Reviews (203)

Well written and Provacative
I read this book in 2 days - I was taken and fascinated with Jenna's story, I couldnot put the book down. It was well worth every penny spent. I highly reccommend this book to ANYONE - whether you are intersted in the porn industry or a fan of Jenna, this book is a must read. Very, very well written - I gained so much respect for her after reading this book. She is intelligent and a true self made woman.

Addictive
This book is dangerously well-written.Once you start reading it, you won't be able to stop.It is the true story of one of modern america's greatest celebrity icons, a woman who made her own fortune in the porn business instead of being used up and spit out by it like so many other women are.Neil Straus co-wrote this book with Jenna, and he is the author of the intensely awesome story THE GAME, which is another one you won't be able to put down.Read either or both of these books with the knowledge that they are like smoking crack -- COMPLETELY OVERPOWERING AND ADDICTIVE.

Quite impressed
I didn't have high expectations for this book. I expected it to be another cliche about an abusive childhood that caused her to become a porn star.
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Subjects:  1. Actors    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Erotic films    9. Jameson, Jenna    10. Motion picture actors and actr    11. Motion picture actors and actresses    12. Pornography    13. Sexuality    14. United States    15. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts    16. Sex & sexuality   

Reviews (5)

Good book, terrible problem.
This is a very useful book if you have a problem, or even think you might, with regard to compulsively searching for and/or using internet porn, chat rooms, etc.
amazingly valuable resource
My marriage ended because of my addiction to cybersex.
Alittle too Broad
This book is a good starting resource for anyone who's concerned with their time on the Internet, or sex addiction in general.There's only a couple of problems I've had with the book.Mostly, it's catagorizing of addiction seems exceptionally broad.I think any normal person could argue they had an addiction problem using the criteria listed within.Read more

Subjects:  1. Internet - World Wide Web    2. Pornography    3. Recovery    4. Self-Help    5. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General    6. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Sexual    7. Self-Help / Substance Abuse   

Reviews (22)

Start here!
This is an awesome book to start out with.This book covers the basics but also works in relationship issues.Several books I have read talk about the technical parts of BDSM, but miss the day to day lives of the players.If your starting out this book is almost mandatory.Great resources and makes you think through BDSM so you can zero in on what you like and dont.

Curiousity didn't kill the cat.
I was torn between this book and some of the books actually refered to in this book, whether in the text or the "additional reading" section and I'm glad to say that I started with this one.While it didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know, it was a re-assurance.It did enlighten me to a few things and make me want to learn more.Overall, I say it's a great place to start and a quick, easy read.

Written to a SHARP Point!
Having been involved in various aspects of kink since the late 70's, I'm usually unimpressed with the crop of fad-riding how to's about the subject popping up these days. Come Hither, however, breaks through the pack and stands out remarkably as a MUST READ if you're serious about understanding the amazing possibilities that can come from exploring natural, kink-filled passions (or need a useful tool in helping a loved one understand).Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Love / Sex / Marriage    3. Pornography    4. Sex    5. Sexual Instruction    6. Sexual behavior    7. Sexual deviation    8. Sexual fantasies    9. Social Science    10. Family & Relationships / Sexuality    11. Sex & sexuality   

Editorial Review

Laura Kipnis, who teaches film at Northwestern University, adopts an unpopular stance: that of speaking for those whose sexual tendencies stray from the acceptable path. As such, she adds a different perspective in the always-raging debate on the role of pornography in America. Among her arguments is that pornography is often overlooked as a class issue, couched instead almost always as a morality matter. Realizing that many of those employed by the sex industry and those who support it are separated by class from those who deem it so unsavory, provides a particular insight into the perspective of those sitting in judgment. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is the future of porn studies
The author of the Kirkus Review (above) states that Kipnis's work would be "more at home at an MLA conference," while at the same time he contends her work is "not likely to inspire the dawning of a new eraof pornography studies."But what could signal the dawning of such anera as well as a presentation by Kipnis at an MLA conference?You can'thave it both ways, Kirkus. An eye-opening, mind-expanding look at "filth"
Kipnis adds her distinctive study to the growing chorus of books by women that have defended and explored pornography dispassionately in the last five years.(See, for example, Nadine Strossen's _Defending Pornography_ and Wendy McElroy's _XXX:A Woman's Right to Pornography_.)Kipnis takes as her jumping-off point the case of a gentle, well-behaved gay man who was given a long jail sentence for responding to fantasy bait concocted by the FBI on the Internet;somehow, discussion (read: Orwellian "thought crime") of sex and murder of children translated to hard time in jail.Mere ideas are NOT innocent in this country, after all.[But why don't we jail authors and fans of murder mysteries and true crime books, or at least TRACK them?)She goes on to study the odd byways of pornography: magazines of nude and copulating fat people, geriatric porn, transvestite pornography.If you've never seen such material and tend to assume it must connect to mental illness and criminality, Kipnis will give you much to think about.Her discussion of the ideology and techniques of Hustler magazine is nothing short of brilliant, even for the men -- and we are legion -- who have always found the magazine disgusting or beneath notice.A welcome addition to the public debate over durdy peek-chures ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pornography    2. Pornography (Social Aspects)    3. Social Science    4. Sociology    5. United States - General    6. Crime & criminology    7. Pornography & obscenity   

