industry Survivors Anonymous and has taken upon herself the mission of de-glamorizing the global sex trade. While Bissell's Memoirs Of A Sex Industry Survivor is a fictional story, she draws upon very real situations and presents the unvarnished truth of the hardships and exploitations of prostitution. An utterly compelling read that draws one into an inherently fascinating narration of the oppressions sex workers endure, Memoirs Of A Sex Industry Survivor is unique, compelling, informative, entertaining, and strongly recommended reading.

I am a survivor of incest and have found this book very hard to read, but true. The hard thing about it is that it is not sugar coated in anyway, but that is the best part about it. I love that it does not make the reality of the sex industry any less or more than it really is. I love the way Anne Bissell was able to show how many girls do enter the industry and how it reflects the victims mental status before, during, and after. I really feel that this book can help others not to judge so quickly and to possibly think of the life that a person might have lived prior to making the decission to enter into the sex industry.
I have never been in the industry, but I know that with my own personal abuse that I very well could have chosen that road. I was amazed to see many of the struggles and feelings expressed in this book were similar to my own. I applaud Anne's courage and strength to write a very moving book that will, in my opinion, open the eyes of all who read it.

Through the experiences of Juliet you are able to see just how easy the sex industry exploits womens lives. This book deglamorizes any notion you may have assumed about the sex industry.Through the life of Juliet you get a first-hand look at the horror that many of it's victims suffer through.This book gave a voice and light to the nameless NHI's who have died and were able to get their voice heard through the writing of Anne Bissel.Exposes the industry for what it is and the true dangers of the life. Describes prostitution as a dangerous addiction that needs to be evaluated and confronted.Great book I cannot wait until her next one.

I read this book recently and it was such a great read! I am a sexual abuse survivor myself, and this book really shows how one thing leads to another in the sex industry. This is a good book to read if you are a survivor yourself, or if you are curious how it is women (and some men, too) get into the sex industry (pornography films and magazines, strip clubs, prostitution, etc...). If more people knew how this cycle really worked, more women and children could be saved from a devastating life-style. Through this book, I learned that just because a person working in the sex industry smiles through his/her job does NOT mean they really want to be there. It's not so much a choice at that point - too much harm has already been done, and they feel as if there is really nowhere else to go. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ!

Memoirs is the book that will allow women and men like me to gain some nonjudgemental identification, the clear message that we are not alone, or are we unique in the pain before, dduring and post sex industry work. More importantly than all of these gifts, is the offer of the solution...Sex Industry Survivors Support groups.

These groups offer the possibility to recover from this vicious, often physical death and spiritual destruction. There is hope for healing through reading this book. I encourage everyone who has been there, is there or has family out there...to gain great understanding, about the real pain of the sex industry...there is no glamour or Pretty Woman movie in this lifestyle. Ms. Bissell gives great insight and empathy in her character Juliet West. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to the next book by Ms. Bissell, as I grew to care about her character Juliet...I'm anxious to know about life after the sex industry

This book could have great value. Ms. Bissell describes the abused, neglected and rejected chidhood of her character, her subsequent fall into the grips of the Sex Industry, her eventual brave recovery, and the way she's inspired and helped other women who are recovering from this terrible addiction. Unfortunately, there are only victims and villains in this book, pretty much stereotypes. Ms.Bissell implies that only girls from horrendous families with heartless, selfish, substance abusing, possibly criminal, monsters for parents, stepparents and foster parents can become ensnared in the Sex Industry. ... Ms. Bissell is strongest when she writes about her interactions with the recovering women she has known and worked with. Only then does she sound authentic. The editing is very sloppy; she should get a new editor and proofreader. I missed the presence of an "Acknowledgements" page from the author. I wanted to be reassured that her mother and father and sister weren't like the ones in the book. The dust cover tends to perpetuate the paradigm she is attacking. This book probably will have a certain large audience given its important subject matter, title, and dust cover. But it could serve a much wider more influential audience if it were better written and more tastefully presented.

This book was great...next to Lap Dancer and the fairly
new release..Dance to Despair , memoirs of an exotic dancer..
it was one of my favorites...these women ought to get together
and go on the Ophra show...you all have incredible stories
that I think would intrigue the public....

After finally receiving this book, I found myself reading it hour after hour!! Reading this book has helped me in so many ways. The things she talks about is just what it is like. I was an escort for 4 years and should know!! She made it out and so I have. So I encourage anyone who is struggling with this so called lifestyle to get it RIGHT NOW!!!!!