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Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore
In this scorching, mournful, often explicit, and never less than moving literary novel by the famed creator of the Easy Rawlins series, Debbie Dare, a black porn queen, has to come to terms with her sordid life in the adult entertainment industry after her tomcatting husband dies in a hot tub. Electrocuted. With another woman in there with him. Debbie decides she just isn't going to "do it anymore." But executing her exit strategy from the porn world is a wrenching and far from simple process.
Millions of men (and no doubt many women) have watched famed black porn queen Debbie Dare—she of the blond wig and blue contacts-"do it" on television and computer screens every which way with every combination of partners the mind of man can imagine. But one day an unexpected and thunderous on-set orgasm catches Debbie unawares, and when she returns to the mansion she shares with her husband, insatiable former porn star and "film producer" Theon Pinkney, she discovers that he's died in a case of hot tub electrocution, "auditioning" an aspiring "starlet." Burdened with massive debts that her husband incurred, and which various L.A. heavies want to collect on, Debbie must reckon with a life spent in the peculiar subculture of the pornography industry and her estrangement from her family and the child she had to give up. She's done with porn, but her options for what might come next include the possibility of suicide. Debbie . . . is a portrait of a ransacked but resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief.
Millions of men (and no doubt many women) have watched famed black porn queen Debbie Dare—she of the blond wig and blue contacts-"do it" on television and computer screens every which way with every combination of partners the mind of man can imagine. But one day an unexpected and thunderous on-set orgasm catches Debbie unawares, and when she returns to the mansion she shares with her husband, insatiable former porn star and "film producer" Theon Pinkney, she discovers that he's died in a case of hot tub electrocution, "auditioning" an aspiring "starlet." Burdened with massive debts that her husband incurred, and which various L.A. heavies want to collect on, Debbie must reckon with a life spent in the peculiar subculture of the pornography industry and her estrangement from her family and the child she had to give up. She's done with porn, but her options for what might come next include the possibility of suicide. Debbie . . . is a portrait of a ransacked but resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2014
123 people are currently reading
2251 people want to read
About the author
Walter Mosley
206 books3,872 followersWalter Mosley (b. 1952) is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, as well as numerous other works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.
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August 30, 2023
“It's like a door opens at the side of the house and this cool breeze is blowing in over the back of my neck. The breeze is Death whispering and that door is open for me to go through anytime I want. And I want to go through. I want the confusion to stop--no, not only confusion but pain too.”
Debbie Dare, has dark-chocolate skin, wears a platinum blonde wig and bright blue contact lenses. She is an adult film star - known not only for her striking appearance, but for her ability to perform multiple positions with various sex partners. Her husband, a former adult film star turned film director has been found dead in their home, with an underage girl, also dead.
Debbie has decided that she no longer wants to be a part of the adult film industry, but getting out won't be that easy….
Debbie doesn’t do it anymore, is unlike anything I have read before. This is a book about how people re-invent themselves as they pass through the stages, trials and tribulations that constitute life. I found the book incredibly enriched by the characters in Debbie's universe and the descriptions of the settings in which the action takes place.
Debbie is a resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief. I think sometimes we forget that people working in the adult film and sex industry are simple humans just like us. One day they may wake up and decide they don’t want to continue down that path. Just like our everyday lives, they love, laugh, suffer loss and get lost on the road to understanding. This novel left me feeling like Debbie was someone I could be friends with and learn from. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her new journey unfold throughout the novel.
Walter Mosley, has developed an incredible fast-paced cinematic story of lust and love, tragedy and peace with this dramatic novel. This was my first Walter Mosley novel and it won’t be my last.
Highly Recommend
Debbie Dare, has dark-chocolate skin, wears a platinum blonde wig and bright blue contact lenses. She is an adult film star - known not only for her striking appearance, but for her ability to perform multiple positions with various sex partners. Her husband, a former adult film star turned film director has been found dead in their home, with an underage girl, also dead.
Debbie has decided that she no longer wants to be a part of the adult film industry, but getting out won't be that easy….
Debbie doesn’t do it anymore, is unlike anything I have read before. This is a book about how people re-invent themselves as they pass through the stages, trials and tribulations that constitute life. I found the book incredibly enriched by the characters in Debbie's universe and the descriptions of the settings in which the action takes place.
Debbie is a resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief. I think sometimes we forget that people working in the adult film and sex industry are simple humans just like us. One day they may wake up and decide they don’t want to continue down that path. Just like our everyday lives, they love, laugh, suffer loss and get lost on the road to understanding. This novel left me feeling like Debbie was someone I could be friends with and learn from. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her new journey unfold throughout the novel.
Walter Mosley, has developed an incredible fast-paced cinematic story of lust and love, tragedy and peace with this dramatic novel. This was my first Walter Mosley novel and it won’t be my last.
Highly Recommend
March 29, 2018
Warning: This review contains mature language, just like the book
This may come as a surprise to you: I hated this book.
With hatred that burned like a violent and virulent STD.
Am I the only 1-star here? I might be.
This time, I don't feel confused about why everyone else liked it but I don't I feel bad about hating this book, either. Today, I am full of self-righteous indignation and I am fine with that.
I chose this story on a whim, based solely on the title, cover, and author.
The title, a riff on Debbie Does Dallas, wherein Debbie is the epitome of the blonde bimbo, is funny. I thought maybe we’d see a non-cliched look into the world of pornography, at how it’s a money-making machine whose decisions drive consumerism, how it can be both harmful to women and empowering, how some get trapped in a system of denigration and die young while others choose the profession and try to make it a healthier environment for the workers involved. It’s a complicated industry not just in America but globally. To see that reflected in the eyes of a fictional woman who was a celebrated pro in the industry as she came to a crossroads in her life and career would have been amazing, right? And maybe that was the original intent, but it did not play out that way.
The cover is captivating even if the Photoshopped hair could have been done a lot better. Still, it draws the eye and looks a little futuristic and quite interesting.
The author. I was under the impression that he's a really good writer. I don't know where I heard that but it's something I've believed for awhile so I was excited to sample his good writing.
And this is why you don't judge a book by it's title, cover, and author, people.
So.
Here's the entire storyline and it's full of spoilers so if you're going to read this book, do NOT click this spoiler. I'm seriously giving everything away:
Huh. I've made it sound really entertaining and kind of crazy, didn't I?
Well, it wasn't.
It was hypocritical (don't judge sex workers but do know that it's the most degrading job ever and everyone in it has problems and wants to die)(but Debbie feels no shame for having worked as a porn star. But when she thinks about going back, she wants to kill herself)(The worst part? The sixteen-year-old girl that was electrocuted in the tub with the fat, old ex-porn star husband: what happened to her? They didn't bury her, they didn't pay for her funeral. They just let her go even though a lot of the story centers around her, how Debbie had started out like her, how she was just trying to find her way, Debbie's guilt over not protecting her...but no one cares what happens with her sad little corpse, the funeral wasn't for her, though it totally should have been. That sucked. A lot)
It has loads of underlying, subtle patriarchal misogyny (Debbie feels better about herself once she starts wearing clothing that fits and isn't showing off her body but does hint at her fabulous shape, but in an appropriate way. Also, she likes that this clothing makes her look older and heavier)(Debbie talks about how this woman or that was pretty once or how she's heavy but beautiful or how she had a boy-like body but some guys are into that because it's still all about how pretty a woman is, that is her main form of currency, even after she's been liberated in all other ways)
It's also judgy (there's a whole "You don't have to be slutty to be sexy" message that shows that as long as you have confidence in yourself, if you invest in your intellect by reading books, if you toughen up and pull yourself up by your bootstraps, if you do everything you can to better yourself, you'll be sexy, unlike the rest of these poor, addicted, uneducated schlubs in the adult film industry because you know what? Sex workers are street smart - they have to be, after all, having grown up on the streets doing their hooking and drugging - but they're largely uneducated and they aren't smart enough to change it)(but beware! Sometimes if you do try to better yourself by reading books, asshole literature professors that you are dating will try to bring you down and say mean things to you because they feel threatened by your progress and would rather you just stay comfortably down so do NOT date professors. They're jerks)
It was inconsistent and repetitive (these are things I complain about a lot, huh? But you already saw how many times she didn't shave her pussy or have sex and how many times she thought about her dad's gun)
It was dismissive of mental illness (as the story goes on, her suicidal thoughts build but, with exception to her counselor and one friend saying a sentence or two, her depression is overlooked. She's just going to be strong enough to overcome the need to kill herself or she's going to die. There's a serious lack of sympathy or empathy for the actual depression, itself. It's like you don't even know it's there because people who kill themselves just do it for unknowable, selfish reasons)
It didn't really examine racism in Hollywood (there was racism, yes, from the dead white husband using "Brer Rabbit" as his home security code to the police who were called by a neighbor because a black woman was robbing a house and taking off in a probably-stolen Jaguar. Except for the white woman coming out to yell at the cops for making a terrible mistake, none of it was ever really called out. Privilege was discussed when Debbie said that she's not used to racism because in the world she lives, it doesn't really exist and that's the environment she's used to, soooo...and then it was dropped. There's no racism in the porn industry. Apparently)(I'll bet women are treated equally, as well!)
