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The Life: Playin' Palin, My Love of Sports, and Living to the Fullest On My Own Terms
In December of 2014, Lisa Ann shocked the adult world with the news of her retirement. The choice to leave the industry she loved wasn’t an easy one, but a different kind of fantasy was calling her Fantasy sports.
Now Lisa Ann is ready to reveal herself in a new way. From her youthful days as a rebellious teen and a dancer in Philadelphia to her arrival in Los Angeles and into the world of porn; from her years as a business owner to her return to the adult industry as the face of the MILF revolution. Then of course, there was her role as Serra Paylin in Who’s Nailin’ Paylin, the film that took the world by storm during the 2008 Presidential election and made Lisa Ann a household name.
The Life invites you into a world of sparkling fantasy and dark reality, recounting the awkward sex injuries and crazy antics that happen behind closed doors, and tells of the game-changing events and decisions that have shaped Lisa Ann’s life and career. Filled with never-before-seen photos and stories she hasn’t even told her best friends, The Life will show you a whole new side to the woman you thought you knew.
Now Lisa Ann is ready to reveal herself in a new way. From her youthful days as a rebellious teen and a dancer in Philadelphia to her arrival in Los Angeles and into the world of porn; from her years as a business owner to her return to the adult industry as the face of the MILF revolution. Then of course, there was her role as Serra Paylin in Who’s Nailin’ Paylin, the film that took the world by storm during the 2008 Presidential election and made Lisa Ann a household name.
The Life invites you into a world of sparkling fantasy and dark reality, recounting the awkward sex injuries and crazy antics that happen behind closed doors, and tells of the game-changing events and decisions that have shaped Lisa Ann’s life and career. Filled with never-before-seen photos and stories she hasn’t even told her best friends, The Life will show you a whole new side to the woman you thought you knew.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2015
61 people are currently reading
436 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 27, 2016
When I got this book - I wasn't sure. I knew, as many other men does too, who Lisa Ann is, but I had no idea her story is actually pretty interesting. It also explain a lot why girls getting into this industry. It's bit of a myth busting book but it's well written and very personal. I wish Lisa all the best and thanks for sharing the story.
December 26, 2016
I appreciate that this book was definitely not ghostwritten - but it definitely lacks a good editor. Anyway - very easy to read and very interesting to see life from a porn star's perspective. There are life lessons by the dozen, but luckily not in the form of "you have to do this or else..." My biggest win from the book is this: even though Lisa is quite well-known, she never hesitated to reach out and talk to people as humans, and not fans or subservient followers. I really appreciate this tone.
April 1, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars
An articulate businesswoman writes about her adult industry experience
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020
What I can liken this book to is: listening to a jazz piece where there are several different themes and ambiguous harmonic structures that take separate paths throughout the piece, but they all come together to create a final product.
As I disentangle "The Life," I come up with a few threads.
Theme #1: The porn industry has changed dramatically since the advent of the internet. (And I have watched documentaries where former actors talked about making 2 or 3 movies per year Back In The Olden Days, and because of the internet's vitiation of product-control, performers are shooting three and four times a week (!).)
This book also rehashes familiar lamentations of the decline of professional standards within the industry.
Theme #2: The overwhelming majority of people who enter into adult performance have mental and substance abuse problems--and this author had a little bit of both. (Also: Just recently, I read a book by Asa Akira who was also an adult film actress that is intelligent, but deeply damaged as well.)
The author of the book herself was articulate, focused and directed, but she seemed to have a lot of problems just the same.
i. Healthy people gravitate toward pleasure and away from pain, and the author knew that it cost her a lot of pain to work in the industry and yet she has come out of retirement no less than 3 times.
ii. She also talked about not being able to maintain relationships that were good, because she could not stop cheating on her partners (with co-conspirators of either sex).
iii. The author was extremely promiscuous/hypersexual. And I'm not sure what it could mean, because her day job was to be mounted by different people all day, every day. And yet, that wasn't enough and she had to go and try to conquer everyone in the country that she did not work with on set?
There are a lot of drugs and suicide in the industry, and the author is not shy about her drug use. Nor the fact that she is lucky that she made it past 25 without ending her life.
