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Melissa Gira Grant

Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work Paperback – March 11, 2014

by Melissa Gira Grant (Author)

138 ratings

Part of: Jacobin (13 books)

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Recent years have seen a panic over “online red-light districts,” which supposedly seduce vulnerable young women into a life of degradation, and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s live tweeting of a Cambodian brothel raid. But rarely do these fearful, salacious dispatches come from sex workers themselves, and rarely do they deviate from the position that sex workers must be rescued from their condition, and the industry simply abolished — a position common among feminists and conservatives alike.

In Playing the Whore, journalist Melissa Gira Grant turns these pieties on their head, arguing for an overhaul in the way we think about sex work. Based on ten years of writing and reporting on the sex trade, and grounded in her experience as an organizer, advocate, and former sex worker, Playing the Whore dismantles pervasive myths about sex work, criticizes both conditions within the sex industry and its criminalization, and argues that separating sex work from the “legitimate” economy only harms those who perform sexual labor. In Playing the Whore, sex workers’ demands, too long relegated to the margins, take center stage: sex work iswork, and sex workers’ rights are human rights.

Print length

144 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Verso
Publication date

March 11, 2014
Dimensions

5.05 x 0.37 x 7.78 inches
ISBN-10

1781683239
ISBN-13

978-1781683231
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Collectively as a society we've got a whole bunch of tangled, warped intuitions and policies towards the exchange of money for sex. Melissa Gira Grant does a remarkable job of rigorously teasing these apart and righteously scrapping those she finds wanting. Her work has been hugely influential in how I think about sex work and outright changed my mind on a number of points. She's a must read.”
—Chris Hayes, All In With Chris Hayes

“An important contribution to debates around sex and work, and deserves to be read by anyone who wants to get beyond tired and damaging understandings of both.”
—Nina Power, author of One Dimensional Woman

“Thoroughly researched, eminently readable...Keeping the focus on ideas instead of autobiography has an impressively unsettling effect, as we're forced to acknowledge the writer's boundaries, and our own voyeurism.”
—Village Voice

"Gira Grant is one of the most interesting policy thinkers in the country when it comes to sex work, and this short book introduces and outlines her thinking on the matter.”
—Mike Konczal, Washington Post

“An informative and extremely worthwhile addition to the existing body of literature on sex work.”
—Stoya, adult performer and Vice columnist

“Learn, listen, take heart—this is the real deal.”
—Susie Bright, sex and culture critic, and founder of On Our Backs

“Well-researched and provocative … A vital text on an incendiary topic.”
—Lily Burana, author of I Love a Man in Uniform and Strip City

“Gira Grant weaves her way through sanctimony and hypocrisy with wit, eloquence, insight, and a dose of necessary outrage.”
—Laura Kipnis, author of How to Become a Scandal

“Makes precisely clear that a culture that polices, silences and marginalizes women who sell sex is a culture that cares nothing about women. Period.”
—Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness

“As self-appointed saviors like Nicolas Kristof command mainstream media attention for their crusade on behalf of trafficked women, Melissa Gira Grant provides a sharp and powerful counternarrative, a layered, justice-minded critique of such interventions as well as a much needed skewering of ‘carceral feminism.’ An important, illuminating and engaging read.”
—Liliana Segura, Senior Editor, The Intercept (First Look Media)

“In [Playing the Whore], Grant critiques the policing of sex workers, the conditions of the industry, and the ongoing discussions surrounding how we see the sex industry as well as the sex workers themselves. [She] hits the major points of these huge topics and takes a powerful stance on the rights of sex workers.”
—River H. Kero, Book Riot

“In [Playing the Whore], Grant critiques the policing of sex workers, the conditions of the industry, and the ongoing discussions surrounding how we see the sex industry as well as the sex workers themselves. [She] hits the major points of these huge topics and takes a powerful stance on the rights of sex workers.” —River H. Kero, Book Riot

About the Author

Melissa Gira Grant is a writer and freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Glamour, the Guardian, the Nation, Wired, and the Atlantic. She is also a Contributing Editor to Jacobin.
Her website is melissagiragrant.com.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Verso (March 11, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1781683239
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1781683231
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.05 x 0.37 x 7.78 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #306,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #255 in Labor & Industrial Relations (Books)
- #259 in Labor & Industrial Economic Relations (Books)
- #333 in Human Rights Law (Books)

Customer Reviews:
138 ratings

About the author

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Melissa Gira Grant

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I’m a journalist and author, covering sexual politics and human rights. I'm a columnist for Pacific Standard, and my reporting and commentary has appeared in The Nation, The New York Times, BuzzFeed, VICE, Wired, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Dissent, among other publications. I'm the author of Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work. I live in New York.

