Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex

by David Henry Sterry, Audacia Ray (Contributor), Jennifer Blowdryer (Contributor)

The only thing the writers in this book have in common is that they've exchanged sex for money. They're PhDs and dropouts, soccer moms and jailbirds, $2,500-a-night call girls and $10 crack hos, and everything in between. This anthology lends a voice to an underrepresented population that is simultaneously reviled and worshipped.

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys is a collection of short memoirs, rants, confessions, nightmares, journalism, and poetry covering life, love, work, family, and yes, sex. The editors gather pieces from the world of industrial sex, including contributions from art-porn priestess Dr. Annie Sprinkle, best-selling memoirist David Henry Sterry (Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent), sex activist and musical diva Candye Kane, women and men right off the streets, girls participating in the first-ever National Summit of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth, and Ruth Morgan Thomas, one of the organizers of the European Sex Work, Human Rights, and Migration Conference.

Sex is a billion-dollar industry. Meet the real people who are its flesh and blood.

Genres: Sex Work, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Feminism, Queer, Short Stories, Essays

333 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2009

About the author

David Henry Sterry

David Henry Sterry is an author, performer, educator, activist, and a man who hasn’t worn matching socks in 20 years. David is the author of 11 books, the first of which was published in 2001. Prior to becoming an author, David was a professional actor and screenwriter.

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published (aka: Putting Your Passion into Print) (Workman, 2005). Based on the Stanford Workshop created by himself and his wife, former agent and author, Arielle Eckstut.
“Before you write your own book, read this one first. Arielle Eckstut and David Sterry understand the process of publishing. Their advice will help you envision and frame your work so that publishers will be more likely to perceive its value.” –Jonathan Karp, Publisher, 12 Books
“This book demystifies the process of getting published and is a must-have for every aspiring writer with a dream to see his or her passion in print. With input from agents, editors, and writers, this book is thorough, forthright, and importantly, also quite entertaining.”--Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

Satchel Sez; The Wit, Wisdom & World of Leroy Satchel Paige (Crown, 2001). Picked by the ALA as one of the best books of the year for teens.

Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent (ReganBooks, 2002). A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Sold into nine countries. Under option by Showtime for a TV series.
“Sterry writes with comic brio… [he] honed a vibrant outrageous writing style and turned out this studiously wild souvenir of a checkered past.”--Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Stunning… Sterry's prose fizzes like fireworks. Every page crackles… Very easy and exciting to read--as laconic as Dashiell Hammett, as viscerally hallucinogenic as Hunter S Thompson. Sex, violence, drugs, love, hate, and great writing all within a single wrapper. What more could you possibly ask for?” –The Irish Times

Travis & Freddy’s Adventures in Vegas (Dutton, 2006). Written under the pseudonym Henry Johnson.
“This is a winner.”— Library Journal

LittleMissMatched’s Pajama Party in a Box (Workman, 2007)
LittleMissMatched’s Fabulous Marvelous Me (Workman, 2007)
LittleMissMatched’s The Writer in Me (Workman, 2008)
LittleMissMatched’s The Artist in Me (Workman, 2008)
LittleMissMatched is a company dedicated to inspiring creativity and self-expression in girls of all ages. These books, created with David’s wife, Arielle Eckstut, have been sold everywhere from FAO Schwarz to Toys R Us to Disneyland.

Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Rollerskates and Chippendales (Canongate/Grove-Atlantic).
“Master of Ceremonies is dizzying, tender, and… resplendent with seedy glamour, hilarious backstage madness, and unflinching honesty.”--Library Journal

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rent-Boys: Professionals writing on Life, Love, Money & Sex (Soft Skull, 2009). Now in its third printing after only 6 weeks in print.
“Eye-opening, astonishing, brutally honest and frequently funny… unpretentious and riveting — but also graphic, politically incorrect and mostly unquotable in this newspaper.”—The New York Times Sunday Book Review (front page review)

The Glorious World Cup: A Balls-Out Guide (Dutton, to be published in April, 2010).