Theme #3: The adult film industry is a business, and an extremely vicious one at that.
i. Female performers are deliberately put into unsafe situations. (Violent co-workers. Co-workers that are not tested properly. Performance of acts for which they do not have realistic expectations, and and in which they could be injured.)
ii. Female performers are duped into outside work that borders on prostitution.
iii. Lots of contracts are put in front of them with many pages and *extremely small print* so that they only realize a very small portion of their earnings after all of the "deductions."
iv. People blast other people's personal information on to the internet just out of spite, as was done to this author by Keiran Lee. Or, they spread false rumors (as was done to our author by Nikki Benz).
Theme #4: Familiarity breeds contempt. The author grew up around Italian relatives and ancestors, and it certainly did seem to leave her with a dislike for them that glittered and sparked in every sentence that she had to say about her family members or other Italian people throughout the book.
The author comes across in several different incarnations:
a. Tart with a Heart/ Hooker With a Heart of Gold.
b. A savvy businesswoman.
c. A person with some number of unspecified emotional issues. (Why-oh-why is it that white ladies who are interested in black guys always have to have some problem or another?)
d. Somebody who could have accomplished great things in the mainstream world if the stars had just been aligned a little bit different.
The author certainly was gifted with:
i. Very nice looks;
ii. Drive;
iii. Self-discipline;
iv. Some type of business acumen.
In short, all of the things that could have made her a very successful business woman in a much cleaner industry.
Somehow, it just didn't work out for her--even though it feels like there is no reason that it could not have been different.
This was a very easy to read book, and the writing was fairly engaging with some good turns of phrase.
Verdict: It's probably worth about $8 plus shipping
An articulate businesswoman writes about her adult industry experience
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020
What I can liken this book to is: listening to a jazz piece where there are several different themes and ambiguous harmonic structures that take separate paths throughout the piece, but they all come together to create a final product.
As I disentangle "The Life," I come up with a few threads.
Theme #1: The porn industry has changed dramatically since the advent of the internet. (And I have watched documentaries where former actors talked about making 2 or 3 movies per year Back In The Olden Days, and because of the internet's vitiation of product-control, performers are shooting three and four times a week (!).)
This book also rehashes familiar lamentations of the decline of professional standards within the industry.
Theme #2: The overwhelming majority of people who enter into adult performance have mental and substance abuse problems--and this author had a little bit of both. (Also: Just recently, I read a book by Asa Akira who was also an adult film actress that is intelligent, but deeply damaged as well.)
The author of the book herself was articulate, focused and directed, but she seemed to have a lot of problems just the same.
i. Healthy people gravitate toward pleasure and away from pain, and the author knew that it cost her a lot of pain to work in the industry and yet she has come out of retirement no less than 3 times.
ii. She also talked about not being able to maintain relationships that were good, because she could not stop cheating on her partners (with co-conspirators of either sex).
iii. The author was extremely promiscuous/hypersexual. And I'm not sure what it could mean, because her day job was to be mounted by different people all day, every day. And yet, that wasn't enough and she had to go and try to conquer everyone in the country that she did not work with on set?
There are a lot of drugs and suicide in the industry, and the author is not shy about her drug use. Nor the fact that she is lucky that she made it past 25 without ending her life.
Theme #3: The adult film industry is a business, and an extremely vicious one at that.
i. Female performers are deliberately put into unsafe situations. (Violent co-workers. Co-workers that are not tested properly. Performance of acts for which they do not have realistic expectations, and and in which they could be injured.)
ii. Female performers are duped into outside work that borders on prostitution.
iii. Lots of contracts are put in front of them with many pages and *extremely small print* so that they only realize a very small portion of their earnings after all of the "deductions."
iv. People blast other people's personal information on to the internet just out of spite, as was done to this author by Keiran Lee. Or, they spread false rumors (as was done to our author by Nikki Benz).
Theme #4: Familiarity breeds contempt. The author grew up around Italian relatives and ancestors, and it certainly did seem to leave her with a dislike for them that glittered and sparked in every sentence that she had to say about her family members or other Italian people throughout the book.
The author comes across in several different incarnations:
a. Tart with a Heart/ Hooker With a Heart of Gold.
b. A savvy businesswoman.
c. A person with some number of unspecified emotional issues. (Why-oh-why is it that white ladies who are interested in black guys always have to have some problem or another?)
d. Somebody who could have accomplished great things in the mainstream world if the stars had just been aligned a little bit different.
The author certainly was gifted with:
i. Very nice looks;
ii. Drive;
iii. Self-discipline;
iv. Some type of business acumen.
In short, all of the things that could have made her a very successful business woman in a much cleaner industry.
