Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Molly Smith, Juno Mac

11 reviews

peppergp's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

5.0

Really clear description of the types of legal models of sex work (primarily selling sex directly) and how they fail and harm sex workers.  I really appreciated how it was grounded in a labor rights approach while still giving some time and thought to the real issues of gender and abuse (that usually dominate the discussion of sex work).  Great starting point for people who don’t know much about sex work.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use and Physical abuse

slowsho's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

happy_birthday's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Clearly written, convincingly argued, unfailingly persuasive. Probably as good as it gets in radical literature; the sort of book that sticks with you for years and years. Also a really good first book to read if you don't really know anything about sex work, political radicalism or the politics of liberation in general. This book covers not just sex work, but the closely related topics of policing, borders, work and many other things that make it an astoundingly effective primer if you're at all interested in leftist political ideas.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

beansandrice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book has become the foundation for my feminist politics, my queer politics, my labor politics, my immigration politics, and so much more. Revolting Prostitutes swings hard with both theory and grounded real-life analysis, and may be one of the most profound political texts written in this generation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia

This book is a thousand things, but at its foundations it's a book about the terrible things that happen to sex workers. It treats all graphic content with the respect and dignity it deserves, and discusses this heavy reality as a way to build to a more liberatory politics. That said, it's still a heavy read.

kirstenf's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, and Classism

sedgewren's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

A clear and sharp analysis of the failings of the regulations around the world that exacerbate the difficulties and dangers of sex workers' daily lives. Sex work is work, and most sex workers do sex work for the same reasons most people work: for an income to survive.

This book clarified my views and helped me think through my intersectional feminist politics and applying it to the controversial topic of sex work — the combination of thorough research and compelling anecdotes provided a compelling argument for decriminalisation of sex work (this leading to sex work being regulated just like the rest of the labour market). We should be centering the experiences of sex workers when talking about regulating sex work, and criminalisation does not lead to abolition.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to any feminists who are unsure what to think about prostitution, and also to any policymakers who want to help alleviate the suffering and difficulties of the most marginalised in our society.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

It’s really really informative. I would almost say it’s too much information for such a small book. You have to pay attention at all times. There’s so much to know and it’s an excellent book. I love that it is a book about sex work written by sex workers. I learned so much. I definitely would recommend to anyone curious about worldwide sex work. I really appreciated the different government perspectives as well as their perspectives and what they think is going right and what they’re getting wrong.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

ambero's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Murder

susannaobrien's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

An incredibly important read for anyone who claims to be a feminist or supporter of worker & human rights. Molly Smith and Juno Mac present a clear, compelling and thoroughly researched case for decriminalisation of sex work and surrounding policy reform. Their argument is based on the material experiences of actual, current sex workers (as opposed to misguided, paternalisti instincts of anti-prostitution feminists) and is underpinned by principles of harm reduction methods, that give sex workers more, not less, power as workers. They don't shy away from complexity in their arguments or solutions: they present the relative strengths and failings of various models; explain how sex worker's issues are inseparable from issues of poverty, migration controls, policing, racism, transphobia and more; and debunk myths that are pervasive in the "saviouristic" rhetoric around sex work. This is a brilliant introduction to the sex worker's rights movement and I want to recommend it to everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Abortion

snowhitereads's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

 

Revolting Prostitutes is a non fiction book about sex workers’ rights, written by two sex workers/activists.

It’s a really short book but a powerful one.

It's a succinct and reflective book that offers real insight into the actual lives of sex workers and the impacts of various legal models.

I learned so much with such a short book, it really helped me understand the basics of a very complex situation.

It does not sugarcoat the struggles of sex workers, nor does it demonizes them. 

The authors are also honest about their privelege and shortcoming as white sex workers and activists and about how BIPOC and LGBTQ+ sex workers are often the largest of those targeted under the harms of laws/opinions against sex workers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Trafficking