It uses sex work as a selling point, it's pure titillation (which is what the book is about so well done? Only this isn't an examination or satire of the porn industry, the sex is here to draw a crowd, maybe to create drama. It's not actually part of the story. Debbie could have been a hotel room cleaner or she could have been working the roulette table in Vegas or she could have been a drug runner or she could have been an executive assistant in a Fortune 500 company, married to her CEO boss. Her porn star lifestyle wasn't important, it was there to bring in some of the erotic fiction readers, it was there so that Debbie could say something about the 9-inch long, 4-inch wide dick in her rectum. It was there to create a buzz)
It just pissed me off (see above. All of it)
This may come as a surprise to you: I hated this book.
With hatred that burned like a violent and virulent STD.
Am I the only 1-star here? I might be.
This time, I don't feel confused about why everyone else liked it but I don't I feel bad about hating this book, either. Today, I am full of self-righteous indignation and I am fine with that.
I chose this story on a whim, based solely on the title, cover, and author.
The title, a riff on Debbie Does Dallas, wherein Debbie is the epitome of the blonde bimbo, is funny. I thought maybe we’d see a non-cliched look into the world of pornography, at how it’s a money-making machine whose decisions drive consumerism, how it can be both harmful to women and empowering, how some get trapped in a system of denigration and die young while others choose the profession and try to make it a healthier environment for the workers involved. It’s a complicated industry not just in America but globally. To see that reflected in the eyes of a fictional woman who was a celebrated pro in the industry as she came to a crossroads in her life and career would have been amazing, right? And maybe that was the original intent, but it did not play out that way.
The cover is captivating even if the Photoshopped hair could have been done a lot better. Still, it draws the eye and looks a little futuristic and quite interesting.
The author. I was under the impression that he's a really good writer. I don't know where I heard that but it's something I've believed for awhile so I was excited to sample his good writing.
And this is why you don't judge a book by it's title, cover, and author, people.
So.
Here's the entire storyline and it's full of spoilers so if you're going to read this book, do NOT click this spoiler. I'm seriously giving everything away:
Huh. I've made it sound really entertaining and kind of crazy, didn't I?
Well, it wasn't.
It was hypocritical (don't judge sex workers but do know that it's the most degrading job ever and everyone in it has problems and wants to die)(but Debbie feels no shame for having worked as a porn star. But when she thinks about going back, she wants to kill herself)(The worst part? The sixteen-year-old girl that was electrocuted in the tub with the fat, old ex-porn star husband: what happened to her? They didn't bury her, they didn't pay for her funeral. They just let her go even though a lot of the story centers around her, how Debbie had started out like her, how she was just trying to find her way, Debbie's guilt over not protecting her...but no one cares what happens with her sad little corpse, the funeral wasn't for her, though it totally should have been. That sucked. A lot)
It has loads of underlying, subtle patriarchal misogyny (Debbie feels better about herself once she starts wearing clothing that fits and isn't showing off her body but does hint at her fabulous shape, but in an appropriate way. Also, she likes that this clothing makes her look older and heavier)(Debbie talks about how this woman or that was pretty once or how she's heavy but beautiful or how she had a boy-like body but some guys are into that because it's still all about how pretty a woman is, that is her main form of currency, even after she's been liberated in all other ways)
It's also judgy (there's a whole "You don't have to be slutty to be sexy" message that shows that as long as you have confidence in yourself, if you invest in your intellect by reading books, if you toughen up and pull yourself up by your bootstraps, if you do everything you can to better yourself, you'll be sexy, unlike the rest of these poor, addicted, uneducated schlubs in the adult film industry because you know what? Sex workers are street smart - they have to be, after all, having grown up on the streets doing their hooking and drugging - but they're largely uneducated and they aren't smart enough to change it)(but beware! Sometimes if you do try to better yourself by reading books, asshole literature professors that you are dating will try to bring you down and say mean things to you because they feel threatened by your progress and would rather you just stay comfortably down so do NOT date professors. They're jerks)
It was inconsistent and repetitive (these are things I complain about a lot, huh? But you already saw how many times she didn't shave her pussy or have sex and how many times she thought about her dad's gun)
It was dismissive of mental illness (as the story goes on, her suicidal thoughts build but, with exception to her counselor and one friend saying a sentence or two, her depression is overlooked. She's just going to be strong enough to overcome the need to kill herself or she's going to die. There's a serious lack of sympathy or empathy for the actual depression, itself. It's like you don't even know it's there because people who kill themselves just do it for unknowable, selfish reasons)
It didn't really examine racism in Hollywood (there was racism, yes, from the dead white husband using "Brer Rabbit" as his home security code to the police who were called by a neighbor because a black woman was robbing a house and taking off in a probably-stolen Jaguar. Except for the white woman coming out to yell at the cops for making a terrible mistake, none of it was ever really called out. Privilege was discussed when Debbie said that she's not used to racism because in the world she lives, it doesn't really exist and that's the environment she's used to, soooo...and then it was dropped. There's no racism in the porn industry. Apparently)(I'll bet women are treated equally, as well!)
It uses sex work as a selling point, it's pure titillation (which is what the book is about so well done? Only this isn't an examination or satire of the porn industry, the sex is here to draw a crowd, maybe to create drama. It's not actually part of the story. Debbie could have been a hotel room cleaner or she could have been working the roulette table in Vegas or she could have been a drug runner or she could have been an executive assistant in a Fortune 500 company, married to her CEO boss. Her porn star lifestyle wasn't important, it was there to bring in some of the erotic fiction readers, it was there so that Debbie could say something about the 9-inch long, 4-inch wide dick in her rectum. It was there to create a buzz)
It just pissed me off (see above. All of it)
May 19, 2015
A recurring theme in Walter Mosley's prolific career is an existential reawakening of his main character. Whether it be jilted Cordell Carmell's sexual awakening and subsequent odyssey in the erotic Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistential Novel, 91-year-old Ptolemy reclaiming his life and purpose in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Socrates Fortlow's musings, or even Easy Rawlins's journey in the later books in his series. His new book with the awesome title, Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore, is in the same vein.
After starring in hundreds of films, super porn-star Debbie Dare has been disillusioned for a long time and is starting to phone it in. Then, one day, not only does she unexpectedly pass out having the most intense orgasm of her life (and first in years) while filming a scene, she also returns home to discover that her husband and an underage girl are both dead in her bathtub after being electrocuted while filming an amateur sex tape. These events rock her world and sets into motion massive changes in her life.
I really enjoyed this one because of how sympathetic Debbie is as she struggles to figure out how to move on to a next chapter in her life while facing the repercussions her decisions will cause in her financial security, as well as in her relationships with her friends, family, and associates. The other thing that I loved was how non clichéd the relationship between Debbie and her late husband Theon actually was. Once you start to learn more about their past relationship, you discover an imperfect and sometimes raggedy marriage that was also non-judgmental, very supportive, and ultimately truly loving. You get a sense that they couldn't have been more different as people, but were perfect for each other when they needed it.