Somehow, it just didn't work out for her--even though it feels like there is no reason that it could not have been different.
This was a very easy to read book, and the writing was fairly engaging with some good turns of phrase.
Verdict: It's probably worth about $8 plus shipping
November 11, 2018
Interesting and a quick read
Quick and easy read. Very interesting section on Palin. I learned a few new things. Take a chance, this is not a serious novel but none the less salacious and fun to pass the time
Quick and easy read. Very interesting section on Palin. I learned a few new things. Take a chance, this is not a serious novel but none the less salacious and fun to pass the time
December 17, 2015
I first became a fan of Lisa Ann after listening to her appearance on "The Morning After..." podcast (Episode #33 with Damien Fahey - 02/01/11 - it's on iTunes), a program that featured conversations with comedians and porn stars. Many times the porn starlets came off as quite ditzy and vapid, and then there was Lisa Ann; she was articulate, funny, engaging - the perfect girl to hang out with who just happened to also do porn. The episode ran longer than usual as it seemed everyone was having such a good time (she gave a terrific rundown of the kits she would assemble to use once on shoots and then dispose of that showed her true professionalism and intelligence); that was when I made a point of listening to her podcasts and following her on Twitter (@TheRealLisaAnn). While I can't claim that her filmography interests me, I liked hearing what she had to say with her sly sense of humor and unique perspective on life and her career. I leapt at the chance to meet her during a featured dancing engagement at Vanities in September 2014 in Columbus, Ohio, and she couldn't have been sweeter or more approachable. It was one of the few times I'd ever been to a "gentlemen's club," and I made sure to stock up on singles and fives (and a few twenties); somehow I left with no cash (I guess the "make it rain!" rant got the best of me), but boy did I have a great time!
Lisa Ann retired from the porn industry in December 2014 in a handwritten letter that she posted on social media. "It felt so personal to me," she shyly admits. "The idea of sharing my handwriting with the world was a new level of intimacy." For someone who had shared every intimate part of her body for the world to see for over twenty years, sharing her handwriting was what made her nervous? But I get it - it was a transitional time going from a faux intimacy (porn) to sharing something from truly behind the wall of armor she had built to protect herself. Now she has put more pen to paper (so to speak) and written
The Life: Playin' Palin, My Love of Sports, and Living to the Fullest On My Own Terms, chronologically covering her first forty-three years, going from being a child from a broken home to a rebellious teen, stripper, porn star, married woman, business owner, talent agent, and now Fantasy Football radio host? If it were a movie you'd never believe it, but Lisa Ann lays it all out there with good humor peppered with raunchy (yet not trashy) stories of her unusual life and career in a most entertaining tome.
I admit that I wanted to read Lisa Ann's book for all of the outrageous stories I was sure it would contain, and on this count she doesn't disappoint. From vengeful strippers peeing on the costumes of rivals to playing den mother in a house of unruly porn starlets (they track mud into the house when they are barefoot and drunk, FYI) to negotiating sex acts for a performer with her parents presiding as her managers, Lisa Ann has seen it all even if she hasn't done it all. She doesn't claim to be immune to drugs, but she is very clear at pointing out that she was not and never was a prostitute, outlining the difference very clearly between an adult performer and a paid escort. She confirms that many girls did both, but that was not the path she chose. She never calls herself an actress, which is fair; but she leaves little doubt that she was a true performance artist, enjoying the attention and response from the crowd just like any other performer. She refers to herself and other porn performers as "talent," which again is accurate; it takes talent to be able to perform in such scenes and not get burned out or appear stale on camera. Lisa Ann doesn't glamorize the work so much as lay the truth out there, sharing the "very empty, very lonely void all porn stars feel and can't deny." At the same time she admits to enjoying performing sex acts on camera, only a few times feeling ashamed or regretful over the content of a shoot.
She shares several cautionary tales in which she trusted the wrong people and, at various times, was drugged, attacked, and robbed, but she learned from each experience. "Trust NO ONE, especially the girls," she was advised by a kind bouncer who looked after her after some dancers laced her joint with Angel Dust and she blacked out. "Work, go home, and mind your own business. Save your money and make a plan to get out. The money is addicting and it will change your life - whether it's for the better or the worse is on you." It's one of many close calls she describes, each aiding in their way of developing her character and resilience. She never plays the victim card or wallows in any depression for long; there's too much out there for her to do to allow self pity to come a-knockin'.