David is unique as an author in that he brings together his love for the written word with his love for performance. In his life as an actor, he performed with everyone from Milton Berle to Will Smith to Michael Caine to Zippy the Chimp. He performed in over 750 commercials, including 4 Clio winners, starred in HBO's Emmy Award-winning Encyclopedia, and emceed at Chippendale's in New York City. As a screenwriter, he wrote for Disney, Fox and Nickelodeon. After his memoir, Chicken, was published, David put his performance and playwriting skills to work and wrote and performed a one-man show based on the book. After a highly praised debut i

Reviews

[David Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing every writer in this book has in common is that they've exchanged sexual services for money. Ph.D.s to dropouts, soccer moms to jailbirds, $2500 a night callgirls to $10 crack hos, and everything in between. This anthology gives voice to an underrepresented population that is simultaneously shamed and glamorized, glorified and vilified, reviled and worshipped.

Hos, Hookers, Call-girls and Rentboys is a collection of short memoirs, rants, confessions, nightmares, journalism and poetry. About life, love, work, family, and yes, sex. And because the editors are from the world of industrial sex, they were able to include art-porn priestess Dr. Annie Sprinkle, Tracy Quan (author of Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl), bestselling memoirist David Henry Sterry (Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent), women and men right off the streets, and girls participating in the first-ever National Summit of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth. Sex is a billion dollar industry. Meet the real people who are its flesh and blood.

Sex workers strip away the stiletto heels and the g-strings, revealing their humanity in this funny, tragic, illuminating, inspiring and unprecedentedly inclusive anthology.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because, 1. I was shocked it was on the shelves of the public library and 2. the lovely Audacia Ray is a contributor. I have had a hard time putting it down for the other books I HAVE to read. The stories are almost all excellent, with the section on relationships with family my favorite by far. What I love most about this book is that there is a third-wave feminist, sex positive vibe that refuses to sugar coat anything - which is what sex positive feminism *should* be but which it can never become in its constant battles against radical feminism and the rightwing.

What's great about the approach is that there is no one "sex worker experience" and there is very little moralizing about what sex work should or shouldn't be. There is no "Yay! Sex work is empowering!" cheerleading going on but it never devolves into the "Sexwork is disempowering and horrid and oppressive" trope either. The authors aren't here to tell you that they did/do it for anything other than money, if that's what was up (or down) for them. Some *are* here to tell you that they do it for a lot more than mere money. They aren't here to insist that none of them are drug addicts and no one was abused as a child - which is a strong tendency for sex workers who get fed up with that common stereotype. What's best about it is there is no moralizing, no "see, we are all so very different, so take THAT!" The contributors just put it out there, let people read, and let them come to their own conclusions, if they bother to at all. There is something about this book, the way the pieces work together, that resists forcing you to come to any conclusions at all.

In the sex worker community, there's lots of tension around telling it like it is. E.g., what do you do with the fact that, as a stripper, you like to insist, vehemently, that you were NEVER a prostitute. What do you do with that honest emotion once you realize that it makes it difficult to create bonds of solidarity across the sex work professions. Do you stop saying it? Do you cringe at yourself, and then spend the rest of your days slaying the attitude in others? It's a little like saying, as an administrative assistant, that you ARE NOT a secretary! It comes off sounding as if, well, you think there's something wrong with being a secretary or, in this case, being a prostitute. Well, the fact is, the author is saying there's something wrong with being prostitute, and she doesn't bother to insult your intelligence by backtracking and saying, "There's nothing wrong with it; it's just wrong for *me*" - as if it's possible to think something is wrong for oneself and that, somehow, you're magically not making a judgement.

Consider Audacia Ray's contribution. Should she have written about her partner who doesn't exactly come off as a model sex worker? Do you write the truth, feeding into the rightwing's prejudices? Do you cover it up and never say anything at all? Do you write about your girlfriend who really gets off on the money and who may be a little reckless - if not a little fucked up? If you do, will you just open up yourself and fellow sex workers for all the abuse likely to be heaped on them by the rightwing? "See, we told you. Sex workers are unstable. Abused as children. Addicts"? There's no easy answer to these questions. The editor, David Henry Sterry, does you a favor by refusing to make that manifest and, more importantly, refuses to scold you into a narrow groove of thinking about the issue.

While I enjoyed Sterry's introductions of the contributors he knew personally, I became tired of the long-winded introductions, particularly when it became clear he didn't know all his contributors. At that point, I realized that I'd prefer not to have the intros, that I wanted the authors to stand on their own, not propped up by Sterry's words which, you realize, were mostly there to tell you more about Sterry, and not especially much about the contributor.

[lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best sex worker anthology I have ever read. And I have read them all. Literally. Way better than Working Sex, and I will paraphrase a line from my review of that book: "This should come with a sticker that says, 'Now with 25% less San Francisco Bullshit!'" ACTUAL diversity of opinions--like, you know, a pimp! Or a bunch of people who needed to be anonymous! Standouts: Sterry's chapter openers, mochaluv, Jodi Sh. Doff (too good), Kirk Read, Audacia Ray, a bunch of others I forgot but I don't have the book in front of me so cut me some slack.

[MAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is split up into 5 sections (like the title implies...): life, love, work, sex, and money. And under each section several different people (sometimes introduced by David Henry Sterry, sometimes not, which at first made it difficult for me to know when we were switching authors) tell a story somehow involving this theme.

Like all anthologies, some stories are better than others. Some stories are hilarious, poignant, tragic, or beautiful, and some make you wonder if maybe your edition has a few pages missing, because you have NO idea what's going on. Some of the stories match their theme better than others; some of the stories are obviously pulled from larger works. A few times (all times written by straight men, interestingly) I was disappointed and all three of me -- the woman, the psychologist, and the human -- shook my head and thought "Wow, way to totally miss the point, dude." (It's difficult to explain what I mean by that without basically quoting several large chunks of text, so I won't.)

Watch for cameos by Abraham Maslow, and BF Skinner.

It's hard to say who to recommend this to. I think people could get many different things out of it depending on their reasons for picking up the book. Some could be good, some might not be. I don't know.

And PS: I highly recommend picking up this book in a small town book store where the staff takes glee in yelling the title all over the 2 story building and purposefully scandalizing everyone in there. It very much enhances the experience.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an attractively packaged anthology of first-person oral histories -- each ranging in length from two paragraphs to five to six pages max -- penned by people in The Life: higher-priced call girls, street hookers, brothel workers, pimps, men and boys working off the streets or on Craigslist, S&M workers, trannies, strippers putting themselves through college, drug addicts hooking on the side, and a lot of other people whose modus operandi and identity are not always well elaborated.

The collection is a huge mixed bag, the ratio of good to bad is about 60/40, I'd say. I have to admit, my curiosity about The Life is greater than my curiosity about The After Life, so to speak, at least in terms of reading about these people's lives outside of sex work. There's a large therapeutic component to this collection, and that's why we get some stories here that seem to have little to do with sex work (someone's mother dying, for instance), but the subtitle does not lie; this is about "professionals writing about...life" as it says. Frankly, those kinds of testimonies don't interest me much. My interest in the book is entirely to learn more about the day to day of sex work, and the feelings and views of those engaged in it.

A problem I had with the book was the inconsistency in identifying or clarifying fully who the speakers were and just what kind of sex work it was that they did. Many of the pieces set the stage with extensive intros about the speakers authored by Sterry, but many others do not. And the writer credits at the end range from several graphs to one very vague sentence. The best pieces in this (and Zoe Hansen's is one of those) select and elucidate very vivid slices of life from the streets and tell their stories in longer form. Frankly, I could have done without so many "quickies" and, had I edited this, opted for fewer but longer stories with better scene setting and detail. Too often it's assumed that the reader knows the circumstances of these authors and what they are talking about, and that's just not the case.

All in all, though, I like the concept and general execution of this book, and would like to see more like it. It was worth every bit of the $16 I paid for it at Borders.

[Shana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The “oldest profession” continues to be a great source of curiosity, disgust, and wonder even to this day, and I am not immune to the fascinating nuances of its practice. For this reason, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it sitting on the library shelf.

Sterry, himself a former “Rent Boy,” put together a compilation of diverse stories about the lives of sex workers. My fear when reading this at first was that it would glorify one aspect of sex work; namely the experience of the empowered, feminist sex worker from an educated, middle class background (often Caucasian). People tend to be tickled when they hear that someone might actually like this type of work, and I think it’s important to acknowledge the variety of experiences and opinions within sex work. That being said, I didn’t want to read a compilation of stories that only addresses this one aspect. Luckily, Sperry provided much balance so that the reader could see how liberating and how horrific sex work can be.

My favorite story was from Mochaluv who puts it down straight. She declares,

“The next time I hear some rich white bitch tell me how great being a ho is, I’m gonna smack ‘em upside they righteous head… This one chick she was from Berkeley she kept telling me what an honor it is for me to be a sexual healer, how it’s important for me to tell everyone how proud I am to be a prostitute, how empowering it is to be a sex worker. Sex worker, I said, I ain’t no sex worker. I’m a ho!”