In the end, it's another great effort by one of my favorite authors and a very moving portrait of a strong heroine who refuses to be a victim and takes control of her life for the first time.
*This was an Advanced Reading Copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review*
After starring in hundreds of films, super porn-star Debbie Dare has been disillusioned for a long time and is starting to phone it in. Then, one day, not only does she unexpectedly pass out having the most intense orgasm of her life (and first in years) while filming a scene, she also returns home to discover that her husband and an underage girl are both dead in her bathtub after being electrocuted while filming an amateur sex tape. These events rock her world and sets into motion massive changes in her life.
I really enjoyed this one because of how sympathetic Debbie is as she struggles to figure out how to move on to a next chapter in her life while facing the repercussions her decisions will cause in her financial security, as well as in her relationships with her friends, family, and associates. The other thing that I loved was how non clichéd the relationship between Debbie and her late husband Theon actually was. Once you start to learn more about their past relationship, you discover an imperfect and sometimes raggedy marriage that was also non-judgmental, very supportive, and ultimately truly loving. You get a sense that they couldn't have been more different as people, but were perfect for each other when they needed it.
In the end, it's another great effort by one of my favorite authors and a very moving portrait of a strong heroine who refuses to be a victim and takes control of her life for the first time.
*This was an Advanced Reading Copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review*
March 29, 2014
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore, is the first novel I've read by Walter Mosley. I know, I know. What rock have I been living under? And to begin with this? What about the Easy Rawlins novels that are more my speed?
Debbie Dare thrills the world with exhilarating pornographic scenes as a living. After filming a scene with a costar, she goes home to find that her husband has died in a "freak" accident involving an underage female, and a camera. You put two and two together. Almost immediately after news of Theon Pinkney's death, Debbie finds that the life of luxury they lived is a lie. With the weight of her husbands death and financial ruin, Debbie decides she won't do it anymore. You all know what it is. Don't act shy now.
Generally, I'm not one who reads erotic novels or smut. I don't want to be the one caught reading an erotic novel at work... or anywhere else for that matter. Thinking that this novel may fall into that category made me a little skeptical initially. After reading the first ten pages, I knew Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore was written to tell a porn star's journey in finding her self and not simply racking up scenes in which the character could do it. Thank you Walter Mosley.
Sandra Pinkney, best know as Debbie Dare, goes through a profound transformation in the days after her husbands tragic demise. What is hard to understand about her is that she seems so emotionless. I don't remember her once playing the victim or sad widow and it is because of this I loved her. The victim card is too overused in most novels.
This novel is told as a narrative. Readers are inside Debbie's head at all times. She doesn't apologize for her lifestyle, nor does she find it shameful. Debbie only understands that her last link to the world of pornography is gone. In the midst of the chaos that has ensued after Theon's death, constantly flirting with the idea of suicide, and living with the guilt of abandoning her son, Debbie prevails.
Ultimately I really enjoyed reading Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore. Walter Mosley introduces us to a woman who sees a world she no longer belongs in and refuses to go back to a place that could bring her to her knees.
Copy provided by Doubleday via Netgalley
Debbie Dare thrills the world with exhilarating pornographic scenes as a living. After filming a scene with a costar, she goes home to find that her husband has died in a "freak" accident involving an underage female, and a camera. You put two and two together. Almost immediately after news of Theon Pinkney's death, Debbie finds that the life of luxury they lived is a lie. With the weight of her husbands death and financial ruin, Debbie decides she won't do it anymore. You all know what it is. Don't act shy now.
Generally, I'm not one who reads erotic novels or smut. I don't want to be the one caught reading an erotic novel at work... or anywhere else for that matter. Thinking that this novel may fall into that category made me a little skeptical initially. After reading the first ten pages, I knew Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore was written to tell a porn star's journey in finding her self and not simply racking up scenes in which the character could do it. Thank you Walter Mosley.
Sandra Pinkney, best know as Debbie Dare, goes through a profound transformation in the days after her husbands tragic demise. What is hard to understand about her is that she seems so emotionless. I don't remember her once playing the victim or sad widow and it is because of this I loved her. The victim card is too overused in most novels.
This novel is told as a narrative. Readers are inside Debbie's head at all times. She doesn't apologize for her lifestyle, nor does she find it shameful. Debbie only understands that her last link to the world of pornography is gone. In the midst of the chaos that has ensued after Theon's death, constantly flirting with the idea of suicide, and living with the guilt of abandoning her son, Debbie prevails.
Ultimately I really enjoyed reading Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore. Walter Mosley introduces us to a woman who sees a world she no longer belongs in and refuses to go back to a place that could bring her to her knees.
Copy provided by Doubleday via Netgalley
April 12, 2014
Debbie may not do it anymore, but she was pretty damn good at it when she did it. She started out giving fifteen dollar blowjobs in her teens, living a life on the streets, and in the passenger seat of the latest motor vehicle, and offering up her own piece of heaven to the casual male observer who just happened to park his car in the parking lot and beckon her over. Her long platinum blond hair and crystal blue eyes along with the tattoo under her eye became her trademark in an industry filled with thousands of boobs and genitalia. It certainly didn’t hurt her reputation that she could handle approximately four guys at once, and still leave the poor bastards begging for more. And her hundreds of films along with her trademark looks made her instantly recognizable to many men over the age of eighteen, and possibly a few who slipped under the radar.
Losing her fornicating husband to a hot tub electrocution while he pounded away at the next wannabe starlet managed to slow her down just a bit. But in the end it wasn’t too much. Instead, she’s a woman on a mission, and that mission is to move on with her life, and leave her waxed past firmly in her rearview mirror.
Debbie Dare/Sandra Peel might have been one of the most conflicted individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting over the course of a novel. She was raw and uninhibited and passionate and suicidal and conflicted and emotional and overflowing with turmoil and grief. But the way she stepped across the page with naked and unadulterated ambition, pretty much telling the world they can either pay attention or not, and that either way she doesn’t really give a fuck made me love her all that much more.
She may have had the greatest orgasm of her life on her last porn shoot before the instant and dramatic change in her existence, but I must say I had a rather enjoyable (certainly not the greatest) reading experience, as I pounded my way through DEBBIE DOESN’T DO IT ANYMORE with something resembling a reckless abandon and a burning need and desire to find out what would happen next.
Oh, and for those of you who are certainly going to make the comment “This ain’t no Easy Rawlins novel” and then be proud of yourself for your profound and bold statement. I’d just like to take a moment and say that it’s not that profound and certainly not that bold, and that each book should be judged individually and stand on its own merit. If it doesn’t work great, or if it does great, but to make that particular comment isn’t really making a statement at all. And this is one book that should certainly be celebrated for the statement it does make.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Losing her fornicating husband to a hot tub electrocution while he pounded away at the next wannabe starlet managed to slow her down just a bit. But in the end it wasn’t too much. Instead, she’s a woman on a mission, and that mission is to move on with her life, and leave her waxed past firmly in her rearview mirror.
Debbie Dare/Sandra Peel might have been one of the most conflicted individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting over the course of a novel. She was raw and uninhibited and passionate and suicidal and conflicted and emotional and overflowing with turmoil and grief. But the way she stepped across the page with naked and unadulterated ambition, pretty much telling the world they can either pay attention or not, and that either way she doesn’t really give a fuck made me love her all that much more.
She may have had the greatest orgasm of her life on her last porn shoot before the instant and dramatic change in her existence, but I must say I had a rather enjoyable (certainly not the greatest) reading experience, as I pounded my way through DEBBIE DOESN’T DO IT ANYMORE with something resembling a reckless abandon and a burning need and desire to find out what would happen next.
Oh, and for those of you who are certainly going to make the comment “This ain’t no Easy Rawlins novel” and then be proud of yourself for your profound and bold statement. I’d just like to take a moment and say that it’s not that profound and certainly not that bold, and that each book should be judged individually and stand on its own merit. If it doesn’t work great, or if it does great, but to make that particular comment isn’t really making a statement at all. And this is one book that should certainly be celebrated for the statement it does make.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
February 19, 2018
My rating is actually 3,5 stars. Click here to see my video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfpAV...