"I started to really look at my body as a business," Lisa Ann states, explaining how while still a teenager she made time to exercise, eat well, and maintain a beauty routine, sometimes investing thousands of dollars a month! It isn't cheap or easy to be the living embodiment of fantasy, but, as she concedes, "This is a business investment." While she doesn't mention any cosmetic surgery that she had done specifically for her career, she does relate that one of the first things she wanted to do after retiring was to get her breasts reduced. "I was starting to feel self-conscious about them," she confesses as she assimilated into working for Sirius on the radio. Lisa Ann went from her body being her business in movies and dancing in clubs to using her voice and mind on the radio, where what she looked like didn't matter at all! Her brain was what made her some enemies in porn (she had no problem whistle-blowing on safety regulations being ignored or negotiating for more money or control), and now it was exactly what another industry would value in her.
"Money was the key to my independence," she writes, explaining how much money she could make as a stripper when she started out as merely a high school grad. Her drive to be financially independent and successful propelled her not to rest on her laurels but to keep trying harder within her industry to succeed. "I was constantly fighting for my rights in a business that wanted the girls to believe they had none," she says about being in adult entertainment, but doesn't that statement apply to so many other industries as well? This is where Lisa Ann's story is one that anyone - male or female - can possibly relate: haven't we all been in jobs where we feel undervalued, underutilized, and replaceable? "Porn went from loving and celebrating women to treating them as disposable things," she states, reflecting on the change in the industry from the '90s to today. To me, I see a similar change in other industries as well, one where seniority and relationships no longer matter - everything and everyone is a number. When faced with this, Lisa Ann went forth to cut a new path, venturing into producing and directing her own films and even managing other models for a time. There is a lesson there for all of us, no matter our career.
Her ascent to mega stardom playing the porn parody version of former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin in 2008's Who's Nailin' Paylin? was a perfect example of opportunity meeting up with preparation; Lisa Ann had returned to porn a few years prior as one of the most in demand MILFs around (Google it if you don't know the acronym), and in retrospect it seems like it was all leading up to this one chance that could be a real game changer - and boy was it! Though she was grateful for the opportunity at playing Palin, she's firm that her personal beliefs are the polar opposite. "I would never in a million years support Sarah Palin's politics," Lisa Ann confirms, adding, "Palin's message had no place in the world I lived in - a world of free sex, sexual preference, and a shared desire for marriage equality." Still, demand for feature dancing gigs as Palin in tailored suits skyrocketed, and Lisa Ann picked up the gauntlet and ran with it.
Her popularity brought about mainstream recognition as well as opportunities for more revenue streams, something that made many others in the industry quite jealous. "Porn is like high school with drugs and money - and all the wrong people have both," she candidly states. "Porn is the perfect home for those with addictions and a variety of social issues. It is competitive and spiteful, filled with gossip, haters, and unhappy people. Over the course of my career, I learned that the more people didn't like me, the better I felt."
For a book so comprehensive, it's interesting that Lisa Ann doesn't tell her "coming out" story, the one where she tells her mom and dad about her career in the adult industry. "My parents will never forgive me for doing porn," she clearly states, and other sections describe her estrangement from her dad and her on-again, off-again relationship with her mom; clearly they weren't thrilled with her career of choice, but I was curious to read how she broke the news to them, how they reacted, and how it changed her relationships with them (which were strained anyway). I also wonder if her relationship with her older brother ever improved; there is a cute picture of the two of them from her late teens where it shows that she wasn't the only looker in the family. Sibling relationships fascinate me; I have no relationship with my brothers at all, but I know of other people who are thick as thieves with their brothers and sisters. This is one area in which Lisa Ann is holding some cards close, which is understandable considering that her family didn't sign up for any of this.
You don't need to be into porn to get something out of Lisa Ann's story, though it would help not to be squeamish about some of the more explicit details she is incredibly open about divulging (her sex preparation regimen, opinions on lubricant, "money shot" feelings, etc.). The behind-the-scenes info on what it is like to perform such private things in front of a camera is all there to read (and it's incredibly entertaining and humorous), but there is a deeper story around it about a small town girl from Pennsylvania determined to get out and do big things. They may not be the kinds of things most of us would ever consider doing, but Lisa Ann emerges as someone who is her own best invention, delightfully unrepentant for her porn past while heading into a new career. I don't know that she wrote the book to be so empowering, but that's just what it is.
