Sienna Wilder's Review of Some Girls by Jillian Lauren
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SWilder
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Sienna Wilder's Review of Some Girls by Jillian Lauren
I gave this book 4.6/5.0 stars. I was very surprised by how much I loved it!
Some Girls is the story of an eighteen year-old actress who gets into NYU at sixteen, drops out for theater, and ends up stripping to make ends meet. One thing leads to another (starting with a victim role in a vampire camp movie) and Jillian is soon a call girl with a money habit. When she auditions for a very special 'international' opportunity, she isn't told that she will be part of a harem for a sultan of Brunei - she learns this, and everything else about her new job, as she goes. Jill Lauren is a brave (if reckless, as a young adult) woman.
The story hooked me and took me far beyond research. It was both an outstanding, unique story, and gorgeously, insightfully written. The descriptions are precise and poetically rendered, and the insights are brilliant.
Above all, this is a story of a strong, wise, beautiful and adventurous soul finding herself. Jillian is an adopted New York Jew, and the search for identify, from her biological origins to the color of her heart, comprise a major theme in this story. As the author states near the end of the book, she had to take a stand somewhere - she had to define herself somehow - lest she risk remaining a shape-changer for the rest of her life. Willing to do 'whatever.' This resonated deeply with my experience of coming into my own. Becoming. Telling a breathtaking story from the point of view of the wise adult you've become because of it. It's a story of becoming, and it works. Jill is a goddess now, without a doubt.
The hardest part, in my experience, of attempting to pen a memoir, is adding the insights gleaned from each noteworthy thought, circumstance and outcome that makes up your plotline. Without that bit of insight at each turn, you've got no real story. The story's protagonist would remain unaltered by all the extreme experiences. The result would be unsatisfying and flat. It's very difficult for anyone to have that kind of detailed insight, particularly regarding sex work, where shame and stigma are rampant, but Jillian Lauren takes 'lessons learned' to a whole new level, integrated so seamlessly into the writing that you may not realize it's even there. It's satisfying. If you look, you will see hundreds of pearls of wisdom in this story.
Jillian Lauren has guts, and she's unapologetic for doing what she wanted to do - something I find very refreshing. She's a sex activist, tattooed and married to a band member from Weezer, and has adopted an Ethiopian child with her husband. She's a true Generation X punk who profited from her dangerous bid for power. This makes the story all the more important for anyone who's been in the front seat with power. Maybe you'll catch a few 'ah-ha!s' that you missed in the confusion of your circumstances.
The only thing lacking in this story is a certain depth of compassion. But who has compassion at nineteen, in the midst of such competition and extreme circumstances? Perhaps I might not have liked Jill as a young adult, but I certainly would have admired her. It took me two decades longer to understand the things she got at such a young age. Jill Lauren is brilliant, and Some Girls is a page turner that will make you rich with insight and perspective.
Some Girls is the story of an eighteen year-old actress who gets into NYU at sixteen, drops out for theater, and ends up stripping to make ends meet. One thing leads to another (starting with a victim role in a vampire camp movie) and Jillian is soon a call girl with a money habit. When she auditions for a very special 'international' opportunity, she isn't told that she will be part of a harem for a sultan of Brunei - she learns this, and everything else about her new job, as she goes. Jill Lauren is a brave (if reckless, as a young adult) woman.
The story hooked me and took me far beyond research. It was both an outstanding, unique story, and gorgeously, insightfully written. The descriptions are precise and poetically rendered, and the insights are brilliant.
Above all, this is a story of a strong, wise, beautiful and adventurous soul finding herself. Jillian is an adopted New York Jew, and the search for identify, from her biological origins to the color of her heart, comprise a major theme in this story. As the author states near the end of the book, she had to take a stand somewhere - she had to define herself somehow - lest she risk remaining a shape-changer for the rest of her life. Willing to do 'whatever.' This resonated deeply with my experience of coming into my own. Becoming. Telling a breathtaking story from the point of view of the wise adult you've become because of it. It's a story of becoming, and it works. Jill is a goddess now, without a doubt.
The hardest part, in my experience, of attempting to pen a memoir, is adding the insights gleaned from each noteworthy thought, circumstance and outcome that makes up your plotline. Without that bit of insight at each turn, you've got no real story. The story's protagonist would remain unaltered by all the extreme experiences. The result would be unsatisfying and flat. It's very difficult for anyone to have that kind of detailed insight, particularly regarding sex work, where shame and stigma are rampant, but Jillian Lauren takes 'lessons learned' to a whole new level, integrated so seamlessly into the writing that you may not realize it's even there. It's satisfying. If you look, you will see hundreds of pearls of wisdom in this story.
Jillian Lauren has guts, and she's unapologetic for doing what she wanted to do - something I find very refreshing. She's a sex activist, tattooed and married to a band member from Weezer, and has adopted an Ethiopian child with her husband. She's a true Generation X punk who profited from her dangerous bid for power. This makes the story all the more important for anyone who's been in the front seat with power. Maybe you'll catch a few 'ah-ha!s' that you missed in the confusion of your circumstances.
The only thing lacking in this story is a certain depth of compassion. But who has compassion at nineteen, in the midst of such competition and extreme circumstances? Perhaps I might not have liked Jill as a young adult, but I certainly would have admired her. It took me two decades longer to understand the things she got at such a young age. Jill Lauren is brilliant, and Some Girls is a page turner that will make you rich with insight and perspective.