Much of this book is a reminder of the power of privilege. Some have the privilege to choose the life of a sex worker because they have a college degree or monetary wealth to fall back on if it doesn’t work out or if they want to explore another path. At the same time, there are many, many people who simply do not have this privilege and are in the life for reasons we’d all rather not think about because they are ugly and/or painful.

Any time that I can be reminded of the diversity of lived experience is a good one.

[Katya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an entertaining and educational read. There were some really amazing stories, and some mediocre ones, as is the case with most anthologies. Some perspectives interested me more than others. My main problems with this book was the fact that it seemed to be heavily skewed towards the 'gay rent boy' and 'poor street hooker' perspectives - I would've liked to see more stories from straight male prostitutes and higher class call girls to even out the ratio - and the introductions written by Sterry, which make it seem like some people are in an exclusive hooker club with him and everyone else is just there to make the book thicker. Two stars docked for that. However, it's still worth a read if you're interested in sex work at all.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible mix. Most of us are blind to the this world, yet our beliefs and "values" judge at even seeing the title of the book. What a gift to expanding our world, what a challenge to suspend judgment, and perhaps even think, "I could have done that, I could have taken that path..." and then reflect, is that so "bad?"
Thanks DHS for doing this...

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title implies, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex this is a diverse anthology with contributions from individuals who have been paid for sexual services. Both their life stories and writing styles diverge greatly, ranging from PhDs to abused children, and from poems to interviews to autobiographical short stories. Since each piece is self contained, it's very easy to pick up and put down; unfortunately I didn't miss the volume when I left it at home during a seven week trip. I suggest reading each piece before the editorial introductions—which uniformly heap praise and explain how the editor, David Henry Sterry, knows the contributor—to avoid elevated expectations. I really wanted to like this anthology more, especially since it shows the range of experiences of those involved in the sex trade and had a cathartic function for some of the writers.

[Danna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The difficulty with a book like this is, since there are dozens of writers with varying stories, some of them I loved and some of them I couldn't stand. However, I felt the need to finish the book because I was worried if I didn't, I would miss my favorite story! I love what Sterry did, putting this compilation together and giving a voice to so many different sex workers. It really does run the gamut and challenge some stereotypes. I admire his attempt to uncover the different worlds of sex workers, because I agree that there is very little middle ground for street whores and educated high class escorts & prostitutes. Definitely worth reading, some of the stories are wonderful, and all of them are eye-opening.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

found this book eye opening and fascinating. all true stories and bits of poetry and spoken word. recommend it to anyone interested in real life sex work stories and gives an amazing insight in to the lives those who have been involved have lived and the amazing things they have done despite the appalling trials and tribulations (to put it mildly) they have overcome. amazing, amazing, amazing. but I did get some stares on the tube for reading it.... worth it.

[Nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Originally published in The Skinny magazine)

Do you see what they did there? Despite the wordy title, the editors have managed to steer clear of the terms ‘sex workers’ and ‘prostitutes’, both of which invariably piss somebody off. This tactic is noteworthy, because here we have an anthology bringing together the broadest range of contributors with experience of the sex industry: from the big screen to the street, phone sex to stripping, and incalls to escorting. Between them, they’ve experienced sex work as an empowered choice, as a living hell, as a drug-fuelled necessity. They cover migration, burnout, criminalisation, violence, keeping secrets, coming out to family, and interactions with clients and colleagues. As it happens, some of the brief contributions from well-known names seem least worthy of inclusion, having a whole lot of pride but not a lot of substance; the bulk of the book, however, is made up of personal pieces that delve deep and illustrate the complexities of the writers’ experiences. Alternately eye-opening, funny, moving, and devastating, this book should be required reading for those who still think any kind of sex worker is ‘representative’.

[Caty · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far doesn't disappoint, and such a variety of experiences! Wish I'd been able to contribute. Why am I always irrationally jealous of Audacia Ray? Can't tell you which page I'm on, as I'm skipping around delightfully as one can do with a really good anthology. It's cool that D Henry Sterry, who was prostituted as a child, instead of joining the anti-traffiking movement, joined the sex worker's rights movement instead, recognizing his experience as isolated (though not isolated enough that the movement shouldn't endeavor to stop all exploitation of underage workers) and acknowledging that sex work *can* be voluntary and empowering, while not shying away from the gritty elements of the profession in this anthology.

