outspokenlibrarian 's review for:

Stripping Down: A Memoir by Sheila Hageman

3.0

---

A memoir from a woman who worked as a stripper starting in her late teens. The point is not salacious stories, rather exploring why she decided to take that road, the need to have male attention focused on her naked body. The title has two layers, her literal path as well as the figurative erasing of the layers she created to protect herself. It's also about love and loss, and motherhood. I really felt for her, although, to be honest, when I picked this up for free on kindle, I thought it was going to be more of her club experiences. I'm morbidly fascinated by women who work in the sex industry - there, I said it. But I was pleasantly surprised.