help from the flist?

[couldbeyourlife]

(hobvs this is for work)

OKAY. I am wondering if anyone can rec any books to me about hooking/prostitution. True Life OMG stories are fine, but I'd love fiction. Not, you know, romance novel omg Pretty Woman stuff either. Rating (content) and reading level aren't as much a concern here as I let this girl read Push and well... yeah

Comments

[couldbeyourlife]

That led me to poking around some and all and some interesting side reading so THANK YOU, BUT TO CUT A TL;DR SHORT: MAN DID IT MAKE ME WANT TO PUNCH A BABY.

PATRIARCHY >:(

[fox1013]

"Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins is all in poems, and I haven't read it yet, but everything I've read by her is fantastic.

"Almost Home" by Jessica Blank is pretty gritty re: homelessness, and it has some (although not a ton) about prostitution as a way to live. Ditto "Smack" by Melvin Burgess.

"The True Meaning of Smekday" is cute sci fi, and the main character is biracial.

Anything by Coe Booth (A) features characters of color and (B) is awesome. Ditto anything Jacqueline Woodson.

...Actually, let me just point you at the list jadelennox and I put together for stories about characters of color. There are definitely more, but that should be a good starting place. :D? :D?

[couldbeyourlife]

Thank you! Ugh, I had completely blanked on that list you guys made even though I had meant to bookmark it when it was posted.

♥

[cidercupcakes]

First: The Salt Roads, by Nalo Hopkinson, weaves together a few different narratives, all about women who are African or of African descent, and one of them is a prostitute in the Roman empire. Maybe not quite what you're looking for, but quite good nonetheless. There's also Brothel: The Mustang Ranch And Its Women, which is non-fiction, about a journalist who spent some time in a Nevada brothel.

Second: I recently read Touching Snow, by M. Sindy Felin, about a young woman from a family of Haitian immigrants; that was excellent, with the warning that it's pretty intense (her stepfather is abusive and there's one very graphic incident). It's also queer kidlit without being about Tragic Gays, besides being about characters of color. Seconding fox1013's nomination of True Meaning Of Smekday, which is freaking delightful. And I loved Flygirl, by Sherri Smith, about a young black woman who passes as white to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots during WWII.

[fox1013]

TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING TO BE ALIVE, IS ALL I AM SAYING.

[couldbeyourlife]

:D I am making a list to take the bookstore! I made a quick run today for something else and had like five minutes but picked up Tricks. TYVM SRSLY.