Book Review by Norm Goldman

It's always nice to share a new book review. The following piece was written by Canadian reviewer (and former attorney) Norm Goldman. Goddesses was submitted to Goldman for review on my behalf. Goldman also conducted an interview to accompany the review. 

Publisher: BearManor Media
ISBN: 978-1-59393-298-5

Review: Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985
Norm Goldman
 
When Jill Nelson's Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985 was dropped off in my mail box, I have to confess that I was curious to learn more about these women who were employed in the adult film industry as actors, directors and producers during an era when it was illegal to make these films yet not illegal to watch them.
 
And although I am not a supporter of pornographic films and neither do I condone the proclivities of these women, I wanted to have, as Nelson states in her introduction, “ a clearer understanding of the beautiful and intrepid females who favored an alternative profession in adult cinema that was cultivated at the apex of the 1960s sexual revolution.” According to Nelson, these are eccentric, imperfect, yet, intelligent and ethical people anyone who ever want to meet.” After all, whom am I to prejudge the behavior of these actresses?
 
It should be pointed out that in 1988 the erotic film industry was legalized as result of a landmark California court case involving porn film director and producer Hal Freeman. To quote the words of Nelson: “it was sheer hypocrisy to deem the craft illegal because those who condemned it also watched it.”
 
Nelson's comprehensive book of mini-biographies drawn from interviews and other sources spans nine hundred and forty-six pages that provides her readers with a chronological history of the lives and times of twenty-five women who today range in age between forty-six and seventy-six. Unless you are familiar with the porn scene of the era that Nelson explores in her book, the following names will be meaningless such as: Ann Perry, Barbara Mills, Georgina Spelvn, Marilyn Chambers, Roberta Findlay, Jody Maxwell, Candida Royalle, Gloria Leonard, Rhonda Jo Petty, Serena, Annie Sprinkle, Sex “Kitten” Natividad, Sharon Mitchell, Kay Parker, Juliet Anderson, Seka, Kelly Nichols, Veronic Hart, Julia St. Vincent, Laurie Holmes, Ginger Lynn, Amber Lynn, Christy Canyon, Raven Touchstone, and Nina Hartley. In addition to these women, Nelson also adds in brief summaries of fifteen other women whom she believes are worthy of honorable mentions.
 
It is these women who played pivotal roles in the adult film industry during its so-called golden era and either directly or indirectly they candidly share their stories with Nelson which she documents in the book. In addition, Nelson also includes one hundred and twenty-five reviews of some of the films these women acted in, as well as three hundred photos. Apparently, Nelson devoted three and half years to researching and interviewing these women.
 
Who exactly are these women? Are they exhibitionists? Where did they grow up and what motivated them to participate in the porn industry in one way or another? Were they abused as children? Were they bimbos and uneducated? Were they prostitutes? Were they drug addicts or alcoholics? Have they ever contacted a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Were they ever subject to degradation and abuse? Was it opportunity to escape poverty? What happened to them after they left the industry? Were they proud of what they were doing? Do they have any regrets? These are only some of the questions that Nelson explores with a great deal of compassion and an eye for detail, and frankly, you will be quite surprised at what you will discover!
 
Scattered throughout the book are quotes aplenty from these unusual women as for example Annie Sprinkle who claims she didn't understand why some people couldn't believe she had a good time. She further mentions that her sex work built her self-esteem as she is a creative kind of a person and being a sex worker is a very creative job when done with creativity. Veronica Hart states: “one of my goals when I got in the business was that I would be able to come out of this business and still enjoy my sexuality and making love.”
 
There are very few books around, if any, concerning first hand oral accounts of women who played important roles in the adult entertainment industry during its golden era. Nelson, who is an engaging narrator, has painstakingly researched her subject matter and has managed to place her audience smack in the middle of some unusual female lives. To her credit is that these women were quite eager to share their experiences and set the record straight in a forthright and generous manner. The only gripe I have about this book is it is far too long and there were several instances of repetition which could have been avoided with better content editing. Perhaps, a book half its length would have been preferable. American Chronicle

Hustler Magazine: "LEGENDARY LAYS"

Goddesses 
Top Row, L-R: Kelly Nichols, Annie Sprinkle, Nina Hartley
Sharon Mitchell, Author Jill Nelson
Bottom Row, L-R: Veronica Hart, Laurie Holmes, Ginger Lynn,
Amber Lynn, Serena
(Historian William Margold is pictured in behind Jill Nelson
holding up a copy of the book.)

Newsflash! The August 2013 edition of Hustler Magazine is available on newsstands now! On page 14, under the Bits & Pieces section of the magazine titled "Legendary Lays," is this great photo by J.R. Reynolds, in addition to a blurb about the book and the Hollywood launch last November:
     Excerpted from the short article is the following:
     "Jill Nelson's book Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema is a great gift for nostalgic poon-hounds who lived through the glory days of porn... A bevy of the performers featured in Golden Goddesses recently gathered for a book-signing event, resulting in this awesome group photo seen here... Golden Goddesses can be purchased at BearManorMedia.com and all major online retailers." Nice! Check it out!

Hustler Hollywood Footage

Monday, Monday. I am pleased to share this terrific footage recently sent to me from screenwriter, Raven Touchstone, who is also profiled in the book. Her videographer friend shot it on the evening of the Hollywood Hustler Book Launch. Thank you, Penny!

Click on the link above the image to view.

