I was very surprised that this young man was a sex worker for women. No what I was expecting at all. I wasn't crazy about the back and forth between the past and then present. It felt a little too disjointed for me. But it was an interesting read. ( )

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. Thanks!

Chicken is a slice of sparkling, sizzling, up-and-down nightmare of an adventure. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it is very well told. I like that there is a common childhood, some usual 17-year-old hormones pumping, and nothing really too drastic, other than the first encounter the author finds himself in when he goes to Hollywood for college. It is, I do agree, a bit unbelievable that with $27 in his pocket, and a relatively normal family, he finds that he is "homeless." Either the definition of homeless needs to be revised, or, most likely, there was much more going on than the author is allowing himself to tell. I like that there are no sweeping judgements about any group of people (perhaps other than the fact that all rich women like to see their hunky boyman naked (well, and who can blame them?). I like that though he may not love being a "sex technician," the author enjoys sex and most of the sexual encounters, though this doesn't mean he loves it all.

As for the encounters (tricks) described, none of them seemed too weird or unusual or freaky or fringe to me. All pretty in line with the human condition. I am not sure if it was meant to be shocking. Perhaps will be shocking to those who thought Fifty Shades of Gray was groundbreaking; I doubt it will seem shocking or freaky to anyone who is remotely familiar with the realities of human sexuality and everything related to it.

Recommended to those who like well-written memoirs, fast-paced accounts, fried chicken, nuns, and chocolate-covered strawberries.

( )

The writing of this book sparkles. It's the only book I've read by a worker in the sex industry that got me inside their heads, made me see the industry, what they did and how they managed to do it and remain both dignified and humble when sex for money is such a taboo. It isn't at all titillating but neither doesn't it shy away from graphic descriptions. What truly lifts the book and marks it out as quite different from others in this genre, is the author's empathy for his clients, his desire to make them happy and fulfilled and not just sexually satiated. He does his job to the best of his ability, it is not just a way to extract money from people. The descriptions of some of the clients are among the most bizarre characters you will ever read about. The author is talented writer, an empathetic communicator and obviously skilled where it counts.

I am surprised no one has made a film of the book. The story of a middle-class boy, abandoned by his family, attending a Catholic college roaring around town on a Harley going from job to job as a (heterosexual) prostitute is interesting enough. But with the ending, of how the author is rescued (almost) by the love of a good woman, is just destined to make a good film one day.

Brilliant book. Really a five-star read.

Rewritten March 13th, 2013. ( )

Ho trovato questo libro francamente deludente: la prosa ridondante e le descrizioni verbose ed inutilmente dettagliate mi hanno fatto pensare in certi momenti che si trattasse di un esercizio di scrittura creativa malamente rielaborato per essere dato alle stampe. ( )

An autobiography of a male prostitute in L.A. A great read. Written by David Henry Sterry, this is a book about his life in the streets of LA trying to make a living by selling himself. It is excellently written and it tells how he sort of fell into that life and didn’t really enjoy it, so he didn’t last long, but made a lot of money at it. ( )