95.
Author: Melissa Febos
Title: Whip Smart
publication: paperback
Pages:
Genre: Memoir
Acquisition: Couldn't resist
Date: December 11, 2011
Rating: ****

When Melissa Febos worked as a dominatrix in a dungeon in New York City she enjoyed casually naming her job for the shock factor of such a revelation; just naming her occupation in unsuspecting company gave her the sense of power that draws her to the job in the first place. The title of her memoir - Whip Smart - seems to serve much the same purpose: it's more for shock value than a true advertisement of the details of the memoir.

Yes, Febos worked as a dominatrix for several years, and her memoir details her interactions with some clients, her relationships with her coworkers, and the way her business influenced her personal life. But more poignant than her occupation - and of greater concern to the memoir - is Febos's drug abuse during her rather tumultuous undergraduate years and her subsequent recovery.

In a way, the "shock value" of the title worked - I, for one, am more likely to purchase a memoir detailing the experiences of a counter-culture figure than that of another drug-addicted college student. However, Febos easily pieces together the details of this time in her life with what appears to be blunt honesty, and it is her narrative voice that ultimately renders this memoir effective.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs in general, to those who wish to read an interestingly candid discussion of recovery from heroine addiction (without the gospel), and, yes, to those interested in an anthropological discussion of subversive sexual culture.