Reviews (45)

Beware: 75% of book xxx graphic language and porn senarios
Beware: Extremely graphic language. I read things I wish I never did.To get to the anti-porn conclusions in this book, you have to wade through 75% vivid pornographic language before the anti-porn point is made. Was only able to read parts of a few pages before returning it.Looking for another pu blication that makes the anti-porn arguments without making me wallow through the mire.

WOW -- necessary reading for parents and any TV watcher
An amazing book-- great whether you're a moralist or a liberal. Porn in America has become 'trendy' why is this good and why is it outrageously BAD? Read this book and you'll understand both sides of the street. The author is wise -- she is a a contributor to TIME magazine and has written several books on marriage so her background seems quite mid-stream. Why do men look at Porn -- Oprah says the stats are outrageous 40-50 percent look at it. The author clarifies the stats and explains the why. Historical look at porn in her second chapter of Life in the Porn Lane, Chapter 3 looks at her own views of Porn so you know where she stands. Chapter 4 -- Porn Stars, Lovers and Wives-- how women see/view porn. Does it really debase women? Or can a porn star be powerful? How porn changes relationships between men and women. Kids in a Pornified Culture-- crucial chapter for every parent and teacher. Kids WILL SEE PORN online or on TV or on Video -- YES THEY WILL no matter how you protect them. What is the impact. Why is there a porn compulsion -- why is a minister picked up for porn, why is a congressman caught viewing online porn. What is the truth about porn today. Should we censure or censor -- is there a solution? Porn has become so camp in our culture today. Actors and Actresses get famous for their porn tapes. Why is this so? What can you do to protect your kids, husband and self from porn invading your lives even more? If you're on the other side-- you should know how people want to censor porn and WHY -- the why is fascinating. Porn won't go away -- it's an age-old profession and a great part of our underground economy. So you better read this book and not just watch the sensational reports on TV.

Worth your time to read
This book is worth purchasing and reading or at the very least leafing through at the library.
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Subjects:  1. Love & Romance    2. Parenting - General    3. Popular culture    4. Pornography    5. Social Science    6. Social aspects    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Social Science / Pornography   

Editorial Review

From the nudie cuties of the 1950s to celebrity porn in the late 1990s, Read more

Reviews (20)

Porn stars are my friends
Read in a fortnight, compulsively and earnestly, this book is a must buy for several reasons.Oral (pun intended and not intended) histories are the best way to handle such topics as Punk Rock (covered by the same author) and the Porn industry, because there are so many stories to tell, so many plotlines running congruently and so many voices that demand to be heard, that to try to weave them into one narrative would be nearly impossible and would be difficult to read.While some of the FBI, Mafia and other criminal plotlines aren't quite as interesting as the behind the scenes of the actual films, they are still pertinent to the overall story.
Legs McNeil is great...
This book was not as good as Please Kill Me, but still a great fast read. The Mafia parts were a little boring but it was still a very juicy read.

