Reviews

Gentleman of Leisure: A Year in the Life of a Pimp by Susan Hall

mburnamfink's review

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4.0

Pimping ain't easy, and if you ever need to cite a source for that, Gentleman of Leisure is a great one. This book is about Silky, master pimp, and his stable of whores: Sandy, Kitty, Linda, Tracey, and Lois. It describes in their own words why they choose this life, what it means to them, and how they manage the complexities of working on the street.

Getting into this, I wasn't sure exactly what pimping entailed (aside from the commercial stuff), but the book does a great job depicting how Silky cajoles his ladies into focusing their lives on him, working long and unpleasant hours and handing over all their money for even a slice of Silky's life. It's grotesque, toxic, and fascinating. This isn't the life for people who are all there, emotionally speaking.

What really makes this book stand out (and why I bought it) is the photography; stunning posed and candid photos of some damn fly people looking their best in the funkiest decade of fashion. Hate the people, love the style.
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