This is an attractively packaged anthology of first-person oral histories -- each ranging in length from two paragraphs to five to six pages max -- penned by people in The Life: higher-priced call girls, street hookers, brothel workers, pimps, men and boys working off the streets or on Craigslist, S&M workers, trannies, strippers putting themselves through college, drug addicts hooking on the side, and a lot of other people whose modus operandi and identity are not always well elaborated. The co...

The “oldest profession” continues to be a great source of curiosity, disgust, and wonder even to this day, and I am not immune to the fascinating nuances of its practice. For this reason, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it sitting on the library shelf.Sterry, himself a former “Rent Boy,” put together a compilation of diverse stories about the lives of sex workers. My fear when reading this at first was that it would glorify one aspect of sex work; namely the experience of the empowere...

So far doesn't disappoint, and such a variety of experiences! Wish I'd been able to contribute. Why am I always irrationally jealous of Audacia Ray? Can't tell you which page I'm on, as I'm skipping around delightfully as one can do with a really good anthology. It's cool that D Henry Sterry, who was prostituted as a child, instead of joining the anti-traffiking movement, joined the sex worker's rights movement instead, recognizing his experience as isolated (though not isolated enough that the

Some fantastic stories that pull you to different corners of the dark, seedy universe that most of us have never experienced. Some will make you feel intense pain and hatred, especially the section on exploited youth. But like most multi-authored books, some of the poems and stories just don't work. Worth it for about 10-15 gems.

(Originally published in The Skinny magazine)Do you see what they did there? Despite the wordy title, the editors have managed to steer clear of the terms ‘sex workers’ and ‘prostitutes’, both of which invariably piss somebody off. This tactic is noteworthy, because here we have an anthology bringing together the broadest range of contributors with experience of the sex industry: from the big screen to the street, phone sex to stripping, and incalls to escorting. Between them, they’ve experience...

What an incredible mix. Most of us are blind to the this world, yet our beliefs and "values" judge at even seeing the title of the book. What a gift to expanding our world, what a challenge to suspend judgment, and perhaps even think, "I could have done that, I could have taken that path..." and then reflect, is that so "bad?"Thanks DHS for doing this...

The diverse collection of sex workers compiled in this anthology is amazing. The expertise and love with which Sterry tied everything together makes me want to check out his other work, including his memoir. For anyone who has read anything about sex work and sexual politics: read this next. For anyone who hasn't read anything: start here.

I picked up this book because, 1. I was shocked it was on the shelves of the public library and 2. the lovely Audacia Ray is a contributor. I have had a hard time putting it down for the other books I HAVE to read. The stories are almost all excellent, with the section on relationships with family my favorite by far. What I love most about this book is that there is a third-wave feminist, sex positive vibe that refuses to sugar coat anything - which is what sex positive feminism *should* be but

The best sex worker anthology I have ever read. And I have read them all. Literally. Way better than Working Sex, and I will paraphrase a line from my review of that book: "This should come with a sticker that says, 'Now with 25% less San Francisco Bullshit!'" ACTUAL diversity of opinions--like, you know, a pimp! Or a bunch of people who needed to be anonymous! Standouts: Sterry's chapter openers, mochaluv, Jodi Sh. Doff (too good), Kirk Read, Audacia Ray, a bunch of others I forgot but I don't

This book is split up into 5 sections (like the title implies...): life, love, work, sex, and money. And under each section several different people (sometimes introduced by David Henry Sterry, sometimes not, which at first made it difficult for me to know when we were switching authors) tell a story somehow involving this theme.Like all anthologies, some stories are better than others. Some stories are hilarious, poignant, tragic, or beautiful, and some make you wonder if maybe your edition has...

The difficulty with a book like this is, since there are dozens of writers with varying stories, some of them I loved and some of them I couldn't stand. However, I felt the need to finish the book because I was worried if I didn't, I would miss my favorite story! I love what Sterry did, putting this compilation together and giving a voice to so many different sex workers. It really does run the gamut and challenge some stereotypes. I admire his attempt to uncover the different worlds of sex work...

As the title implies, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex this is a diverse anthology with contributions from individuals who have been paid for sexual services. Both their life stories and writing styles diverge greatly, ranging from PhDs to abused children, and from poems to interviews to autobiographical short stories. Since each piece is self contained, it's very easy to pick up and put down; unfortunately I didn't miss the volume when...

Overall an entertaining and educational read. There were some really amazing stories, and some mediocre ones, as is the case with most anthologies. Some perspectives interested me more than others. My main problems with this book was the fact that it seemed to be heavily skewed towards the 'gay rent boy' and 'poor street hooker' perspectives - I would've liked to see more stories from straight male prostitutes and higher class call girls to even out the ratio - and the introductions written by S...

found this book eye opening and fascinating. all true stories and bits of poetry and spoken word. recommend it to anyone interested in real life sex work stories and gives an amazing insight in to the lives those who have been involved have lived and the amazing things they have done despite the appalling trials and tribulations (to put it mildly) they have overcome. amazing, amazing, amazing. but I did get some stares on the tube for reading it.... worth it.

This book did a wonderful job of portraying the range of sex worker experiences, from the crack ho who hustles to get high to the rent boy servicing a sweet older lady to the famous porn star to the myriad horrifying stories of pimps and abuse. It is an engrossing read and I now want to seek out the memoirs of many of the contributers.

A long collection of essays and poems on sex work - it took me quite a while to get through. Some pieces are badly and some very badly written. The editor's chapter introductions are annoying. The structure of the book - I couldn't really follow it. But some of the pieces are so intense, so gripping, so clear and so insightful that I kept coming back to it, going back into the very diverse topics and themes that spring up from the stories. MAP writes: "I think people could get many different thi...

A bold, sometimes raw, collection of essays/stories by those that populate the various levels of the sex trades. Not for the meek this writing is eye-opening in every way. The essays/stories will make you laugh or infuriate you while providing a critical bridge to the many damaged souls that have been swallowed up by this business. I was amazed at how powerful the writing was any almost all of these people were non-professional (writers). Sure at times I winced and forced my way through but if

cool book! lotsa short stories of different peoples experiences in the sex industry. especially with more input from non cis-woman than a lot of other books i have seen. i like how it is up to each contributer to contribute what they want and frame their own experiences on their own terms which reflects everyone's different experiences and perspectives on sex work and the rest of their lives...

Ok, I admit, this is on the 'did not finish' list, but only because (I can't believe I'm going to say this) it was boring after a while. Most writers tended to become repertious after a while, and I just could not be bothered reading it.While this would normally be a intresting topic I would think, this book just did not cut it after a while for me.

The only thing every writer in this book has in common is that they've exchanged sexual services for money. Ph.D.s to dropouts, soccer moms to jailbirds, $2500 a night callgirls to $10 crack hos, and everything in between. This anthology gives voice to an underrepresented population that is simultaneously shamed and glamorized, glorified and vilified, reviled and worshipped.Hos, Hookers, Call-girls and Rentboys is a collection of short memoirs, rants, confessions, nightmares, journalism and poet...