Positively Obscene....
...the potential this book had and wasted.It really should be subtitled "The Uncensored Oral History of the Mob Syndicate From 1972 to 1999."The shady figures who financed pornography during this period, many of who paid the ultimate price for their "ill gotten gains," have as much if not more "screen time" in this narrative than the stars and makers of adult movies.Not that they aren't interesting.Reuben Sturman is a fascinating figure - the most profitable pornographer in the history of the world was satisfied to cultivate his own little corner in Ohio.And the story of John C. Holmes ties to the "Wonderland" killers is gripping.And when the authors aren't detailing these shenanigans, and the efforts to stifle the industry by FBI sting operations, we get generous accounts of the "recreational" activities of the stars, etc.Apparently when they weren't fornicating for the camera they were sniffing, snorting, injecting, and inhaling.Enough of that goes a long way.
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Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Erotic films    3. Film & Video - History & Criticism    4. History and criticism    5. Motion Picture Industry    6. Motion Pictures Of Specific Genres    7. Oral history    8. Performing Arts    9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    10. Pornography    11. Sex in motion pictures    12. United States    13. Cinema industry    14. Films, cinema    15. Performing Arts / Film / History & Criticism   

Reviews (3)

Knowledge-raising, questioning and problematising
Drucilla Cornell has gathered immense quantities of essays in order to cover the relationship between feminism (as academic discipline and political theory) and pornography. The essays cover a very broad aspect of pornography, which for many can only be pictures/films containing explicit sexual acts. The essays give the following aspects of pornography:
Great for a survey course or just getting started...
This was the textbook for a graduate course, "Issues Surrounding Pornography" at my university.I found it to be a thorough, multi-faceted exploration of the adult industry, feminist theory (both anti-porn and anti-censorship) and the wide range of opinions and thinking on this hot-button issue.This book also includes writings on the politics of sex work.Were I the editor, I would have included Laura Mulvey and I would have included more writings about sex workers lives from the point of view of the sex worker herself/himself, as well as more pro-sex work writings.The book seems to have mainly anti-sex work writings.I would have balanced it out more.This is easily corrected by a savvy professor who can assign extra readings from a book such as "Global Sex Workers" or "Whores and Other Feminists."Overall, it's a excellent resource, one I refer to again and again as I write on the subject.

A great collection about feminist views on porn.
This is the best collection of its kind, and perhaps the only one to dealdirectly with the issue of pornography from a feminist view-point. Sure,some of the same issues and perhaps even the same essays can be found inother feminist studies anthologies, but this 600 page book has everythingwritten to date of importance on the subject in one neat package. DrucillaCornell is a great writer, and its good to see an inclusion of CatharineMacKinnon-who started the whole idea of feminist inquiry into porn-in heranthology, despite epistemological differences between MacKinnon andCornell (see Cornell's book Transformations for more about that). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Feminism    2. Feminism & Feminist Theory    3. Feminist theory    4. Pornography    5. Pornography (Social Aspects)    6. Sex-oriented businesses    7. Social Science    8. Social aspects    9. Sociology    10. Women's Studies - General    11. Politics | American Politics | Women & Politics    12. Pornography & obscenity    13. Social Science / Feminism & Feminist Theory   

Reviews (10)

Interesting personal perspective
This is a most interesting, personal account of "how", "what", and some "why" a person has become what he is in the moment. The perspective is intensely genuine, as much as the author is capable. I found this a fascinating view into the life of a physical, although necessarily remote, personality and his attempts to deal with his own evolution. It seems that many of the other reviews(printed here) have approached the writing from their OWN perspective. I do not feel that that is valid and appreciate Mr. Shaw's revelations and insight into a whole world that is both limited and international. How delightful to find that these fantasy figures are also real people and have distinct and impressive talents beyond what most perceive as their "genre". Thank you Mr. Shaw.

Missing Core
This book starts out in a fast and exciting pace, but halfway through one begins to wonder "where is it all going?" Aiden Shaw tells an incredible narrative in a comprehensive, easy to read, subtlety poetic form.However, it's void of any and all emotion.Even in scenes of breakdown or crying, all the reader is offered is the notion he was crying but in no way do we know how he was feeling, other than obviously sad.I thought by reading this I would get an exclusive look inside the life of a porn star and hustler, gain a perspective and a respect for a niche of men whose lifestyles aren't something I would approve or emulate. But all I really got was a tremendous list of what the author had done, disastrously, from point A to B to C.In the end, I'm glad to have read this book as it gives the feeling of being let in on a secret.However, the secret isn't all together too interesting and lacks that personal edge in which I was hoping to find.

