I was lucky enough to go to an event with the author at a small bookshop, and being there and hearing the conversation she had with the host got me really excited to read it.  And it didn’t disappoint!

The book is 19 conversations that the author has with friends or friends of friends about porn.  I think this was actually the best way to do it, I think that Barton really accomplished what she set out to do in structuring it this way.

Throughout these 19 conversations it was really interesting to see the same themes come up repeatedly, across ages and genders and identities.  There was A LOT of discussion on ethical porn and what that even means and what it looks like.  I really appreciated that so many of the interviewees were concerned with working conditions for the actors and were questioning their own ideas about what equitable working conditions look like.

One thing I found really interesting about this book is the parallels I saw between the discussions in the book and discussions I’ve had with friends and acquaintances about romance novels.  Who’s writing them, who’s reading them, who are they for?  Also the discussions that inevitably come up around the fine, yet sometimes arbitrary-feeling line between representation and fetishization.  And while I don’t think it’s to the same extent, there is also the shame that is associated with both watching porn and reading romance.  I think things are changing when it comes to reading romance, but it’s still generally viewed as something shameful, a guilty pleasure, much as porn is.

I feel like I could write an entire essay on this book!  It has given me a lot to think about, which for me is high praise.