- from my blog at Life Full of Cheese
Lisa Ann retired from the porn industry in December 2014 in a handwritten letter that she posted on social media. "It felt so personal to me," she shyly admits. "The idea of sharing my handwriting with the world was a new level of intimacy." For someone who had shared every intimate part of her body for the world to see for over twenty years, sharing her handwriting was what made her nervous? But I get it - it was a transitional time going from a faux intimacy (porn) to sharing something from truly behind the wall of armor she had built to protect herself. Now she has put more pen to paper (so to speak) and written
The Life: Playin' Palin, My Love of Sports, and Living to the Fullest On My Own Terms, chronologically covering her first forty-three years, going from being a child from a broken home to a rebellious teen, stripper, porn star, married woman, business owner, talent agent, and now Fantasy Football radio host? If it were a movie you'd never believe it, but Lisa Ann lays it all out there with good humor peppered with raunchy (yet not trashy) stories of her unusual life and career in a most entertaining tome.
I admit that I wanted to read Lisa Ann's book for all of the outrageous stories I was sure it would contain, and on this count she doesn't disappoint. From vengeful strippers peeing on the costumes of rivals to playing den mother in a house of unruly porn starlets (they track mud into the house when they are barefoot and drunk, FYI) to negotiating sex acts for a performer with her parents presiding as her managers, Lisa Ann has seen it all even if she hasn't done it all. She doesn't claim to be immune to drugs, but she is very clear at pointing out that she was not and never was a prostitute, outlining the difference very clearly between an adult performer and a paid escort. She confirms that many girls did both, but that was not the path she chose. She never calls herself an actress, which is fair; but she leaves little doubt that she was a true performance artist, enjoying the attention and response from the crowd just like any other performer. She refers to herself and other porn performers as "talent," which again is accurate; it takes talent to be able to perform in such scenes and not get burned out or appear stale on camera. Lisa Ann doesn't glamorize the work so much as lay the truth out there, sharing the "very empty, very lonely void all porn stars feel and can't deny." At the same time she admits to enjoying performing sex acts on camera, only a few times feeling ashamed or regretful over the content of a shoot.
She shares several cautionary tales in which she trusted the wrong people and, at various times, was drugged, attacked, and robbed, but she learned from each experience. "Trust NO ONE, especially the girls," she was advised by a kind bouncer who looked after her after some dancers laced her joint with Angel Dust and she blacked out. "Work, go home, and mind your own business. Save your money and make a plan to get out. The money is addicting and it will change your life - whether it's for the better or the worse is on you." It's one of many close calls she describes, each aiding in their way of developing her character and resilience. She never plays the victim card or wallows in any depression for long; there's too much out there for her to do to allow self pity to come a-knockin'.
"I started to really look at my body as a business," Lisa Ann states, explaining how while still a teenager she made time to exercise, eat well, and maintain a beauty routine, sometimes investing thousands of dollars a month! It isn't cheap or easy to be the living embodiment of fantasy, but, as she concedes, "This is a business investment." While she doesn't mention any cosmetic surgery that she had done specifically for her career, she does relate that one of the first things she wanted to do after retiring was to get her breasts reduced. "I was starting to feel self-conscious about them," she confesses as she assimilated into working for Sirius on the radio. Lisa Ann went from her body being her business in movies and dancing in clubs to using her voice and mind on the radio, where what she looked like didn't matter at all! Her brain was what made her some enemies in porn (she had no problem whistle-blowing on safety regulations being ignored or negotiating for more money or control), and now it was exactly what another industry would value in her.
"Money was the key to my independence," she writes, explaining how much money she could make as a stripper when she started out as merely a high school grad. Her drive to be financially independent and successful propelled her not to rest on her laurels but to keep trying harder within her industry to succeed. "I was constantly fighting for my rights in a business that wanted the girls to believe they had none," she says about being in adult entertainment, but doesn't that statement apply to so many other industries as well? This is where Lisa Ann's story is one that anyone - male or female - can possibly relate: haven't we all been in jobs where we feel undervalued, underutilized, and replaceable? "Porn went from loving and celebrating women to treating them as disposable things," she states, reflecting on the change in the industry from the '90s to today. To me, I see a similar change in other industries as well, one where seniority and relationships no longer matter - everything and everyone is a number. When faced with this, Lisa Ann went forth to cut a new path, venturing into producing and directing her own films and even managing other models for a time. There is a lesson there for all of us, no matter our career.
