Porn Chic

The Mainstreaming of Porn

The following books are about the porn industry and the people who work in the industry. Porn has gone mainstream, and publishers are in a frenzy of signing up porn stars to tell all, teach all, expose all. Meanwhile, porn fans no longer have to hide their collection of naughty films, now we can display our smut with pride—and a smidgeon of arrogance. Hey, we were eyeball deep in porn before it became chic, right? Be proud.

If you rather watch porn than read about it visit the following websites:

• Smut Network- Adult Videos on Demand from major studios.
• Adult DVD Empire - The one-stop-shop for all your movie and sex toy needs.
• Hentai VOD - Well stocked library of uncensored full length hentai movies

Pornography by Debbie Nathan
Groundwood Books (April 28, 2008); ISBN-10: 0888997671

Society condemns pornography but the Internet has created unprecedented access to porn. Taking an objective view of popular interest in the subject, this book deals with pornography as a social issue, translating the best academic research into reader-friendly language.

Pornography considers why adults are so concerned with young peoples consumption of this product, and presents ideas for how the latter can take a critical approach to dealing with it.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Naked Ambition: An R-Rated Look at an X-Rated Industry by Michael Grecco & Lonn Friend
Rock Out Books (November 15, 2007); ISBN-10: 0979331404

Naked Amition is a gorgeous fine-art book from renowned photographer Michael Grecco, offering an unabashed look at the multi-billion dollar porn industry.

Naked Ambition represents over five years of work for Grecco. In 2002, he attended the Adult Video News Awards Show in Las Vegas. Widely known as The Oscars of Porn, Grecco knew immediately that the tales of these actors and actresses would make for a compelling project.

Naked Ambition is timely and pertinent. As the sex industry moves further into the mainstream, both documentary and celebrity portraits of sex workers and porn stars abound in the media. In his honest, and occasionally humorous portraits, Grecco memorializes some of the key figures responsible for bringing the industry out of the shadows. Larry Flynt, Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy, and Chi Chi LaRue are just a few of the hundreds of actors, actresses and producers included in Greccos project. He expands the imagery throughout the book to include captivating shots of sex toys, and other entertaining paraphernalia. Shots of red leather whips, black leather paddles, and beautifully colored glass dildos highlight the pleasure-seeking lives of patrons, but also introduce these objects of pleasure to an unfamiliar audience.

The result is a stunning and unique collection that captures artistic, revealingly human portraits of porn stars and filmmakers, both legends and literal newcomers.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Money Shot: The Wild Nights and Lonely Days Inside the Black Porn Industry by Jr., Lawrence C. Ross
Thunder's Mouth Press (September 28, 2007); ISBN-10: 1560259132

Money Shot chronicles the African American porn industry’s steady rise to the mainstream. Lawrence Ross, a prominent journalist and lecturer, details a year in the life of porn star Lexington Steele, whose eleven-inch penis and $75,000 per-movie-fee made him one of the most famous figures in the porn industry.

Beginning and ending with Lexington Steele as the book’s narrative thread, Ross conducts hundreds of interviews with college professors, industry insiders, and porn stars themselves, providing an insider’s view of the often dangerous and disheartening reality of the black porn industry. His research uncovers a world fraught with sexual and racial politics. He describes an AIDS crisis that threatens the lives and careers of several black porn stars, the racism that implicitly prohibits interracial sex scenes in porn films, the moral implications of black female porn stars working as escorts to wealthy African Americans, and much more.

Money Shot humanizes those who participate in a largely inhumane occupation—it is a cautionary tale for those who thought that what they are seeing on the screen is simply sex.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen
South End Press (September 2007): ISBN-10: 089608776X

Pornography is big business—a multi-billion dollar industry. It also makes for complicated politics. Anti-pornography arguments are frequently dismissed as patently "anti-sex"—and ultimately "anti-feminist"—silencing at the gate a critical discussion of pornography's relationship to violence against women and even what it means to be a "real man."