[Juliane Roell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long collection of essays and poems on sex work - it took me quite a while to get through. Some pieces are badly and some very badly written. The editor's chapter introductions are annoying. The structure of the book - I couldn't really follow it. But some of the pieces are so intense, so gripping, so clear and so insightful that I kept coming back to it, going back into the very diverse topics and themes that spring up from the stories. MAP writes: "I think people could get many different things out of it depending on their reasons for picking up the book." I second that. If you have read this review until here, it probably is something for you. Recommended.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bold, sometimes raw, collection of essays/stories by those that populate the various levels of the sex trades. Not for the meek this writing is eye-opening in every way. The essays/stories will make you laugh or infuriate you while providing a critical bridge to the many damaged souls that have been swallowed up by this business. I was amazed at how powerful the writing was any almost all of these people were non-professional (writers). Sure at times I winced and forced my way through but if you seriously want to challenge yourself as a reader and are looking for a deeper understanding of humanity, look no further.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a wonderful job of portraying the range of sex worker experiences, from the crack ho who hustles to get high to the rent boy servicing a sweet older lady to the famous porn star to the myriad horrifying stories of pimps and abuse.

It is an engrossing read and I now want to seek out the memoirs of many of the contributers.

[Todd Kashdan]

Some fantastic stories that pull you to different corners of the dark, seedy universe that most of us have never experienced. Some will make you feel intense pain and hatred, especially the section on exploited youth. But like most multi-authored books, some of the poems and stories just don't work. Worth it for about 10-15 gems.

[Ryry · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool book! lotsa short stories of different peoples experiences in the sex industry. especially with more input from non cis-woman than a lot of other books i have seen. i like how it is up to each contributer to contribute what they want and frame their own experiences on their own terms which reflects everyone's different experiences and perspectives on sex work and the rest of their lives...

[Krestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting stories; I must admit that I did skip through some of them but overall, it was a really great book to read. It definitely shows you how intricate the sex work industry really was (however, I would categorize some of these stories as sex trafficking instead of sex work...just a thought)

[Shannon Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well edited, well put together anthology. The intros as gold and I would really love to read more from all of the authors. Great stuff, a diverse variety of voices (which can be rare) and overall an excellent read. I highly recommend it.

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories I loved, others I liked less. There were many voices to be heard in this anthology, and I deeply enjoyed reading it. Some stories made me laugh while others tugged at my heart and still others did both. For me, this was definitely a worthwhile read.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read most but not all of the essays. wonderfully vivid accounts from a variety of perspectives on selling sex.

[sara frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

there are some really amazing stories in here. i loved all the different voices that are included in this book. props to sterry for pulling it all together.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Like if you were instructing someone on how to act in this circumstance, in a video, or a book, I don’t think you would suggest that while your girlfriend was having an abortion, you should go and have crazy whacked-out sex with a mad hot crack addict industrial sex technician. But it was such a relief and release for me."

This was interesting, but held true to the same thing as other collections and short stories where some are better than others, ranging from 5 stars to 1 star - hence my 3 star average review. Some are better and more natural writers, some are more interesting, some are weird, but they're certainly all related to what the title says they will be in some way or another.

Can't say it was so great I'd really recommend it to others though.

[Laurajanefarrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hard hitting. Stories of people who have had to sell sex because they had nothing more they could offer at a young age, and a deep look at a society where the younger you are, the more customers pay. The different writers and different lengths of stories/poems made this easy to read in the sense of reading one long story or a few short stories.

My only negatives are some choice words used (although it was released in 2009, so slightly more understandable regarding why the language wasn’t edited out) and I would have enjoyed a wider scope of stories. It was very centred to those forced into sex work/chose sex work because they had no other choices.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I admit, this is on the 'did not finish' list, but only because (I can't believe I'm going to say this) it was boring after a while.
Most writers tended to become repertious after a while, and I just could not be bothered reading it.
While this would normally be a intresting topic I would think, this book just did not cut it after a while for me.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I read a lot of it, but not all. Had to return it to the library. It was pretty good, but not phenomenal. Some of the essays, of course, were better than others. May get it out again at some point.

[Ivy Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted t like this far more, but to me, it re-enforced stereotypes, or perhaps it merely focused heavily on drug addicted street workers. In any case, I, who usually love sex worker books, didn't really care for this.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Some of the stories were more interesting for me than others. The shockingly young age that some of these people got to me. I can't even imagine what some of these people went through. Good read.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone must read this book, not because I have a story in it, but because many authors are in one neat little book about the greatest profession...