June 3, 2014
Walter Moseley writes like a girl
Or more precisely Walter Moseley writes like a woman because he does a bang up job of getting inside Debbie’s head and soul. Be warned that there’s some adult material in this book since Debbie is an adult film star as is her husband and lots of her friends. That part is almost incidental though because this is a story about a woman growing up and becoming enlightened and determined to live a life more in keeping with her values.
Debbie can be tough, in her world she *has to be but she’s never let her profession eat her soul. She retains the values she learned from her parents. As the plot develops she gradually reclaims her ability to love and own her genuine feelings. There’s something elemental about her story. It’s what all men and women go through as they become adults and heal from early damage they’ve experienced. It’s not an entirely upbeat story as you can imagine but it is hopeful….and real. Moseley not only understands the human condition but he understands what this particular woman feels and articulates what she wants for her future. I’ve always enjoyed Mosley’s writing but with “Debbie doesn’t do it Anymore” he’s taken a quantum leap.
This review is based on an advanced readers copy provided by the publisher.
Or more precisely Walter Moseley writes like a woman because he does a bang up job of getting inside Debbie’s head and soul. Be warned that there’s some adult material in this book since Debbie is an adult film star as is her husband and lots of her friends. That part is almost incidental though because this is a story about a woman growing up and becoming enlightened and determined to live a life more in keeping with her values.
Debbie can be tough, in her world she *has to be but she’s never let her profession eat her soul. She retains the values she learned from her parents. As the plot develops she gradually reclaims her ability to love and own her genuine feelings. There’s something elemental about her story. It’s what all men and women go through as they become adults and heal from early damage they’ve experienced. It’s not an entirely upbeat story as you can imagine but it is hopeful….and real. Moseley not only understands the human condition but he understands what this particular woman feels and articulates what she wants for her future. I’ve always enjoyed Mosley’s writing but with “Debbie doesn’t do it Anymore” he’s taken a quantum leap.
This review is based on an advanced readers copy provided by the publisher.
Read
September 1, 2016It's true. Debbie doesn't do it anymore. She does other things now. Most of them are boring.
September 29, 2015
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore is a great novel in the long tradition of great American novels, or even Great American Novels, but because it chooses to be great while also being about a porn star and containing multiple explicit sex scenes, I suspect a lot of people who would like it are going to ignore it. This is wrongheaded of them. If you only read one novel a year, you could do a lot worse than making it Debbie, because this is a book about race, gender, crime and justice in America, lust, familial love, romantic love, bad parents, good parents, demeaning work, unsatisfying work, money, funerals, and depression; it's a novel that sees both guns and hairstyles as weapons one can use in self-defense. Oh, and it's pretty short: Mosley makes all of this look pretty effortless.
Sandra Peel has been Debbie Dare her entire adult life, until one day she has an orgasm on-set and comes home to find her husband electrocuted in his tub with the sixteen year-old wannabe starlet, and that's it, she's had it. But what could be the set-up for a comedy plays in Mosley's hands as something much more melancholy and complicated, with an almost exquisitely painful sense of the damage people inflict on each other and themselves, and a graceful sense of what we all owe each other.
It's a small but key part of the novel that Debbie Dare's image has always been her platinum hair, sea-blue contacts, and white circle tattoo, and early on, to reinvent herself and to live a life where men will no longer look at her and immediately recall her naked, she gets rid of all of that: cuts and dyes her hair, remove her contact lenses, and covers up the stain on her cheek with makeup. She goes through most of the novel like that, as Sandra Peel with the ghost of Debbie Dare hovering somewhere close, only to willingly--if temporarily--put it all back on for her husband's funeral. It's what he would have wanted, and she loved him. So nothing is ever simple, and it is very hard to walk away.
I can quibble about certain things--the resolution to the novel is too hasty and out-of-the-blue, and its speed cheapens the otherwise slow and believable look at Sandra trying to live with a past she doesn't like to remember; one key relationship develops far too quickly; the gangsters add thematic resonance but feel gratuitous--and you could argue that I should move the star rating down to four in response. But then I think about the immense generosity of the novel's sympathy to its characters, it's clear-sighted look at a shitty job that's nonetheless not only a powerful engine in the American economy but a nexus of American--and worldwide--fantasy, and the urgent need I felt throughout for Sandra to just be okay, and I feel pretty good about that rating.
Sandra Peel has been Debbie Dare her entire adult life, until one day she has an orgasm on-set and comes home to find her husband electrocuted in his tub with the sixteen year-old wannabe starlet, and that's it, she's had it. But what could be the set-up for a comedy plays in Mosley's hands as something much more melancholy and complicated, with an almost exquisitely painful sense of the damage people inflict on each other and themselves, and a graceful sense of what we all owe each other.
It's a small but key part of the novel that Debbie Dare's image has always been her platinum hair, sea-blue contacts, and white circle tattoo, and early on, to reinvent herself and to live a life where men will no longer look at her and immediately recall her naked, she gets rid of all of that: cuts and dyes her hair, remove her contact lenses, and covers up the stain on her cheek with makeup. She goes through most of the novel like that, as Sandra Peel with the ghost of Debbie Dare hovering somewhere close, only to willingly--if temporarily--put it all back on for her husband's funeral. It's what he would have wanted, and she loved him. So nothing is ever simple, and it is very hard to walk away.
I can quibble about certain things--the resolution to the novel is too hasty and out-of-the-blue, and its speed cheapens the otherwise slow and believable look at Sandra trying to live with a past she doesn't like to remember; one key relationship develops far too quickly; the gangsters add thematic resonance but feel gratuitous--and you could argue that I should move the star rating down to four in response. But then I think about the immense generosity of the novel's sympathy to its characters, it's clear-sighted look at a shitty job that's nonetheless not only a powerful engine in the American economy but a nexus of American--and worldwide--fantasy, and the urgent need I felt throughout for Sandra to just be okay, and I feel pretty good about that rating.
May 17, 2014
The writing, sentence flow and prose will keep the rating from falling below a 3, if not for these elements I would go 2. Unfortunately, the blurb gives away most of the plot so there really isn’t anything for me to spoil here.
Debbie, is a porn star who fell into the business at an early age and after having the big O on the set of one of her movies, she decides to quit the business. She intimates that she hadn’t had an orgasm in 10 years and this one was so intense it just really transformed something inside her. After that shoot she arrives home to find that her husband has died in the tub with a young girl on top of him. Apparently the video camera fell into the tub as he was trying to tape their romp. Although this is a tragic event, Debbie doesn’t really show much emotion surrounding the death of her husband. She just seems numb to everything including life itself.
From the middle of the book on, the novel becomes a meditation on the merits of suicide. Debbie thinks about the various ways she could die. So, the reader is pulled along this sad depressing journey and Debbie is not a very sympathetic character, not one who is easy to root for and frankly I didn’t care if she executed the suicide or not. The surprising thing about this is Debbie is a well-developed character, and yet for 2/3 of the book, the suspense is to die or not to die. At some point the reader will scream do something already.
There are other characters orbiting Debbie’s space and some work for the good of the novel, but others are head scratchers. I appreciate that Mosley keeps switching up and exploring various subjects. This one just didn’t seem to have a lot of support built around the foundation. Prudish beware, there is some strong sexual language that may disturb some readers. The thing I found most disturbing was the foolish suicide precipice. Recommendation. Read if you love Mosley, otherwise pass it by.
Debbie, is a porn star who fell into the business at an early age and after having the big O on the set of one of her movies, she decides to quit the business. She intimates that she hadn’t had an orgasm in 10 years and this one was so intense it just really transformed something inside her. After that shoot she arrives home to find that her husband has died in the tub with a young girl on top of him. Apparently the video camera fell into the tub as he was trying to tape their romp. Although this is a tragic event, Debbie doesn’t really show much emotion surrounding the death of her husband. She just seems numb to everything including life itself.
From the middle of the book on, the novel becomes a meditation on the merits of suicide. Debbie thinks about the various ways she could die. So, the reader is pulled along this sad depressing journey and Debbie is not a very sympathetic character, not one who is easy to root for and frankly I didn’t care if she executed the suicide or not. The surprising thing about this is Debbie is a well-developed character, and yet for 2/3 of the book, the suspense is to die or not to die. At some point the reader will scream do something already.
