Reviews

Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Molly Smith, Juno Mac

happy_birthday's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Clearly written, convincingly argued, unfailingly persuasive. Probably as good as it gets in radical literature; the sort of book that sticks with you for years and years. Also a really good first book to read if you don't really know anything about sex work, political radicalism or the politics of liberation in general. This book covers not just sex work, but the closely related topics of policing, borders, work and many other things that make it an astoundingly effective primer if you're at all interested in leftist political ideas.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Trafficking, Homophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Rape, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Racism, Deportation, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Hate crime

graveyardpansy's review against another edition

5.0

I truly have nothing to critique about this book. It's a pretty comprehensive and wide-reaching analysis of sex work, its connections to borders and policing, and different models of legislation surrounding it. It all comes from a very intersectional and radical leftist framework, which is incredibly refreshing. While the authors are both white cis women, they use this book to amplify the voices of many trans women and/or WOC, with quotes and references and statements from various radical orgs. They definitely make an effort to acknowledge where their experiences hinder their analysis, and they often keep individuals anonymous for safety, which is definitely respectable. All the arguments are well-constructed, consistent, and based on liberation for all. As a whole, the authors don't hesitate to be critical of things widely perceived as good (e.g. carceral feminism or the Nordic Model.) I put a lot of sticky notes in this one, and I'm really glad to have it on my shelves -- will definitely be recommending this one to others and referencing it in the future!

istaisa's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

obvious_lia's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative

5.0

'Revolting Prostitutes' critiques commercial sex through the intersectional lens of dialectical materialism. Smith and Mac skewer the neoliberal symbolism projected onto the bodies of sex workers, centering instead the humanity of those workers most marginalized by capitalist colonialist patriarchy. This book gave me nightmares and woke me up.

lenawod's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

dancinrio's review against another edition

4.0

“We aren’t asking you to love the sex industry. We certainly don’t. We are asking that your disgust with the sex industry and with the men - the punters - doesn’t overtake your ability to empathise with people who sell sex.”

I learned so much reading this book. It is clearly written, beautifully argued and extensively referenced. A really important read for anyone wanting to expand their feminism to better include sex workers.

beansandrice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book has become the foundation for my feminist politics, my queer politics, my labor politics, my immigration politics, and so much more. Revolting Prostitutes swings hard with both theory and grounded real-life analysis, and may be one of the most profound political texts written in this generation. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Deportation, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Homophobia, Ableism, Biphobia, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

This book is a thousand things, but at its foundations it's a book about the terrible things that happen to sex workers. It treats all graphic content with the respect and dignity it deserves, and discusses this heavy reality as a way to build to a more liberatory politics. That said, it's still a heavy read.

kelsiepixler's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

restlessparadise's review against another edition

challenging informative

4.5

asellers's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

5.0