Reviews with content warning for Murder - Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights

Did I like this book? Yes and no. Let’s start with the negative.

The writing style was quite dense and academic so although this is to be expected for a piece of non - fiction, it was quite inaccessible in my opinion. Additionally there was a lot on what is happening that does not help sex workers and very little in comparison on what would help.

Despite this I found it a very interesting read! Despite the slow pace, I was always reading more and enjoyed learning about an area that I don’t know much about. There was lots of data and references to further information.

Overall I enjoyed this text although I found it difficult to read at times which has brought the rating down.

Content Warnings

lochanreads's review

Go to review page

challenging informative tense slow-paced

4.0

Revolting Prostitutes is an unswerving, staunchly worded books that opposes patriarchal labour and policing law, expressing how these forces actively harm sex workers across the world today.

Content Warnings

n_t_sh_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

As a piece of non fiction, this is a spectacular piece of research and a tribute to the struggle of sex workers' to be acknowledged as worker's and not as social reprobates.
An emotionally challenging read. Not just because of the awful treatment towards sex workers' but also the vitriol from others (mostly not sex workers') who feel their opinion is more important than asking the demographic being addressed, in this case sex workers', what they feel they need.
I did also find the different political terminology a challenge but very well explained by the authors.
There are some ideas in here that I find a bit frustrating, because they seem too big to achieve but that is not the fault of the authors', but the fault of the law and society at large.

Content Warnings

lauradvb's review

Go to review page

challenging informative inspiring

4.0

Content Warnings

ambero's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

Content Warnings

pathfinder's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

So digestible. Honestly everyone should read this book.

Content Warnings

susannaobrien's review

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...