There are other characters orbiting Debbie’s space and some work for the good of the novel, but others are head scratchers. I appreciate that Mosley keeps switching up and exploring various subjects. This one just didn’t seem to have a lot of support built around the foundation. Prudish beware, there is some strong sexual language that may disturb some readers. The thing I found most disturbing was the foolish suicide precipice. Recommendation. Read if you love Mosley, otherwise pass it by.
May 24, 2014
Clearly I need to read about porn stars more often because this book was hella awesome! I've also always wanted to read Walter Mosley so I'm glad I finally got around to it, this was a great introduction to his work. When I saw how friggin amazing the cover art was on this book I knew I had to read it. HAD TO. Seriously, just take a moment to appreciate the cover art, it's stunning. It makes you want to pick up the book. You can't stop looking! And once you find out it's about a porn star you absolutely have the desire to read it!
Debbie Dare is a legend in the porn biz. With dark black skin, long blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and white beauty mark tattoo on her face she is quite unforgettable. Deb comes home after a hard day of screwing in front of the camera only to find that her husband is dead. He was electrocuted when a video camera fell in the hot tub while attempting to film a home sex tape with a sixteen year old girl. Debbie, is upset but numb, she doesn't know how to handle it. She decides to quit the porn industry and go by her real name, Saundra Peel. She wants to move on with her life but doesn't know how to, especially since her husband spent every penny they had and she now has loan sharks chasing her all over town.
That's all you need to know. Just read it. It's graphic, gritty, smart, and intriguing. The ending was a little more abrupt then I would have liked but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book!
Debbie Dare is a legend in the porn biz. With dark black skin, long blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and white beauty mark tattoo on her face she is quite unforgettable. Deb comes home after a hard day of screwing in front of the camera only to find that her husband is dead. He was electrocuted when a video camera fell in the hot tub while attempting to film a home sex tape with a sixteen year old girl. Debbie, is upset but numb, she doesn't know how to handle it. She decides to quit the porn industry and go by her real name, Saundra Peel. She wants to move on with her life but doesn't know how to, especially since her husband spent every penny they had and she now has loan sharks chasing her all over town.
That's all you need to know. Just read it. It's graphic, gritty, smart, and intriguing. The ending was a little more abrupt then I would have liked but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book!
January 27, 2018
This read was pretty good, the story was based on the many facets of Love, the evolution of one's life, and social climates, and as usual with most Mosley characters, self-realization and survival. Master of naming characters Mosley never disappoints.
November 16, 2017
I thought the book was okay.
February 26, 2022
From Debbie Dare To Sandra Peel
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" (2014) is the latest novel of the famed and prolific African American -- Jewish writer, Walter Mosley (b. 1952). Although best-known as the author of the Easy Rawlins mystery series, Mosley has written other types of fiction as well, including this, his most recent book. Mosley's novel offers a rare and hard look at the multi-million dollar pornographic movie industry headquartered near Los Angeles. The central character of the novel is a young African American woman with the porn name Debbie Dare who also serves as the book's narrator. With little formal education, Debbie has become an avid reader. She keeps a journal and is highly articulate and reflective.
The book centers on Debbie's decision to leave the business and to try to make a new life for herself. Filming a scene one evening, Debbie experiences a rare (and unwanted) orgasm and realizes that she is still capable of sexual response after years of mechanical sex. When she returns home, she finds her husband, a white porn actor and producer, Theon Pickney, dead and electrocuted in the bathtub with a young underage adolescent with whom he was filming a sex scene. The novel proceeds in a mostly linear way to describe the halting but determined steps Debbie takes to leave pornography while she prepares for her husband's funeral.
It is a bumpy ride. Besides his profligate sexual habits, Theon had accumulated an unmanageable debt to gangsters and Debbie stands to lose the couple's mansion, fancy car, and assets. Debbie tries to make her peace with her family, including her memory of her father, a petty criminal who died violently while she was a child. Debbie is befriended by a sympathetic police officer and considers a romance with a young architect. She makes plans for the funeral and gains a measure of protection and sympathy from her husband's associates, including a tough gay gangster. Debbie Dare gradually transforms herself to Sandra Peel, her given name prior to her marriage and career in adult film.
The pornography industry and its participants remain at the heart of this book. Debbie describes in blunt, raw detail the nature of her many sexual activities on the screen. The language and actions are unflinchingly graphic. Producers, participants, male and female, aides, make-up artists, and others in the industry receive extended portrayals. Mosley does not spare the reader the sordid details of the trade. He neither sentimentalizes nor demonizes his characters but manages instead to portray them as human. He shows a sense of solidarity amid the harshness of the business as many of Theon's and Debbie's associates and colleagues gather together for the funeral. Debbie and her colleagues also point out that pornography flourishes because so many people of all walks of life and economic classes display a need for the fantasies and sex scenes it conveys by watching it and by making the industry economically lucrative.
Mosley writes in a brief hard-boiled style which reads quickly. In places, more character development and reflection would have been welcome. The book includes many characters who play brief walk-on roles. The most effective of these is an elderly woman African American minister who preaches a stirring sermon on the need for forgiveness and on the imperative to "give a helpin' hand to reach out to the sinner and the lost and the suffering." "This earth is God's palace", she preaches, "and real prayer is the succor of sufferin' in His name."
Mosley has written a raw, sharp novel about the pornography industry and about the efforts of one woman, Debbie Dare, to find redemption in the person of Sandra Peel.
Robin Friedman
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" (2014) is the latest novel of the famed and prolific African American -- Jewish writer, Walter Mosley (b. 1952). Although best-known as the author of the Easy Rawlins mystery series, Mosley has written other types of fiction as well, including this, his most recent book. Mosley's novel offers a rare and hard look at the multi-million dollar pornographic movie industry headquartered near Los Angeles. The central character of the novel is a young African American woman with the porn name Debbie Dare who also serves as the book's narrator. With little formal education, Debbie has become an avid reader. She keeps a journal and is highly articulate and reflective.
The book centers on Debbie's decision to leave the business and to try to make a new life for herself. Filming a scene one evening, Debbie experiences a rare (and unwanted) orgasm and realizes that she is still capable of sexual response after years of mechanical sex. When she returns home, she finds her husband, a white porn actor and producer, Theon Pickney, dead and electrocuted in the bathtub with a young underage adolescent with whom he was filming a sex scene. The novel proceeds in a mostly linear way to describe the halting but determined steps Debbie takes to leave pornography while she prepares for her husband's funeral.
It is a bumpy ride. Besides his profligate sexual habits, Theon had accumulated an unmanageable debt to gangsters and Debbie stands to lose the couple's mansion, fancy car, and assets. Debbie tries to make her peace with her family, including her memory of her father, a petty criminal who died violently while she was a child. Debbie is befriended by a sympathetic police officer and considers a romance with a young architect. She makes plans for the funeral and gains a measure of protection and sympathy from her husband's associates, including a tough gay gangster. Debbie Dare gradually transforms herself to Sandra Peel, her given name prior to her marriage and career in adult film.
The pornography industry and its participants remain at the heart of this book. Debbie describes in blunt, raw detail the nature of her many sexual activities on the screen. The language and actions are unflinchingly graphic. Producers, participants, male and female, aides, make-up artists, and others in the industry receive extended portrayals. Mosley does not spare the reader the sordid details of the trade. He neither sentimentalizes nor demonizes his characters but manages instead to portray them as human. He shows a sense of solidarity amid the harshness of the business as many of Theon's and Debbie's associates and colleagues gather together for the funeral. Debbie and her colleagues also point out that pornography flourishes because so many people of all walks of life and economic classes display a need for the fantasies and sex scenes it conveys by watching it and by making the industry economically lucrative.
Mosley writes in a brief hard-boiled style which reads quickly. In places, more character development and reflection would have been welcome. The book includes many characters who play brief walk-on roles. The most effective of these is an elderly woman African American minister who preaches a stirring sermon on the need for forgiveness and on the imperative to "give a helpin' hand to reach out to the sinner and the lost and the suffering." "This earth is God's palace", she preaches, "and real prayer is the succor of sufferin' in His name."
