The thing I most admire about Ivy Pochoda’s These Women is how both feet are firmly in two worlds that she’s willing to write about.
In making this a cThe thing I most admire about Ivy Pochoda’s These Women is how both feet are firmly in two worlds that she’s willing to write about.
In making this a character-driven crime tale with a focus on the sex workers (maybe some of them victimized?), we get a clear picture about the unglamorous life of sex work, especially sex work in low income areas. The need for cash, the dehumanization, the stigma…and yet, these women just go about their business dealing with it all. There’s no glorification or seeing themselves as feminist icons or whatever; they’re doing what they have to do to survive.
On the other hand, the non-SW POVs talk about either the jealousy women feel towards them, the need to “save them,” or…especially painfully…turn them into art (or worse). A perfect emphasis on America’s hypocritical virgin-whore paradigm when it comes to women, this book truly covers the breadth of the experience.
The mystery is interesting in its own way. It’s not a stone cold whodunnit but you get the sense that you want the killer caught as soon as possible because you don’t know if you’re reading the POV of someone who is about to die and/or lose someone close to them. It’s certainly character-focused but there is suspense here.
Also, this is a thoroughly Los Angeles novel but not the LA of Beverly Hills or Hollywood or Santa Monica. This is south LA: the LA no one in power wants to think about, the LA where those people live (according to the racists), the LA where a serial killer preying on sex workers isn’t going to get top priority by the LAPD. West Adams felt like a fully realized, immersed place; Ivy Pochoda does a great job here with atmosphere. It belongs with the city’s best crime tales even if it’s not packaged in the hardboiled/noir way they usually are.
One of the best things I’ve read this year and one of the few serial killer stories I appreciate.
I knew very little about Hannah Davis going into this, which helped as it read like a page-turner. Barbara Chase-Riboud does a great job in story formI knew very little about Hannah Davis going into this, which helped as it read like a page-turner. Barbara Chase-Riboud does a great job in story form of presenting Hanna’s plight and the tough choices she had to make. The dialogue could’ve used some sprucing up, but otherwise, I really enjoyed this quality work of historical fiction, which read like a more competent, non-racist version of a Jackie Collins novel. ...more
I’ve always had this burgeoning curiosity of the old Times Square, even before seeing (and enjoying) HBO’s The Deuce. Who were the people that worked I’ve always had this burgeoning curiosity of the old Times Square, even before seeing (and enjoying) HBO’s The Deuce. Who were the people that worked these parlors? The sex shows? The hustles? Where did they go when they were done? What are the truths and the myths surrounding the deuce? And moreover, how did one of America’s major entertainment landmarks become a red light zone of sex?
Josh Friedman’s collection of story/essays covers almost all of this. I learned about the performers and the reluctance that drove them into their profession. The ones Friedman interviewed weren’t trafficked or underage. They were certainly exploited but they used said exploitation to their advantage, milking the male gaze for all the money they could get. They’re sales people putting their bodies for sale.
The owners of the clubs mostly come off as decent folk, even with their mob connections. There’s little talk of casting couches and back room bjs. They live in places like Queens and Westchester and descend with the rest of the crowds to Times Square at night.
Some parts were incredibly gross, even for a person like me who considers themselves open-minded. From a woman trying to hit the mark of world’s largest gangbang to the men who perpetuated the old peep shows and masturbated to the women who worked them, one can see how Times Square got its grimy reputation in that time.
I also got a good sense of the forces that were trying to help; the churches, the businesses, the runaway shelter. Even though they all demonized pornography more than just the general inequity within American governance, one gets the sense that they were trying to help.
The problem was that on the polar opposite of the sex trade were the developers who came and turned Times Square into a playground for the rich. I won’t argue that it needed to be reformed but it priced out a lot of longtime residents and employees. And for the faults of Times Square, there is something to be said for middle class folks who are looking to fairly pay for sex work and having a place to do it. Sadly, the book doesn’t say anything about queer sex except to demonize transfolk; Samuel Delaney’s Times Square Red, Times Square Blue goes longer on this.
Overall, it’s a fascinating read that gave me my money’s worth. It might be too much for folks with weaker constitutions but you’ll learn a lot if you stick with it. ...more
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