Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

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

19 reviews

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.

hippiequeen's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

Extremely interesting yet I found it very slow-paced and mostly repetitive. Took me 6 months to read it (I would pick it up here and then), but I would recommend it to someone who was interested in the subject. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

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

aiyam's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

snailspace's review against another edition

4.5

Incredible starter primer on the arguments around decriminalization of sex work around the world, as opposed to legalization of certain tiers or types of workers, or criminalization of clients. I learned a lot and thought the authors tied in border / police abolition in helpful ways, although I believe they could have been more explicit about the goal of police abolition as a necessary goal for the poverty, violence, exploitation, dehumanization, and stigma proceeding from sex work today to be eradicated.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence

tuesday_evening's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Abortion, and Gaslighting