Mosley has written a raw, sharp novel about the pornography industry and about the efforts of one woman, Debbie Dare, to find redemption in the person of Sandra Peel.
Robin Friedman
February 22, 2020
What a souped up synopsis for such a boring book! The characters were boring & Debbie’s journey after the death of her husband wasn’t interesting. The writing was sooo dull which made the main character hard to empathize with. I kept saying throughout this book “I can tell that this was written by a man.” Whew, chile... I’m reclaiming the time I spend on this one.
June 29, 2014
Title: Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore
Author: Walter Mosley
Publisher: Doubleday
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review:
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" by Walter Mosley...
What is this novel about?
"In this scorching, mournful, often explicit, and never less than moving literary novel by the famed creator of the Easy Rawlins series, Debbie Dare, a black porn queen, has to come to terms with her sordid life in the adult entertainment industry after her tomcatting husband dies in a hot tub. Electrocuted. With another woman in there with him. Debbie decides she just isn't going to "do it anymore." But executing her exit strategy from the porn world is a wrenching and far from simple process.
Millions of men (and no doubt many women) have watched famed black porn queen Debbie Dare—she of the blond wig and blue contacts-"do it" on television and computer screens every which way with every combination of partners the mind of man can imagine. But one day an unexpected and thunderous on-set orgasm catches Debbie unawares, and when she returns to the mansion she shares with her husband, insatiable former porn star and "film producer" Theon Pinkney, she discovers that he's died in a case of hot tub electrocution, "auditioning" an aspiring "starlet." Burdened with massive debts that her husband incurred, and which various L.A. heavies want to collect on, Debbie must reckon with a life spent in the peculiar subculture of the pornography industry and her estrangement from her family and the child she had to give up. She's done with porn, but her options for what might come next include the possibility of suicide. Debbie . . . is a portrait of a ransacked but resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief."
What I liked about this novel...
This author gives the reader one interesting raw read of the pornography industry and the efforts of a woman named Debbie Dare and finding redemption in a Sandra Peel. I will have to say this was different from his previous novel...Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Mysteries) in which I thoroughly enjoyed. Now, after saying that I will say this novel was a good one too. I found it was an intriguing read of this protagonist porn star being able to change her previous path of choices of change and even some redemption. This will be a read of a roller coaster ride and will keep your attention as Debbie will be presented with discovering her husband dead, sorting out finances and finding debt, handling racism on to setting up an agenda for her new life that was ahead for building a new life. The characters were all well developed, well portrayed and believable. And as usual this author helps to get the reader into the soul of his characters. Be prepared for the most part there was a good balance of the sexual and violence content scenes in the read.
What I especially liked from the read...
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" was a fast mystery read. Once you start reading you will not want to put it down until the end. Yes, this novel is somewhat different from some of this author's other novels but yet it is again a good one that I would recommend to you.
August 10, 2014
Debbie Dare Does Los Angeles - and then she doesn't. Even Walter Mosley's less satisfying efforts are still better than most.
Debbie Dare (Sandra Peel) is a porn star who comes home to find her husband electrocuted in the bathtub with a 16 year old girl. Dare then decides to turn her life around but as in true Mosley fashion there are lots of people who are preventing her from doing that. This is not your typical Walter Mosley novel but make no mistake about it this is pure Mosley - and that's a good thing. As I said not a mystery in the truest sense but it's littered with all the hallmarks of a Mosley novel: The familiar LA locale, shady characters, femme fatales etc...only 3 stars but I still recommend it.
You know it's just really astounding how such a prolific writer can continue to pound out these wonderfully good books so often. How he does it is a mystery in and of itself. I will continue to read these fantastic books until he calls it quits. Doesn't look like that's coming any time soon and that's a Hallelujah for us!
Debbie Dare (Sandra Peel) is a porn star who comes home to find her husband electrocuted in the bathtub with a 16 year old girl. Dare then decides to turn her life around but as in true Mosley fashion there are lots of people who are preventing her from doing that. This is not your typical Walter Mosley novel but make no mistake about it this is pure Mosley - and that's a good thing. As I said not a mystery in the truest sense but it's littered with all the hallmarks of a Mosley novel: The familiar LA locale, shady characters, femme fatales etc...only 3 stars but I still recommend it.
You know it's just really astounding how such a prolific writer can continue to pound out these wonderfully good books so often. How he does it is a mystery in and of itself. I will continue to read these fantastic books until he calls it quits. Doesn't look like that's coming any time soon and that's a Hallelujah for us!
May 28, 2014
****ARC generously supplied by DoubleDay/Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review****
Whenever I find myself being so enchanted by a story, to the point that I just can't stop reading, I know right then and there that I'm onto something awesome...
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" was so amazing, that words can hardly describe how good this book was. Not only was it amazingly captivating, but the characters were absolutely phenomenal. Debbie/Sandra herself was a bright star in a universe full of oddball and shady characters.
Amazingly enough, it isn't until she comes hard, and he leaves hard, that she begins to question the system that has literally held her bound for years on end.
To be succinct, this book was a perfect mix of Mystery, Suspense, Delicious Drama, and Erotica, that reminds one of Mr. Mosley's talent for composing a thought-provoking tale involving misfits and miscreants, who have their own tales of love, lust, regret, and utter woe to contend with...
It doesn't get anymore real than this...
Giving this one: 4.5 well deserved stars...
Whenever I find myself being so enchanted by a story, to the point that I just can't stop reading, I know right then and there that I'm onto something awesome...
"Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore" was so amazing, that words can hardly describe how good this book was. Not only was it amazingly captivating, but the characters were absolutely phenomenal. Debbie/Sandra herself was a bright star in a universe full of oddball and shady characters.
Amazingly enough, it isn't until she comes hard, and he leaves hard, that she begins to question the system that has literally held her bound for years on end.
To be succinct, this book was a perfect mix of Mystery, Suspense, Delicious Drama, and Erotica, that reminds one of Mr. Mosley's talent for composing a thought-provoking tale involving misfits and miscreants, who have their own tales of love, lust, regret, and utter woe to contend with...
It doesn't get anymore real than this...
Giving this one: 4.5 well deserved stars...
May 18, 2014
As with most Walter Mosley's stories, I finished this one within 24 hours. Even during boring parts, his novels still makes you want to read on. The graphic sex may be off-putting. Yet, instead of being exploitative, they are important to the story. Here we see a young lady choosing the demeaning porn world, a world I was already familiar reading about. The book is almost as accurate as the stories and documentaries detailing the realities of the porn world. The real beauty is the book not being preachy about it. I do have one problem. Mr. Mosley chose the first person narrative, the female porn star's point of view. Knowing the writer is male proves a problem with me. As read lines like "I took it in the rectum as I sucked another guy", I still see Mr. Mosley as the one telling the story and not the character. Maybe, the third person narrative would have worked better. Overall, I definitely recommend this book.
September 17, 2014
There is a Goodreads thread that asks whether the title or the cover of a book is more important in terms of grabbing attention. In other words, which is more likely to get you to pick it up and consider it? For me it is usually the cover that grabs my attention first, with the title a close second. I like to walk through the aisles of a bookstore from A to Z and pick up interesting looking things along the way. A good cover can stop me in my tracks. Not that a good title isn't important. It is, but when I walking through the aisles I do not necessarily read the titles that closely unless looking for something specific. With Mosley's book both the cover and title grabbed me. Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore sounds like a punchline to a joke. It is familiar sounding and provocative. Then there is the cover. It is a head shot of a Black woman, the Debbie of the title, with white blond hair, blue contact lenses over her naturally brown eyes, a fake white dot of a tattoo under her left eye, and red lips. It is odd and intriguing; I immediately picked up. The marketing department did well with this one.
The Debbie of the title is Debbie Dare whose signature look makes her a standout in the adult entertainment business. As the book open she is about to have a surprisingly mind blowing orgasm. It is a surprise because after having sex so often with so many random people in front of a camera and an audience for so many years, she rarely has them anymore. The orgasm seems to portend something. Sure enough when she arrives home from work that evening she finds that her husband, who also made a career in the adult entertainment films, has died. He was filming a scene between himself and a sixteen-year-old girl in a bathtub when the camera fell in the bath and electrocuted them both.