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
The person who wrote the main Amazon review clearly misunderstood Shaw. I hate to think they might influence other people, especially if they turn young readers away. Those inexperienced in Shaw's world can learn a lot from his brave portrayal of how not to live life. He does this not by preaching, but in a much more clever way, Shaw shows from the inside, the pit falls, the drug come-downs, and the ruined relationships that can coincide with the lifestyle he chose. My Undoing is refreshing, heartbreakingly honest, sincere, very funny, and most of all very well written. He puts himself on the line, while most prefer to hide behind pretense and propriety. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    5. Gay Studies    6. Homosexuality    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Pornography    9. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    10. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts    11. Biography: general   

Reviews (45)

Beware: 75% of book xxx graphic language and porn senarios
Beware: Extremely graphic language. I read things I wish I never did.To get to the anti-porn conclusions in this book, you have to wade through 75% vivid pornographic language before the anti-porn point is made. Was only able to read parts of a few pages before returning it.Looking for another pu blication that makes the anti-porn arguments without making me wallow through the mire.

WOW -- necessary reading for parents and any TV watcher
An amazing book-- great whether you're a moralist or a liberal. Porn in America has become 'trendy' why is this good and why is it outrageously BAD? Read this book and you'll understand both sides of the street. The author is wise -- she is a a contributor to TIME magazine and has written several books on marriage so her background seems quite mid-stream. Why do men look at Porn -- Oprah says the stats are outrageous 40-50 percent look at it. The author clarifies the stats and explains the why. Historical look at porn in her second chapter of Life in the Porn Lane, Chapter 3 looks at her own views of Porn so you know where she stands. Chapter 4 -- Porn Stars, Lovers and Wives-- how women see/view porn. Does it really debase women? Or can a porn star be powerful? How porn changes relationships between men and women. Kids in a Pornified Culture-- crucial chapter for every parent and teacher. Kids WILL SEE PORN online or on TV or on Video -- YES THEY WILL no matter how you protect them. What is the impact. Why is there a porn compulsion -- why is a minister picked up for porn, why is a congressman caught viewing online porn. What is the truth about porn today. Should we censure or censor -- is there a solution? Porn has become so camp in our culture today. Actors and Actresses get famous for their porn tapes. Why is this so? What can you do to protect your kids, husband and self from porn invading your lives even more? If you're on the other side-- you should know how people want to censor porn and WHY -- the why is fascinating. Porn won't go away -- it's an age-old profession and a great part of our underground economy. So you better read this book and not just watch the sensational reports on TV.

Worth your time to read
This book is worth purchasing and reading or at the very least leafing through at the library.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Pornography    2. Social Science    3. Sociology    4. Cultural studies    5. Pornography & obscenity    6. Sex & sexuality    7. Social Science / Pornography   

Reviews (3)

A Challenge to a Life of Purity
Singer Clay Crosse first saw pornography in the fourth grade.He was at a friend's house when they found a collection of magazines.A few years later, another friend showed him a movie.By the time he was in high school, he had a small stash of magazines hidden in his room.Clay knew that looking at this material was wrong, but he never thought about how dangerous it might be.
very encouraging
i appreciated this book so much for being so humble, open and honest and i'm grateful for the fact that a christian recording artist and his wife would open up about this topic which has shamed so many into silence. the enemy has run rampant in this area and men and women need to see examples of how the Lord is able to work and redeem someone out of the bondage of sexual sin, that He is so willing and able to restore all that has been stolen from a christian marriage that's been torn apart...it reinforces the hope i have in the Lord for my marriage and was very encouraging...

An interesting memoir about overcoming issues stemming from pornography
When Clay Crosse married his high school sweetheart in 1990 he wore a white tuxedo symbolizing the fact that he and Renee (in her white gown) had remained virgins until marriage. "We saw this as a way of glorifying God in our wedding ceremony and telling other young couples that it is possible to wait for sex until marriage. As I watched my bride coming down the aisle toward me, I realized God had given me a great blessing in her. In that moment I knew more than ever before that I wanted our lives to be different. I wanted us to stand out from the world and shine for God. Unfortunately, eight years would pass before I would begin to do the work to make this desire a reality."
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - New Testament    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Christianity    4. Christianity - Christian Life - Marriage    5. Christianity - General    6. Marriage    7. Marriage (Christianity)    8. Pornography    9. Pornography (Social Aspects)    10. Religion    11. Religion - Christian Life    12. Religious    13. Religious aspects    14. Sex    15. Sex in marriage    16. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Sexual   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Economics    3. Economics - General    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Public Policy - Economic Policy    7. Political economy    8. Social Science / Pornography   