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		8%
3 star		9%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

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Mark

An interesting book that I highlighted a lot in

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

An interesting book that I highlighted a lot in. It’s about how police and many feminists, especially anti-prostitution activists, have no clue about sex work and cause more harm than good. What made it more than just a text book is its clear insider knowledge by the author. Grade: B+

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

AC

awesome book!

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great book, thanks!

Helpful

kambizT

Educating for any reader

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

One of the best books on sex work, views, lobbies, history and movements and politics of it. I am usually hesitant to read books on this subject since usually the books on area of sex work are fantasy tale of good and evil with erotic dressing. After reading the review of the book on Boston Review, I started reading the book. It is a very good read and educates the reader very well.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Interesting and valid points, but repetitive.

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

Strong and passionate, and in my opinion, accurate argument on how women working as sex workers are mistreated by societal institutions that are made to protect them and everybody else. After the third or fourth chapter, the arguments get repetitive causing it to become a boring read. This is unfortunate because I think the arguments and topics are vital, but the delivery takes away from that.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

A

In my opinion (as a SW) , there are better SW reads.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

As someone in the industry. I found this book to be - just okay.... I began to feel as if I was reading a daunting incoherent debate. Though she does make great points, her wording and the lack of flow throughout the entire book can be a bit - odd. Whether the arguments were not presented with enough clarity or information, or the lack of directed focus caused the difficulties I am not quite sure, but the promise was a far cry from the reality in this book.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brent Dyer

Well-written but basic and unsourced. Don't spend the money unless you are looking for a primer on the topic.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

I bought this book expecting a well-sourced, thoughtful discussion of the history and present reality of sex work. It did not meet my expectations.

The author writes well, and she does a passable job of providing an overview of the issues raised by sex work, but it is only an overview. The book is surprisingly short and offers virtually no substantive analysis of the topics presented. Most disappointing for me, however, was the total absence of any citations to sources. It is simply inexcusable to present conclusions that are often antithetical to the majority views held by society and not provide any source for the conclusions.

There are much better sources of information on the topics presented available for free on the internet. It would be worth the price to read this capable author's in depth exploration of these issues (with footnotes, please), but the cursory treatment of the subject matter does not justify the relatively high purchase price.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jacob Santillan

Extreme Consciousness Raising

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2014

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I don't remember reading a more consciousness-raising book before this one. Grant potently lays out the hypocrisy of anti-sex work folks and just how terrible the "Rescue Industry" is. It's appalling, as are the hypocrisies of the anti-sex work reformers when it comes to their complicity in the police brutality and sexual assault sex workers face as a result of criminalization and stigmatization.

Be prepared to have any previous assumptions, perceptions, or prejudices you may have about sex work and sex workers powerfully challenged. It takes a lot of courage to advocate for the rights of sex workers, particularly in a country like America, where our handling of human sexuality is ridiculous and slut-shaming can be a powerful deterrent,

Much thanks to Guardian columnist Margaret Corvid for referring me to this book.

18 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016

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Thanks!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Tamsyn

Fantastic summary of the legal situation and societal attitudes around sex work.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Not necessarily new information for those already involved academia or activism in this area but definitely one of the most concise summaries I've ever come across, with great references to other resources you can follow up with in order to read in greater depth. It's also really accessible and easy to get to grips with for those who may not know much about the language or the politics around prostitution. Fantastic.

2 people found this helpful

Bee

A small but vital text.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

Anyone wishing to understand the state of sex work in the UK needs to read this text. It's small but gets right to the point.

Tezza

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

present for my daughter - her choice

2 people found this helpful

jodie louise

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

A book that everyone needs to read.

One person found this helpful

Heather Number 1

like all work

Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

Sex work is work. Anyone who claims to be a feminist while ignoring this fact (and, like all work, it can include a spectrum of exploitation to mastery – see also: slave labour in garment factories to millionaire haute couture designers) has an agenda that will leave a lot of women hurt and dead.

4 people found this helpful

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Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work Paperback – March 11, 2014

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Melissa Gira Grant

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