Her ascent to mega stardom playing the porn parody version of former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin in 2008's Who's Nailin' Paylin? was a perfect example of opportunity meeting up with preparation; Lisa Ann had returned to porn a few years prior as one of the most in demand MILFs around (Google it if you don't know the acronym), and in retrospect it seems like it was all leading up to this one chance that could be a real game changer - and boy was it! Though she was grateful for the opportunity at playing Palin, she's firm that her personal beliefs are the polar opposite. "I would never in a million years support Sarah Palin's politics," Lisa Ann confirms, adding, "Palin's message had no place in the world I lived in - a world of free sex, sexual preference, and a shared desire for marriage equality." Still, demand for feature dancing gigs as Palin in tailored suits skyrocketed, and Lisa Ann picked up the gauntlet and ran with it.
Her popularity brought about mainstream recognition as well as opportunities for more revenue streams, something that made many others in the industry quite jealous. "Porn is like high school with drugs and money - and all the wrong people have both," she candidly states. "Porn is the perfect home for those with addictions and a variety of social issues. It is competitive and spiteful, filled with gossip, haters, and unhappy people. Over the course of my career, I learned that the more people didn't like me, the better I felt."
For a book so comprehensive, it's interesting that Lisa Ann doesn't tell her "coming out" story, the one where she tells her mom and dad about her career in the adult industry. "My parents will never forgive me for doing porn," she clearly states, and other sections describe her estrangement from her dad and her on-again, off-again relationship with her mom; clearly they weren't thrilled with her career of choice, but I was curious to read how she broke the news to them, how they reacted, and how it changed her relationships with them (which were strained anyway). I also wonder if her relationship with her older brother ever improved; there is a cute picture of the two of them from her late teens where it shows that she wasn't the only looker in the family. Sibling relationships fascinate me; I have no relationship with my brothers at all, but I know of other people who are thick as thieves with their brothers and sisters. This is one area in which Lisa Ann is holding some cards close, which is understandable considering that her family didn't sign up for any of this.
You don't need to be into porn to get something out of Lisa Ann's story, though it would help not to be squeamish about some of the more explicit details she is incredibly open about divulging (her sex preparation regimen, opinions on lubricant, "money shot" feelings, etc.). The behind-the-scenes info on what it is like to perform such private things in front of a camera is all there to read (and it's incredibly entertaining and humorous), but there is a deeper story around it about a small town girl from Pennsylvania determined to get out and do big things. They may not be the kinds of things most of us would ever consider doing, but Lisa Ann emerges as someone who is her own best invention, delightfully unrepentant for her porn past while heading into a new career. I don't know that she wrote the book to be so empowering, but that's just what it is.
- from my blog at Life Full of Cheese
April 20, 2020
This is part one of the review since I am only halfway through this book. I recommend reading this book because you'll get a microscope into a unique American story. This book comes from the perspective of girl getting turned off by the dysfunction in her community and family, connecting the dots of the flaws and values in American society, and coming out a winner in the porn business.
Lisa Ann shares her experiences in being a conventional business owner and a hustler in the adult business. A very good open look into the adult industry on all aspects from the "glam" to the "dirty". What drew me to this, and most autobiographies I read is that the author is real. What I mean by saying real is that she's not trying be a "saint". Even with her excellent work ethic and compassion to the talent and workers in the industry, she will party and knows that she is partying. Keeping it real.
Part II
Just finished the book on 4/20/2020 at 00:58
Either this is a great read or I really like autobiographies. Lisa Ann as a person isn't perfect but her experiences are unique and she has to walk through judgement more than an ex-convict will have to. There is no doubt that she had to do the work, as her sign is a Taurus. If you like to read biographies, I recommend it since this one is straight from the author's deep perspective, pun intended.
For those who think porn is close to reality...
"GUYS, most of what you see on the Internet will never happen for you. If you ask a girl, you may offend her and if you force a girl, you may face criminal charges. Take it from me: most girls don’t want to be doing those scenes even with the money on the table.
I know that sounds harsh, but I am glad I grew up without access to the overwhelming variety of sex acts the Internet is filled with. It has created a new normal for a generation that will, in the end, be the most sexually confused of all."
The good news is that not all dudes are like this. I would rather have real passionate sex with someone I love and get along with than watch porn to fulfill an illusion.
Here's her take on the industry from her experiences. (as of 2014-2015)
"Once porn went online, the demand for content skyrocketed. We started to need so much content that we no longer looked at the talent, especially the girls, as people. They were just bodies coming into the situation, getting used for a few months, and then dropped. No one kept in touch with the girls once they found a pretty new face; no one checked on them. There were always more girls ready to take the others’ places.