Debbie is surprisingly calm when the police explain what happened. Between the orgasm and the deaths, Debbie's life changes overnight. She decides to quit doing porn. There is no regret or judgment, only a simple decision to change course. She considers her relationships with her family, her friends, and her husband's family. She contemplates suicide while at the same time is determined to live life on her own terms. As I think about it more, I wonder if perhaps Debbie was numb and these two events, which happened in a manner of hours of each other, were the catalysts that caused her to wake up and start really feeling again.
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore is the first book by Walter Mosley that I have read. I don't know why I haven't read him before. He writes a lot of mysteries which would seem to be right up my alley yet somehow his books have eluded me. Not anymore. Debbie was an excellent read. It was non-judgmental look at a woman who decides to stop and take a hard look at her life, the good and the bad. Debbie has had little formal education but reads a great deal and keeps a journal. She is very aware of how people perceive her and how her chosen career affects how she relates to people. She generally sees and accepts people for who they are, reflecting a degree of compassion that sometimes seems rare in the world. Overall Mosley did a very good job of painting paints a complex picture of a woman with a complicated life, without sentimentalizing or demonizing her.
Since I haven't ready any of Mosley's work I cannot say how it stacks up to the rest of his work. For me, it was a good introduction to his work and has me interested in reading more, especially the Easy Rawlins mysteries.
The Debbie of the title is Debbie Dare whose signature look makes her a standout in the adult entertainment business. As the book open she is about to have a surprisingly mind blowing orgasm. It is a surprise because after having sex so often with so many random people in front of a camera and an audience for so many years, she rarely has them anymore. The orgasm seems to portend something. Sure enough when she arrives home from work that evening she finds that her husband, who also made a career in the adult entertainment films, has died. He was filming a scene between himself and a sixteen-year-old girl in a bathtub when the camera fell in the bath and electrocuted them both.
Debbie is surprisingly calm when the police explain what happened. Between the orgasm and the deaths, Debbie's life changes overnight. She decides to quit doing porn. There is no regret or judgment, only a simple decision to change course. She considers her relationships with her family, her friends, and her husband's family. She contemplates suicide while at the same time is determined to live life on her own terms. As I think about it more, I wonder if perhaps Debbie was numb and these two events, which happened in a manner of hours of each other, were the catalysts that caused her to wake up and start really feeling again.
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore is the first book by Walter Mosley that I have read. I don't know why I haven't read him before. He writes a lot of mysteries which would seem to be right up my alley yet somehow his books have eluded me. Not anymore. Debbie was an excellent read. It was non-judgmental look at a woman who decides to stop and take a hard look at her life, the good and the bad. Debbie has had little formal education but reads a great deal and keeps a journal. She is very aware of how people perceive her and how her chosen career affects how she relates to people. She generally sees and accepts people for who they are, reflecting a degree of compassion that sometimes seems rare in the world. Overall Mosley did a very good job of painting paints a complex picture of a woman with a complicated life, without sentimentalizing or demonizing her.
Since I haven't ready any of Mosley's work I cannot say how it stacks up to the rest of his work. For me, it was a good introduction to his work and has me interested in reading more, especially the Easy Rawlins mysteries.
March 21, 2014
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Bill Clinton was president, as he was either boarding or leaving Air Force One, the press noticed that he carried a book with him. It must have been a very slow news day, because the media was suddenly passionate to know what Clinton was reading. It was a novel, one of the Easy Rawlins mysteries, by Walter Mosley. Mosley was relatively unheard of in those days, but if Bill Clinton was reading him to pass his in-air time, surely he must be a noteworthy author. It was a carefully staged and calculated move on Clinton's part, and it added even more "substance" to the opinion that Clinton was our first Black President. It also shot Walter Mosley into the spotlight as THE author to read. Fast forward to now, and I'll bet the farm that if Bill Clinton were looking for a way to ingratiate himself into the Black Community, **Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore** wouldn't make the cut for what novel to promote. Although with the Clinton mentality and Mosley's venture into pornographic lit, they'd be a good fit for each other.
DDDIA is about a woman who makes pornographic movies for a living. She is married to Theon who produces the movies and occasionally makes one for his own pleasure. When Debbie arrives home after a hard day of allowing herself to be degraded and humiliated in ways the porn industry loves so much, she finds her husband, Theon, in the bathtub, naked, with an underage teenaged girl on top of him. Both Theon and the girl are dead. There was a slight mishap with the camera Theon was using to film his activities with the young girl. The camera was precariously situated above the duo, and while they were in the throes of simulated passion, the camera got knocked into the bathtub resulting in electrocution for both of them. Debbie now finds herself inundated with debt Theon never told her about, and she never bothered to ask when it came to all those papers she signed without reading them or questioning what their purpose was.
I am certainly no authority on what constitutes a "good" erotic novel as opposed to a bad one because I don't read that particular genre. I requested this book based upon author name recognition. I believe I read one of the Easy Rawlins books and thought it was worth no more than 3 Stars. Apparently Walter Mosley is not the author for me, but DDDIA goes beyond author preference. I don't understand why Mosley chose to write this kind of book when he so obviously doesn't have the knack for churning out such nasty material. Given his reputation, I thought that even if the story wasn't very good, there would be a writing style to carry it. DDDIA reads like a 5th grader wrote it and used the guideline of throwing everything at the wall hoping something will stick. Debbie has no personality to speak of, and she associates herself with the dregs of her world having no clue about what she's getting into. This behavior becomes repetitious at first, and finally downright boring. Debbie never manages to scrounge up any sympathy or even dislike. Even her suicidal thoughts seem contrived and flat.
I rated this book 1 Star because no stars is not an option. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
When Bill Clinton was president, as he was either boarding or leaving Air Force One, the press noticed that he carried a book with him. It must have been a very slow news day, because the media was suddenly passionate to know what Clinton was reading. It was a novel, one of the Easy Rawlins mysteries, by Walter Mosley. Mosley was relatively unheard of in those days, but if Bill Clinton was reading him to pass his in-air time, surely he must be a noteworthy author. It was a carefully staged and calculated move on Clinton's part, and it added even more "substance" to the opinion that Clinton was our first Black President. It also shot Walter Mosley into the spotlight as THE author to read. Fast forward to now, and I'll bet the farm that if Bill Clinton were looking for a way to ingratiate himself into the Black Community, **Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore** wouldn't make the cut for what novel to promote. Although with the Clinton mentality and Mosley's venture into pornographic lit, they'd be a good fit for each other.
DDDIA is about a woman who makes pornographic movies for a living. She is married to Theon who produces the movies and occasionally makes one for his own pleasure. When Debbie arrives home after a hard day of allowing herself to be degraded and humiliated in ways the porn industry loves so much, she finds her husband, Theon, in the bathtub, naked, with an underage teenaged girl on top of him. Both Theon and the girl are dead. There was a slight mishap with the camera Theon was using to film his activities with the young girl. The camera was precariously situated above the duo, and while they were in the throes of simulated passion, the camera got knocked into the bathtub resulting in electrocution for both of them. Debbie now finds herself inundated with debt Theon never told her about, and she never bothered to ask when it came to all those papers she signed without reading them or questioning what their purpose was.
I am certainly no authority on what constitutes a "good" erotic novel as opposed to a bad one because I don't read that particular genre. I requested this book based upon author name recognition. I believe I read one of the Easy Rawlins books and thought it was worth no more than 3 Stars. Apparently Walter Mosley is not the author for me, but DDDIA goes beyond author preference. I don't understand why Mosley chose to write this kind of book when he so obviously doesn't have the knack for churning out such nasty material. Given his reputation, I thought that even if the story wasn't very good, there would be a writing style to carry it. DDDIA reads like a 5th grader wrote it and used the guideline of throwing everything at the wall hoping something will stick. Debbie has no personality to speak of, and she associates herself with the dregs of her world having no clue about what she's getting into. This behavior becomes repetitious at first, and finally downright boring. Debbie never manages to scrounge up any sympathy or even dislike. Even her suicidal thoughts seem contrived and flat.
