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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
A look into a world we don't get much honest discussion of. As a fun bonus, I enjoyed recognizing the Minneapolis locations.
Hilarious. I love Diablo Cody's writing style in this book. A quick, fun read.
Some of the other people that have left less than flattering reviews of this book, I think must read much more "serious" memoirs than this was intended to be, and undoubtedly do not share Cody's sense of humor, or remember what the late 90's were really like. I would also urge them to honestly examine their opinions about strippers and other sex workers for insincere feminist lip-service as opposed to actual acceptance and support of one's own life choices.
That being said, is this one of the best memoirs I have ever read? Not really. But, is it an honest account of one person's experiences in one part of the country's sex industry? Yes. And knowing multiple people whom have sex workers of various types including working in strip clubs as dancers, bartenders, DJs, security, I found many parts of this book both enlightening and refreshing in the frankness about it all. Is Diablo Cody some kind of ground-breaker reporter, or even a good or interesting person in or for writing this book? Um... not so much. The story she tells is fully her story, perceptions, and literally 'all about her.' Were there parts that were a times cringe-worthy? Oh Yeah, of course. However, there are many realities of sex work that can be very cringe-worthy, not to mention problematic to learn about for a variety of reasons both personal and societal. But then again, at the end of it all, not glossing over some of these was one of the reason I found this book worth finishing.
This book, its subject matter, and the way it's told (very much in the author's own voice) may not be your thing, and that's cool, but again if you really disliked it, I urge you to take a good hard look at why, and what about it really rubbed you the wrong way (ha). If for no other reason that you may learn something about yourself, and isn't that one of the reasons we read stuff like this?
That being said, is this one of the best memoirs I have ever read? Not really. But, is it an honest account of one person's experiences in one part of the country's sex industry? Yes. And knowing multiple people whom have sex workers of various types including working in strip clubs as dancers, bartenders, DJs, security, I found many parts of this book both enlightening and refreshing in the frankness about it all. Is Diablo Cody some kind of ground-breaker reporter, or even a good or interesting person in or for writing this book? Um... not so much. The story she tells is fully her story, perceptions, and literally 'all about her.' Were there parts that were a times cringe-worthy? Oh Yeah, of course. However, there are many realities of sex work that can be very cringe-worthy, not to mention problematic to learn about for a variety of reasons both personal and societal. But then again, at the end of it all, not glossing over some of these was one of the reason I found this book worth finishing.
This book, its subject matter, and the way it's told (very much in the author's own voice) may not be your thing, and that's cool, but again if you really disliked it, I urge you to take a good hard look at why, and what about it really rubbed you the wrong way (ha). If for no other reason that you may learn something about yourself, and isn't that one of the reasons we read stuff like this?
There were parts that were funny and even witty, but there were far more parts that were plain disgusting. Basically, an interesting read (I was curious enough about the life of a stripper to read this), but it was also one I have to say I was very embarrassed to read on the bus/train. I really really hoped the people around me couldn't see over the book to read the pages.
I found this to be a hilarious and insightful read. I really enjoyed the authors wit and down to earth style, but I will agree with some of the other reviewers in that it seemed she may have been a little loose with the use of her thesaurus. Maybe she was trying just a little to hard. Who was she trying to impress? It was as though she was making up for the fact that she was a stripper by excessive use of metaphors, random use of foreign words, and other large words noone would ever use in a conversation. But on the reverse side of that she also used some very interesting street and stripper lingo. I am interested and annoyed at the same time by that fact that she started stripping not because she needed the job, but basically for fun. I think that a woman who strips to survive might have a very different story to tell. But, to reiterate, overall I really did like this book because at times I laughed out loud and at times I wanted to puke and to me that a great book makes!
Amazing! Well written look and view into the sexy industry. Diablo Cody crafts her own story into a deliciously addictive manner.
i gave this book four stars instead of the three i otherwise would have, due only to the fact that i adore diablo cody and saw 'juno' yesterday which is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. 'candy girl' is written with the same wit and charm and is full of pop culture references, but the subject matter -- stripping -- did make me a little squeamish. i couldn't help feeling sad for her colleagues (if that is the right word) who hadn't chosen this profession out of curiosity or novelty, but had fallen into it through less wholesome means and who (it seemed) were not likely to leave the industry any time soon. also, cody's cavalier attitude towards this rather degrading and patriarchal system did bother me a little. but part of her argument i guess, is that it's not as exploitative as one would think. so, i don't know. i did find the book fascinating in parts and i just loved her writing.