In his most personal and difficult book to date, Robert Jensen launches a powerful critique of mainstream pornography that promises to reignite one of the fiercest debates in contemporary feminism. At once alarming and thought-provoking, Getting Off asks tough but crucial questions about pornography, manhood, and paths toward genuine social justice.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Insatiable: The Rise of a Porn Star by Heather Hunter and Michelle Valentine
St. Martin's Press (July 24, 2007); ISBN-10: 0312368844

INSATIABLE is Heather Hunter's fictional novel inspired by her emergence as one of the most popular adult film stars of all time. Readers get to know Simone Young, a New York native who's desperate to become a star. Simone's single mother thinks if her daughter is old enough to stay out and party all night, she's also old enough to get a job. Well, that is exactly what Simone does--only she finds work in a world that changes her life forever. When Simone's best friend Carmen introduces her to the game of sex work, she embarks on a path she could have never imagined.

As the first African American inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and (according to some) "the Queen of Hip Hop Sex", Heather provides a rare glimpse at the real life of a porn star.

Heather Keisha Hunter (born October 1, 1969 in Bronx, New York) (nicknamed Double H) is a former pornographic actress, who is now a hip hop artist and painter.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz by Ron Jeremy
HarperEntertainment (February 6, 2007); ISBN-10: 0060840838

From Ron Jeremy:  You probably think you already know me because you've seen one of my two thousand porn movies, or maybe you caught me on VH1's The Surreal Life, or rented my movie Pornstar, or heard me rapping in someone's music video. . . . Yeah, that's me. But believe it or not, that's not the real me. The real me is just an average guy trying to make it in the world like everyone else.

Well . . . sort of . . .

I always wanted to be a legitimate actor (that's right, don't laugh). But when the gigs didn't come I didn't let it get me down. Instead, I'd fall into the arms of beautiful women and let them heal my bruised soul. One of them insisted on taking nude pictures of me and sending them to Playgirl. For some reason I agreed, and when it was published, I got tons of phone calls. One of them was from a casting director who wanted me in his next picture. There was only one problem: it was a porno.

"What do you think?" I asked my dad.

He rubbed his chin and paused for a moment.

"I think you should do it," he said. "I mean, you're already halfway there, and . . . at least you'll be performing, right?"

That's exactly what I thought. From there, my life only got better. I traveled all over the world, made tons of money, and got more famous every year. But more than anything, I wanted to be legit, so I started doing stand-up comedy, moved to Hollywood, and kept my acting hopes alive by mingling with every major—Wait a minute, you don't care about any of this, do you? You just want to know about the celebrity orgies, the constant sex, and how I learned to blow myself. . . . All right, fine.

But keep reading. . . . I guarantee you'll get more than you bargained for. . . ..
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex
Avery (October 19, 2006); ISBN: 1583332634

Legendary porn star Nina Hartley's guide to thrilling, liberating, mind-blowing, soul-fulfilling, and intimacy-building sex!

Witty, smart, and frankly provocative, Nina Hartley knows sex. As a sex performer, sexual adventurer, and sex educator, she's done the fieldwork and has taken extensive notes. Now, she's ready to share her research. Let's just say that she's had all the sex-the good, the bad, and the indifferent - so you won't necessarily have to!

Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex is for sexual pioneers and enthusiastic novices. Unabashedly erotic, the book covers a lot of territory, allowing readers to sample the whole smorgasbord or just nibble at what they see as the choicest bits. To start things off, Nina includes explicitly detailed chapters on foreplay, oral sex, masturbation, toys, and games. Sexual adventurers (and voyeurs) will find chapters on swinging, three-ways, anal sex, erotic domination, sensual submission, and much more.

Nina is a strong advocate of safe sex, physically and emotionally, and she helps readers establish personal ground rules. But as a sexual liberationist and a feminist, her core belief is that, between consenting adults, all sexual behaviors are a matter of personal choice. Whether you're trying to reignite the passion with a longtime spouse, or explore new terrain with a new lover, Nina offers a variety of ideas to achieve exhilarating, deeply satisfying, intimate, and profoundly liberating sex.