I rated this book 1 Star because no stars is not an option. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
September 6, 2020
This is the first book I've ever read by Mosley and I'm glad it was. It's a straight forward character study that pulls you into Debbie's world. It's a nice change to read a novel that isn't fantasy based. I enjoyed this book a lot and I know I'll be reading more of Mosley's books, both fiction and fantasy, in the future. Debbie is a very relatable character. She's just a woman who feels lost and wants to find her way. I loved all the side characters except Rash. His connection with Debbie led to the lackluster ending. I didn't appreciate it at all. It felt forced and abrupt. Other than that, this is a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new interesting protagonist.
July 26, 2014
This book was pretty weak. It gives off the vibe at the beginning that there is real peril or a challenge that the main character must go through to start a new life for herself but by the second chapter it seems everything just falls into place. Theres no real back story or uphill climb for this woman. All she really did was lose conciousness a lot and everything just sort of worked itself out. The ending also seemed a little tacked on and unnecessary. For a novel that seemed like it was stepping out of the box it was pretty standard. I'm sure the graphic sexual suggestions and not the overall plot is what it was published for in the first place.
Read
August 11, 2015As is his wont, Walter Mosley jumps across genres in this fantastic romp of a read. I could not get enough of Debbie, a porn star who quits the endless loop just in time for her “producer” husband to die not only in his mistress’ arms but in a pile of debt. This book is snarky, sexy, and as unstoppable as its main character. — Hannah Depp
from The Best Books We Read In July: http://bookriot.com/2015/08/03/riot-r...
from The Best Books We Read In July: http://bookriot.com/2015/08/03/riot-r...
May 22, 2014
DEBBIE DOESN'T DO IT ANYMORE is definitely a 4.5 star novel.
Walter Mosley kept me fully engaged and I never wanted to put the book down. I was a tad disappointed with the ending; however, I really don't know how I'd prefer for it to have ended.
I'm glad I picked up DEBBIE DOESN'T DO IT ANYMORE and recommend the novel to others.
Walter Mosley kept me fully engaged and I never wanted to put the book down. I was a tad disappointed with the ending; however, I really don't know how I'd prefer for it to have ended.
I'm glad I picked up DEBBIE DOESN'T DO IT ANYMORE and recommend the novel to others.
June 30, 2014
Terrible. I really disliked the story, the protagonist, and the writing that never seemed to go anywhere. I kept waiting for something to happen. Did I mention how much I disliked the protagonist? And not because of her choice of career! Her actions never made any sense, and it was almost impossible to feel sympathy for her. The best thing about this book? The intriguing cover.
August 31, 2016
Another reviewer said it much better than I ever could have, so I'm not gonna even bother trying. I thought this would be a look at how the sex industry could be both empowering and demeaning. Instead, I got a lot of meandering through random situations that have nothing to do with each other, and lots of mentions about Debbie's pubes and rectum without any legitimate reason.
February 27, 2018
The best part, the part where I started underlining and understood why the author is cherished by many, was the last quarter of the book.
May 11, 2014
Walter Mosley's "Debbie Doesn't Do it Anymore" begins with a bang and ends with something approaching relief or resolution. Debbie Dare (formerly and subsequently known as Sandra Peel) is a star in the Los Angeles `adult-entertainment" industry. A woman of color she is known to her fans by her shockingly bright platinum hair and bright blue eyes, courtesy of the contact lens industry. The story opens with Debbie doing a routine `performance' that unintentionally and in violation of the industry norm results in a climax that can best be described by that oft-used term "earth-shattering". Actually as the story develops it becomes more life-changing than earth-shattering. Upon her return home she finds a dead husband, electrocute when a recording device falls into a bathtub where he was initiating a very young girl looking to get into the industry. The story takes us on the path Debbie/Sandra takes subsequent to that very eventful opening.
Mosley is, in my opinion, one of the best American writers out there. Although he rose to frame in the mystery/detective area with his Easy Rawlins Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Mysteries) series Moseley has written fine books across a range of genres including science fiction and books with something of a theological bent, The Tempest Tales: A Novel-in-Stories. His depth and breadth makes pigeonholing a non-starter.
As an initial matter it should be noted that the book's protagonist is a porn-star and the initial chapter might leave one thinking that this is going to be a sexually-charged book. In fact it is not. Certainly Debbie's occupation and life are discussed but the heart of the story is the path that took Debbie into one world and the path that Sandra takes out, or tries to take out. It is not a story about the adult entertainment industry, that is merely the setting. It is a story about choices and the prospect of change, and possibly even some redemption. Mosley's prose is fluid and entertaining and he manages to write about these themes without being preachy. And despite the rather strange cast of characters that populate this book, they come off as believable characters and not caricatures.
I very much enjoyed Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore. Any fan of Mosley should enjoy it. And, if you are new to Mosley I don't think you need to have read any of his other books before taking this on. So as long as you don't have any objections to the setting, you will hopefully not be disappointed.
Mosley is, in my opinion, one of the best American writers out there. Although he rose to frame in the mystery/detective area with his Easy Rawlins Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Mysteries) series Moseley has written fine books across a range of genres including science fiction and books with something of a theological bent, The Tempest Tales: A Novel-in-Stories. His depth and breadth makes pigeonholing a non-starter.
As an initial matter it should be noted that the book's protagonist is a porn-star and the initial chapter might leave one thinking that this is going to be a sexually-charged book. In fact it is not. Certainly Debbie's occupation and life are discussed but the heart of the story is the path that took Debbie into one world and the path that Sandra takes out, or tries to take out. It is not a story about the adult entertainment industry, that is merely the setting. It is a story about choices and the prospect of change, and possibly even some redemption. Mosley's prose is fluid and entertaining and he manages to write about these themes without being preachy. And despite the rather strange cast of characters that populate this book, they come off as believable characters and not caricatures.
I very much enjoyed Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore. Any fan of Mosley should enjoy it. And, if you are new to Mosley I don't think you need to have read any of his other books before taking this on. So as long as you don't have any objections to the setting, you will hopefully not be disappointed.
January 31, 2015
I consider myself to be a Walter Mosley fan. My experience with his writings, though have been to mostly stay away from the Easy Rawlins works, which I could never really get into, and read every other book that he writes. I have greatly enjoyed all of those that I have read and this one is no exception.
In this book, Debbie Dare/Sandra Peel/Pinkney is a porn star who is resolved to leave the game after the unexpected and accidental death of her husband. However, her exit from the industry, of course, does not go as smoothly as planned. To top it off, Sandra's husband has left her with some debt that some gangsters are ready to collect.
Only Walter Mosley can make a porn star seem so human and deserving of our sympathy. Through her relationships with her relatives, new acquaintances, and those threatening her, Mosley unfolds a story of a woman who wants to be something different while the world has judged her on the surface and made being anything else incredibly difficult.
There are, of course, explicit scenes in this novel, considering the industry. There is also the theme of suicide. Like any of his other books, this is a well written peek into the porn industry coupled with a side of redemption. If you can get through the explicit stuff and focus on the story, then this will be another well written, good, and worthwhile read from Mosley. I borrowed this book from the library, but it is worth buying.
In this book, Debbie Dare/Sandra Peel/Pinkney is a porn star who is resolved to leave the game after the unexpected and accidental death of her husband. However, her exit from the industry, of course, does not go as smoothly as planned. To top it off, Sandra's husband has left her with some debt that some gangsters are ready to collect.
Only Walter Mosley can make a porn star seem so human and deserving of our sympathy. Through her relationships with her relatives, new acquaintances, and those threatening her, Mosley unfolds a story of a woman who wants to be something different while the world has judged her on the surface and made being anything else incredibly difficult.
There are, of course, explicit scenes in this novel, considering the industry. There is also the theme of suicide. Like any of his other books, this is a well written peek into the porn industry coupled with a side of redemption. If you can get through the explicit stuff and focus on the story, then this will be another well written, good, and worthwhile read from Mosley. I borrowed this book from the library, but it is worth buying.
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