Porn went from loving and celebrating women to treating them as disposable things."
Check this book out, it's a pretty quick read at 200 something pages.
Lisa Ann shares her experiences in being a conventional business owner and a hustler in the adult business. A very good open look into the adult industry on all aspects from the "glam" to the "dirty". What drew me to this, and most autobiographies I read is that the author is real. What I mean by saying real is that she's not trying be a "saint". Even with her excellent work ethic and compassion to the talent and workers in the industry, she will party and knows that she is partying. Keeping it real.
Part II
Just finished the book on 4/20/2020 at 00:58
Either this is a great read or I really like autobiographies. Lisa Ann as a person isn't perfect but her experiences are unique and she has to walk through judgement more than an ex-convict will have to. There is no doubt that she had to do the work, as her sign is a Taurus. If you like to read biographies, I recommend it since this one is straight from the author's deep perspective, pun intended.
For those who think porn is close to reality...
"GUYS, most of what you see on the Internet will never happen for you. If you ask a girl, you may offend her and if you force a girl, you may face criminal charges. Take it from me: most girls don’t want to be doing those scenes even with the money on the table.
I know that sounds harsh, but I am glad I grew up without access to the overwhelming variety of sex acts the Internet is filled with. It has created a new normal for a generation that will, in the end, be the most sexually confused of all."
The good news is that not all dudes are like this. I would rather have real passionate sex with someone I love and get along with than watch porn to fulfill an illusion.
Here's her take on the industry from her experiences. (as of 2014-2015)
"Once porn went online, the demand for content skyrocketed. We started to need so much content that we no longer looked at the talent, especially the girls, as people. They were just bodies coming into the situation, getting used for a few months, and then dropped. No one kept in touch with the girls once they found a pretty new face; no one checked on them. There were always more girls ready to take the others’ places.
Porn went from loving and celebrating women to treating them as disposable things."
Check this book out, it's a pretty quick read at 200 something pages.
June 15, 2019
This book was awesome! Lisa Ann is a very intelligent woman, who just happens to have made a career as a stripper and having sex on camera. I really enjoyed the stories that she shared about what it’s like being a stripper and some of the behind the scenes details about the adult industry. It doesn’t seem as glamorous as it once was back in the day. Her upbringing shaped the way she became what we now know as Lisa Ann. She hustled HARD! It’s a shame that we look at pornstars as just these ditzy, dumbass girls and that we can accept the fact that it’s a legitimate way of making money! Money still counts the same as my money! It’s just as green as mine!
I also appreciate her being open about sex and the adult industry. There’s a lot of questions that I’m sure we all have and she answers them in vivid detail. It does get explicit at times but as an adult I was mature enough to read and absorb the knowledge. Sex is still kind of a taboo topic and it was refreshing for her not to hold back and put a lot of information out there for the reader. Even some tips that I’ll be sure to apply to my sex life and you should too!
Lisa Ann is a beast bruh! She busted her ass to get where she is now and I wish her the best on her future projects outside of the adult industry. I’m a fan for life!
The funniest part about reading this was knowing damn well all of the dudes who looked at the cover while I was reading knowing good and damn well who she was!
I also appreciate her being open about sex and the adult industry. There’s a lot of questions that I’m sure we all have and she answers them in vivid detail. It does get explicit at times but as an adult I was mature enough to read and absorb the knowledge. Sex is still kind of a taboo topic and it was refreshing for her not to hold back and put a lot of information out there for the reader. Even some tips that I’ll be sure to apply to my sex life and you should too!
Lisa Ann is a beast bruh! She busted her ass to get where she is now and I wish her the best on her future projects outside of the adult industry. I’m a fan for life!
The funniest part about reading this was knowing damn well all of the dudes who looked at the cover while I was reading knowing good and damn well who she was!
September 10, 2021
I have nothing but respect for Lisa Ann. She rose to fame when I was still in college and she has proven time and again that she can rise back amidst adversities and conflict especially for somebody who works in the industry plagued with such. This is the first time that I got to read the nitty-gritty and gruesome details of what had happened to her personal and professional life. It all blew my mind how she went through every conundrum and dilemma she has faced even until she finally retired from the adult industry and concentrated into fantasy sports. She is the symbol of a modern woman who was not afraid to take risks and who has defined her own terms to safeguard her vulnerability from a chaotic world inside and outside the perverse business of pornography. The life of Lisa is a great journey to go back to for someone like her who thought when there was no hope for every time she was caught in a fix she would unexpectedly pull off a comeback. Therefore, I must say that she can face any adversity more courageously than any actress of her generation has met in a room full of big interracial men ready to devour her.