Golden Goddesses Book Launch Footage

"No Agenda" Book Review by Gore Gore Girl

I'd like to extend my appreciation to Gore-Gore Girl (XXX through feminist lens) for composing the following in depth analysis of "Golden Goddesses". The review can be found here: No Agenda Book Review: Gore Gore Girl

Hi folks! An exciting book review for you today: Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985 by Jill C. Nelson, who previously co-wrote the John Holmes biography, Inches. This book is a real labor of love; a collection of lengthy interviews and background stories behind 25 women of the golden age. Each chapter is effectively a mini-biography, with intimate interview responses from the women themselves and occasionally their loved ones (as in the case of those no longer living, such as Marilyn Chambers and Ann Perry), as well as brief analyses of significant works by the women in question and a plethora of photos. At nearly 1000 pages, this is no fluff piece, and Nelson's (and her publisher's) willingness to allow the space necessary for these women to voice their experiences - diverse, unexpected, often inspirational, sometimes sad, occasionally unsettling - should be applauded.

Sex work usually polarizes people, as evidenced by the simplistic "pro" and "anti" porn binary, a binary that affects not only writers on the subject, but sex workers themselves when representing their work and themselves. The lack of agenda behind Nelson's project naturally leads to a diversity of stories, some of which are not positive. This, to me, is one of the strengths of the book. When considering the ways in which people write and talk about sex work, I often think about a comment I read from Dutch sex worker Jo Doezema in Wendy Chapkis's fantastic book, Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor. Reflecting on her work, Doezema writes,

"I think for almost everybody I make it more positive than it is, because everybody has such a negative idea about it already. So you tend to only talk about the good things or the funny things. With most jobs, if you have a shitty day or a bad client or something, people don't immediately say that it's because of the kind of work you do and that you must stop right away. But with prostitution, I've always felt that if I didn't convince everybody that this work was fantastic for me and that I really loved it that they would all be on my back to quit. Anytime something negative happens in your work, it just confirms peoples' worst suspicions." (120-121).

This insightful perspective can, I think, be applied to all types of sex work, and Nelson's agenda-free approach is refreshing in that it allows for the full spectrum of experiences: good, bad, and in between. For this reason, the book is not always a comfortable read. The project prompts questions, provokes critical thinking, and opens up a space for these women to truly voice themselves and their experiences rather than functioning as a "ventriloquist's dummy," to borrow Anne McClintock's phrase, for whichever agenda-driven group needs them. Through careful structuring, Nelson manages to narrate these women's stories while at the same time never overshadowing or undermining their voices.

What piqued my interest about this project, aside from the opportunity to read about the lives of such incredible women who are too often overlooked or dismissed (at best) by mainstream culture, is the fact that Nelson is not a long-time porn fan. For this reason, there is a refreshing degree of subjectivity throughout the book- a lack of agenda, as Nelson puts it - which leads to interviews that are thorough, yet also intimate and often surprising. Nelson explains it in her introduction, "Occasionally, family and friends have been puzzled and queried as to why I have chosen to dedicate much time and energy to developing two books centering on this unusual group often misunderstood and even persecuted by society. I smile and answer, 'I'm not interested in writing a book about Julia Roberts.'" (16). Indeed, Nelson seems drawn to these women for the same reason I am, and her goals for the book are made clear from the outset. "My intention is to escort readers to a clearer understanding of the beautiful and intrepid females who favored an alternative profession in adult cinema that was cultivated at the apex of the 1960's sexual revolution" (17). What sets the book apart is the diversity of women included. While superstars of the screen such as Seka, Amber Lynn, and Marilyn Chambers take up the majority of the focus, women who worked behind the camera are also featured, such as screenwriter Raven Touchstone, writer/director Roberta Findlay, and writer/producer Ann Perry, creating a project that acknowledges a fuller spectrum of female contribution to adult film than is typical. 

"Golden Goddesses" 2012 Book of the Year: Gram Ponante

Thank you to journalist Gram Ponante for selecting "Golden Goddesses" as one of the best adult-themed books of 2012: Best Books of 2012: Ropey Volley Awards. The following book review is excerpted from Ponante's piece on three selected books.

My favorite adult-themed books of 2012 had no shades of grey within them whatsoever; they were accounts of people who, if they had doubts, made bold choices anyway. Then there was my book, which is chock full of doubt.

I read a number of memoirs, How To books, and coffeetable tomes, but none were as useful or enlightening as Jill C. Nelson’s comprehensive and brilliant oral history Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985. It is a massive book, and the kind that equally encourages flipping between chapters as it does a front-to-back reading.

“Golden Goddesses” was conceived shortly after Nelson finished her exhaustive oral history of John Holmes, “A Life Measured in Inches.”

“I met many of these women when collecting interviews for the John Holmes book,” Nelson says, “and if (“Inches”) told many stories while explaining John’s, (“Goddesses”) is much more of a history.”

It is an amazing history, and one that is that much more significant by virtue of the subject matter. While people like Veronica Hart, Annie Sprinkle, and Nina Hartley have both the resources and resolve to tell their stories, many of Nelson’s interviews, especially as delivered through the filter of hindsight by people like “Taboo”‘s Kay Parker, “Aunty Peg”‘s Juliet Anderson, or Rhonda Jo Petty, would have likely never been told with such detail had Nelson not happened along.

Nelson, a low-key Canadian in her 50s, compiled this 900+-page tome over three years, and I have never encountered a more comprehensive detailing of the gleeful freedom of the porn lifestyle of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s as well as the repressive society that made it inevitable.

Petty speaks of getting bullied into a fisting scene.

“I let [the director] intimidate me because of where I came from,” she says. “When my father heard about the film, he threatened to break my arms and legs.”

Packed with more than 300 photos as well as a selected filmography of the profiled stars, “Golden Goddesses” is a must-have for porn fans as well as a compelling social history.