About the Author: Nina Hartley is a sexual entertainer, activist, educator, and registered nurse, who has starred in hundreds of adult entertainment films and videos, including Boogie Nights. As a "feminist porn star" and sex educator, Nina has taken her positive message to college campuses nationwide. Working with her husband and collaborator, I. S. LEVINE, together they've created a bestselling series of instructional videos.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Fast Forward: Confessions of a Porn Screenwriter by Eric Spitznagel
Manic D Press (May 15, 2006); ISBN: 1933149051

"Like most pornography, I found Fast Forward to be a relentless and indecent assault on the traditional family values that Americans find most sacred. Makes a great stocking stuffer."  —Amy Sedaris

With dreams of becoming a highly respected screenwriter, Eric Spitznagel moves to Los Angeles. When Hollywood fails to notice him, he settles for the next best thing: writing scripts for adult films. Determined to make the most of his bad luck, he sets out to make a movie that will be celebrated more for its witty dialogue and gripping plot than its raw depictions of hardcore sex. As Spitznagel discovers, making the Great American Porn is far from easy, especially when you've been hired to write a sequel to Butt Crazy.

Spitznagel struggles to be taken seriously as an artist, a seeming impossibility in an industry averse to "complicated words." Along the way, he meets a director with delusions of being the porn Kurosawa, an actress with a scholarly knowledge of medical maladies, and an NBA star who might just make the biggest mistake of his life. In an industry devoted to churning out disposable erotica, can one lowly writer make an adult film that compels viewers to admire the plot without hovering a thumb over the fast forward button?

Eric Spitznagel is the author of four humor books, including The Junk Food Companion: A Celebration of Eating Badly (Plume, 1999). His writing appears frequently in Playboy, Esquire, Harper's Magazine, and The Believer.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

The AVN Guide to the 500 Greatest Adult Films of All Time:
Plus The Sexiest Starlets, Hall-of-Fame Performers, Behind the Scenes, and More! by Adult Video News
Thunder's Mouth Press (January 9, 2006); ISBN 1560257199

There is an authoritative guide for every possible kind of movie except "adult" films. Adult Video News—the extraordinary trade journal that covers the adult industry—has filled this void with a superb collection of reviews of the best porno videos and DVDs. This book is for the aficionado of erotica, couples, viewers, and everyone in between.

The AVN Guide to the 500 Greatest Adult Films of All Time includes the magazine’s selection of "101 Greatest Adult Tapes of All Times" and much more. In addition, entertaining sidebars run throughout (e.g., Ten Best Couples Films, the Ten Funniest Titles, Ten Best Gonzo Flicks, Ten Best Gay Videos, Ten Best Euro Style Videos, Funniest Hollywood Takeovers, and more). It is a skillful compilation of professional reviews of the best the adult industry has produced, arranged by the commonly used categories—among them "Couples," "Pro-Amateur," "Specialty," "Gonzo," "Gay-Bi," "Wall to Wall," "Alternative," and more. 

The 500 reviews were originally written as guides for retailers—so they are gritty, honest, and absolutely straightforward in their evaluation. They provide production details and other inside information rarely known outside the adult industry, including the advice AVN gave to retailers on stocking and marketing specific films.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Memoir by Jenna Jameson
Paperback; ReganBooks (September 1, 2005); ISBN: 0060539097

Few women who got their start in "dirty" movies have been able to fashion enduring careers outside of the porn industry. With a little help from writer Neil Strauss, porn superstar-turned-mainstream sex goddess Jenna Jameson has created a titillating memoir that takes us from the underbelly of Las Vegas to the top of the adult film industry. Meet sadistic directors, experienced lovers of both sexes, major rock stars and more between the pages of this seductive book. You can also pick up a tip or two such as - how to date a porn star.

Never mind the never-before-seen photographs from Jenna's private collection, plus an array of exclusive photos taken just for this book. It's hot. It's liberating. It's live Jenna! 

Jenna Jameson is CEO of ClubJenna, Inc., a fast growing Internet management, production, and licensing company. She has a production output deal with adult film powerhouse Vivid Entertainment Group. Jenna appeared in Howard Stern's Private Parts and Samhain, and has a role in an upcoming Comedy Central feature film. She has appeared on television and in more than 1,000 mainstream magazine articles. Jenna lives in Scottsdale, AZ.
Available at Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

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