AN HONEST WOMAN

Shane invites readers into the bedroom to examine love and sexuality on a personal and universal scale, from her unique point of view as a sex worker.

In her 20s, the author began actively pursuing sex work, allowing herself to start to explore her curiosity about men and sexuality. In this memoir, she investigates the complex and often convoluted way in which sex is used as a currency in our personal and professional relationships. Early on, she writes, “my wildest dreams involved getting paid for being desirable because payment concretized validation….I reasoned that if I were accepted into environments where women were expected to be sexy…there must be a seed of sexiness somewhere in me.” With humor and wit, Shane openly shares tales of intimate client interactions. Astute in her social critiques, the author demonstrates her intuitive understanding of how people can build more fulfilling relationships with one another. She even shares conversations with her father about his separation from her mother. “I was the older child, and that may have played a role in my selection, but it seems to me that my father did what he did because I was female,” she writes. “If he needed care, I should have been the one to provide it because regardless of age, women are designated emotional custodians. He sought reassurance, not connection, in my pliability. His authority exerted pressure to make me stay put and listen, and I saw my father’s weakness in those moments—his vulnerability, his dishonesty, and his delusions.” As many girls do, Shane grew up being told that men’s feelings were more important than her own. However, through her sex work, rigorous self-reflection, and variety of experiences with men and women, she has found her voice—and it’s funny, authentic, and unequivocally honest.

A graceful and candid look into sex, intimacy, misogyny, and identity.