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PLAYING THE WHORE: THE WORK OF SEX WORK by Melissa Gira Grant In PLAYING THE WHORE, sex workers' demands, too long relegated to the margins, take center stage: sex work is work, and sex workers' rights are human rights. http://www.versobooks.com/books/1568-playing-the-whore “An important contribution to debates around sex and work, and deserves to be read by anyone who wants to get beyond tired and damaging understandings of both.” – Nina Power, author of One Dimensional Woman ------------------- The current trend for writing about and describing actual experiences of sex work fuels a culture obsessed with the behaviour of sex workers. Rarely do these fearful dispatches come from sex workers themselves, and they never seem to deviate from the position that sex workers must be rescued from their condition, and the industry simply abolished — a position common among feminists and conservatives alike. In PLAYING THE WHORE, journalist Melissa Gira Grant turns these pieties on their head, arguing for an overhaul in the way we think about sex work. Based on ten years of writing and reporting on the sex trade, and grounded in her experience as an organizer, advocate, and former sex worker, Playing the Whore dismantles pervasive myths about sex work, criticizes both conditions within the sex industry and its criminalization, and argues that separating sex work from the "legitimate" economy only harms those who perform sexual labor. ------------------- Melissa Gira Grant talks to the Observer about the proposed changes to prostitution laws: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/15/melissa-gira-grant-sex-work-afford-be-writer Will nobody listen to the sex workers? Read an extract of PLAYING THE WHORE in the Observer: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/15/will-nobody-listen-to-the-sex-workers-prostitution<http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/15/will-nobody-liste> ------------------- EVENTS: MARCH 19th, SAN FRANCISCO: http://www.versobooks.com/events/801-playing-the-whore-san-francisco-launch MARCH 26th, BRIGHTON: http://www.versobooks.com/events/863-the-work-of-sex-work<http://www.versobooks.com/events/863-the-work-of-sex> MARCH 27th, FOYLES, LONDON: an event with Laurie Penny http://www.versobooks.com/events/832-the-work-of-sex-work March 28th, BRISTOL: http://www.versobooks.com/events/826-playing-the-whore-the-work-of-sex-work MARCH 30th, CONWAY HALL, LONDON: http://www.versobooks.com/events/841-melissa-gira-grant-for-conway-hall-s-ethical-society<http://www.versobooks/> MARCH 30th, SUNDAY PAPERS LIVE, LONDON: http://www.versobooks.com/events/857-sunday-papers-live<http://www.versobooks.com/events/857-s> MARCH 31ST, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION: http://www.versobooks.com/events/866-playing-the-whore-the-work-of-sex-work APRIL 1st, EDINBURGH: http://www.versobooks.com/events/850-the-myths-around-selling-sex APRIL 2nd, GLASGOW: http://www.versobooks.com/events/865-melissa-gira-grant-and-glasgow-university-feminists<http://www.versobooks/> ------------------- “Collectively as a society we've got a whole bunch of tangled, warped intuitions and policies towards the exchange of money for sex. Melissa Gira Grant does a remarkable job of rigorously teasing these apart and righteously scrapping those she finds wanting. Her work has been hugely influential in how I think about sex work and outright changed my mind on a number of points. She's a must read.” – Chris Hayes “A must-read feminist book” – Zoe Stavri “Gira Grant is one of the most interesting policy thinkers in the country when it comes to sex work, and this short book introduces and outlines her thinking on the matter.” – Mike Konczal, Washington Post<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/02/08/sex-workers-rights-are-just-workers-rights/> “An informative and extremely worthwhile addition to the existing body of literature on sex work.” – Stoya, adult performer and Vice columnist “Makes precisely clear that a culture that polices, silences and marginalizes women who sell sex is a culture that cares nothing about women. Period.” – Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness “A model of excellent nonfiction prose.” – David Burr Gerrard, The Awl<http://www.theawl.com/2014/03/do-what-you-love-oh-but-not-that-on-recognizing-sex-work-as-work> “Learn, listen, take heart—this is the real deal.” – Susie Bright, sex and culture critic, and found of On Our Backs “Well-researched and provocative … A vital text on an incendiary topic.”” – Lily Burana, author of I Love a Man in Uniform and Strip City “Gira Grant weaves her way through sanctimony and hypocrisy with wit, eloquence, insight, and a dose of necessary outrage.” – Laura Kipnis, author of How to Become a Scandal “An important, illuminating and engaging read.” – Liliana Segura, Senior Editor, The Intercept (First Look Media) ------------------- Paperback, 144 pages / ISBN: 9781781683231 / March 2014 / £8.99. Available at 40% discount when you buy direct from www.versobooks.com ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK ------------------- PLAYING THE WHORE is part of Verso’s JACOBIN series - short interrogations of politics, economics, and culture from a socialist perspective. The Jacobin<http://jacobinmag.com/> series features short interrogations of politics, economics, and culture from a socialist perspective, as an avenue to radical political practice. The books offer critical analysis and engagement with the history and ideas of the Left in an accessible format. http://www.versobooks.com/series_collections/112-jacobin ALSO IN THE JACOBIN SERIES UTOPIA OR BUST by Benjamin Kunkel: http://www.versobooks.com/books/1567-utopia-or-bust STRIKE FOR AMERICA by Micah Uetricht: http://www.versobooks.com/books/1569-strike-for-america ------------------- To learn more about PLAYING THE WHORE and to purchase a copy, please visit http://www.versobooks.com/books/1568-playing-the-whore<http://www.versoboo/> ------------------- Visit Verso's website for information on our upcoming events, new reviews and publications and special offers: http://www.versobooks.com<https://red002/> Sign up for the Verso mailing list: https://www.versobooks.com/users/sign_up Become a fan of Verso on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VersoBks And get updates on Twitter too! http://twitter.com/VersoBooks<https://red002.mail.emea.microsoftonline.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=da4b27451a1c45a893588ecb9e6f> ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