April 3, 2022
Overall a good book
She went into a lot of detail in her life
From her childhood, her relationships, what she did good and her many shortcomings
I did not know too much about her until I saw her on a valuetainment podcast where she impressed me
This book left me with wanting to know more since it was written in 2015 and it seems that she has had a lot of development over the past few years
The book has to be read through the lens of a rascal with strained relations with family and childhood friends that continued in her business relations
I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn of the life of a troubled girl from Pennsylvania who took control of her life
She went into a lot of detail in her life
From her childhood, her relationships, what she did good and her many shortcomings
I did not know too much about her until I saw her on a valuetainment podcast where she impressed me
This book left me with wanting to know more since it was written in 2015 and it seems that she has had a lot of development over the past few years
The book has to be read through the lens of a rascal with strained relations with family and childhood friends that continued in her business relations
I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn of the life of a troubled girl from Pennsylvania who took control of her life
December 2, 2020
With the exception of some reoccurring editing errors this book was worth both purchasing and reading, especially considering the author autographed it and included a handwritten thank you card personally addressed to me, as advertised on her Twitter account and website. As for the content, it is replete with exhilarating anecdotes about scene specific film shoots, insider information about the adult film industry (past and present) and intimate biographical accounts. It’s a BTS (Behind the Scenes) smorgasbord.
January 1, 2023
surprisingly interesting and good
Look anyone who knows someone who has read this will have their own stereotypes and stigmas. But this book was a eye opener into a life that most of us can only imagine both negative and positive. I enjoyed the book. I found Lisa Ann to be an interesting person.
Look anyone who knows someone who has read this will have their own stereotypes and stigmas. But this book was a eye opener into a life that most of us can only imagine both negative and positive. I enjoyed the book. I found Lisa Ann to be an interesting person.
July 1, 2021
This was a fascinating look at Lisa Ann's early life, school days, early adulthood, perspectives on adult entertainment, and her retirement from the adult world. She is now doing sports shows on Sirius XM.
June 15, 2022
Surprisingly fascinating and fun. The audio book is read by the author and her voice and story telling ability are so good, fun and full of enthusiasm. No wonder she was a star, a porn star, but still a star. She has surprisingly good work ethics and drive and succeeded despite bad childhood.
October 14, 2024
The Phoenix
Lisa Ann should be nicknamed the Phoenix because in all the things that have happened to her in her life she has risen from the ashes stronger and with a new vision for her life.
Lisa Ann should be nicknamed the Phoenix because in all the things that have happened to her in her life she has risen from the ashes stronger and with a new vision for her life.
August 1, 2019
A surprisingly well-written memoir. I feel like I learned a lot of empathy from reading this book.
In the end, I ended up really respecting the author.
In the end, I ended up really respecting the author.
February 1, 2021
Now why can’t Sarah Palin write a memoir that’s just as revealing and entertaining? Dare I say it’s a better book than Tina Fey’s?
December 19, 2021
A
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2023
An autobiography by one of the most well known female pornstars. Lisa Ann tells how she got into the business and details the highs and lows of her career.
November 5, 2023
It was great. She explains allot of changes that had happened within much of her life in the industries she was in
December 8, 2016
Much more than a simple autobiography of a porn star, The Life, by Lisa Ann is an unexpectedly good, uniquely American piece of literature. As an author, Lisa Ann's writing is authentic, raw and genuine. Read this book.
July 13, 2025
Me gustó conocer la vida de la artista, más allá de sus producciones.
Una actriz porno sigue siendo un ser humano, y por lo tanto merece el respecto que pedimos para nosotros mismos.
Una actriz porno sigue siendo un ser humano, y por lo tanto merece el respecto que pedimos para nosotros mismos.
February 24, 2016
Applause to Lisa
Great story, very revealing of how the industry really is like and how it has changed. Good job Lisa Ann for telling the truth about so much
Great story, very revealing of how the industry really is like and how it has changed. Good job Lisa Ann for telling the truth about so much
November 27, 2018
Although intriguing, the book seems to be very superficial. A satisfactory read, but it could have been done a lot better.
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