Reviews - Modern Whore: A Memoir

36 reviews for:

Modern Whore: A Memoir

Nicole Bazuin, Andrea Werhun

4.33 AVERAGE

leowilko's review

4.0

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

drmcmillonbrown's review against another edition

5.0

funny informative reflective medium-paced

nataliereadz's review

4.0

funny informative medium-paced

A thoroughly detailed 😬 and insightful look into the sex work industry. There was a lot to unpack here, and I appreciated the perspective shift and food for thought, combined with plenty of comedy!

vetchling's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this book because it directly challenged the notion that all sex workers are damaged goods who have been physically/sexually assaulted or otherwise abused and therefore tragically fell or were pushed into sex work. Yes, Andrea had been assaulted previous to going into sex work, but that is not the impetus for her work, that is the condition of being a woman in the world. She is clearly privileged and had other options and advantages, but she chose what she chose and she liked it. There's not a lot of moral grappling in the book, which is nice.

Modern Whore sometimes feels somewhat emotionally detached and surface-level, but not every book needs to be intensely cerebral. The author conveyed her beliefs clearly while keeping the book accessible. Some of the short fiction made the book seem a bit disjointed, but that's just me. I appreciated the many moments Werhun was vulnerable with us, and I also appreciated how clear it was that she sees sex workers of all stripes as inherently worthy. The only time she compares herself to other SWs is to uplift or admire the other. You can feel her solidarity with her community throughout the book.

All in all, if you want to read a SW's account of the job and come away feeling fairly light, this is a good bet. The photos are gorgeous and punctuate the book in a funny way. The author doesn't let the book veer too much into dark territory, keeping the focus on the resilience, complexity, and humanity of the sex workers society writes off.