Memoir. By someone who is part of southern Ontario/Montreal anarchist networks, about their decade working as a stripper. Rich and nuanced, vehemently refusing the caricatured understandings held by many who do not do this work. As the backbone of the book, uses fragments, moments, nights, weekends extracted from their time at the various clubs where they worked, creating a rhythm to the narrative and a depth to its portrayal through repetition, return, novelty, evolution, abrupt shifts, and hangs the different periods defining the overall story on that framework. For the most part, finds ways to educate without being too didactic, to show in a grounded way the sharp edges, the hard moments, the exhilarating moments, the satisfying moments, the gendered power and fragile toxic men, the warm friendships and solidarities…though there were a few spots towards the end where the frequently (and, for the most part, well-) used device of dialogue between the author and their friends/colleagues/clients became a bit more clunky and less organic. Wouldn’t have minded a deeper exploration of some of the relationships that the author touches on, particularly with their colleagues, though I can see how that sort of focused, specific depth would’ve required it to be a different kind of book, and might have detracted from its (fairly successful) effort to convey the messy complexity of the experience as a whole. Not always an easy read, but a powerful and fascinating one.
Originally posted by Scott on Goodreads.