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bashsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Okay, first of all, I adore this style of book. I think everyone should be able to publish a short quick-and-dirty on whatever niche topic they know a lot about. I'm pleased to see the Inklings are not the only version of this (nor are they apparently anywhere near the originators!).
Onto the review of this specific book: Playing the Whore is only ten chapters long, and each chapter focuses on a different angle through which sex work is perceived, policed, and (mis)understood. That is a lot of information to cover in such a short book, and so I would say my biggest "critique" (if it could be even called that) is that I wanted to know more. I will be looking Grant up and reading more of her writing later to rectify this. Otherwise, I think this is a really good introduction to sex work as a political movement and also as a job, with the same complexities, boring realities, annoying customers, etc. as any other job. It also does a really good job in laying out the intersections between sex work movements and labor, health, gender, and queer movements.
I felt like it was really accessible for someone who is pretty ignorant of the specifics on sex work but is familiar with other sociopolitical movements (read: me) - I remember telling someone while reading it that it really held my hand without coddling me, which is something I always appreciate from this kind of introduction.
Onto the review of this specific book: Playing the Whore is only ten chapters long, and each chapter focuses on a different angle through which sex work is perceived, policed, and (mis)understood. That is a lot of information to cover in such a short book, and so I would say my biggest "critique" (if it could be even called that) is that I wanted to know more. I will be looking Grant up and reading more of her writing later to rectify this. Otherwise, I think this is a really good introduction to sex work as a political movement and also as a job, with the same complexities, boring realities, annoying customers, etc. as any other job. It also does a really good job in laying out the intersections between sex work movements and labor, health, gender, and queer movements.
I felt like it was really accessible for someone who is pretty ignorant of the specifics on sex work but is familiar with other sociopolitical movements (read: me) - I remember telling someone while reading it that it really held my hand without coddling me, which is something I always appreciate from this kind of introduction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Police brutality
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Trafficking
-Whorephobia -Saviorism Many of the tagged content warnings (except the graphic ones) are talked about in the context of misconceptions, exaggerations, or unnuanced engagement with sex work done by anti-sex work individuals or parties. A note about the murder warning specifically: there is a part where the author quotes a serial killer talking about why he targeted sex workers.casually_literate's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Grant's writing is captivating, witty, and intentional. This book is a quick read but it'll have you reeling. If this is a new topic you may need to take a break after a chapter or two to digest the content. There's a lot of incredibly important and insightful information in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, and Classism
nicnevin's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A brief treatise on the challenges faced by sex workers and the groups and institutions that are at the root of the issue. It highlights how sex worker exclusionary feminism fails the women it proclaims to protect and is a searing indicment of how violence against sex workers across the globe are tied intrinsically to police brutality and the violence of capitalism itself, that the supposed routes out of sex work given by NGOs and aid agencies can be worse than what they supposedly aim to protect them from.
A good introduction to leftists looking to learn about sex worker rights.
A good introduction to leftists looking to learn about sex worker rights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Trafficking
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