Subjects:  1. Love / Sex / Marriage    2. Pornography    3. Pornography (Social Aspects)    4. Sex instruction for women    5. Sexual excitement    6. Sexuality    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Sociology Of Women    10. Women's Studies - General    11. Health & Fitness / Sexuality    12. Sex & sexuality   

Subjects:  1. Abuse - General    2. Children's Studies    3. Criminology    4. Emergency Medicine    5. Forensic Science    6. Medical    7. Pornography    8. Sociology    9. Child abuse    10. Paediatric medicine    11. Sexual abuse   

Reviews (9)

It's not a monolith, it's a muddle
Williams' claim is that all porn is not the same, but her book title is very specific which would lead one to believe she will make claims about only hard core and not about the attendant debates over all of porn's place in society.
blah blah blah
The writing is jagged, superfluous and constantly filled with statements on what the author is intending to say in the book without actually saying it.This book is boring, hard to get through and organized in a questionable fashion.Unless you need to read it for a college course I strongly recommend against it.Frankly I don't understand the other reviews on this page praising the book.

Interesting
This is an easy to read, comprehensive analysis of visual pornography. Williams is thorough and openminded, and clearly shows that this isn't a homogenous and stereotypical genre. On the contrary, she maintains that all trends visible in other types of movies exist in pornography as well. An interesting read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Erotic Films    3. Film & Video - History & Criticism    4. Gender Studies    5. History and criticism    6. Performing Arts    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Pornography    9. Pornography (Social Aspects)    10. Sex in motion pictures    11. Film theory & criticism    12. Performing Arts / General    13. Pornography & obscenity   

Subjects:  1. Children in pornography    2. Children's Studies    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Criminology    6. Internet    7. Law and legislation    8. Obscenity (Law)    9. Pornography    10. Social Aspects - General    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Law / Forensic Science    14. Police & security services   

Reviews (16)

Reality
I love it when an author addresses issues that are rarely talked about, especially issued that are rarely talked about in church.
Compassionate, passionate, humorous, on-target
Ted's personal experiences both in his struggle with sex addiction and in his career as a pilot provide a compelling unity to this book. He has a passion for helping the many people who struggle with this problem, but who are not receiving the help where they should be receiving it -- from their churches, who have the truth of the Bible, but often don't focus it in this area.
Excellent Resource for men and any other person connect with a man
Written from a Christian perspective, this book is a fabulous resource for all men. Intimate spousal relationships, healthy relationships in general, emotional health, and freedom from men's sexual guilt/shame cycles are all issues addressed in this practical book. If you want to learn about how God can lead men through the pathway of thinking He designed, this is a vital book for YOU as a man. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Social Issues    3. Christianity - Spiritual Warfare    4. Counseling    5. Pornography    6. Religion    7. Religion - Spiritual Warfare    8. Religious aspects    9. Sex addiction    10. Spirituality - General   

Reviews (45)

A Must-Not Read
To call this book a must-not read is perhaps too harsh; after all, to ignore history is to repeat it.This is a fact which is not endorsed within the pages of this meager, starved tome, as the Final Solution for pornography - at least, what the author considers pornography, a subject I will touch on shortly - is a solution that has not only failed, and continues to fail, but does so with an eagerness that is matched only by the author's good intentions.
Pornography in sheep's clothing
I have not read this book and I don't plan to read a book that is basically pornography. I must confess that when I was a teenager we used to look at books like this, which claimed to condemn pornography and various perversions, but went into very explicit detail about them. We would mark the dirty parts and pass them around.

Superficial claims with little compelling evidence
First of all, I'd like to say that this is a great book for lazy people. When I picked up this slim volume to borrow from the library I wasn't expecting much. And my expectations were fufilled to the negative infinity.
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Subjects:  1. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    2. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    3. Popular Culture    4. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Pornography    7. Promiscuity    8. Sex in popular culture    9. Sexual ethics    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Sociology (Specific Aspects)    13. United States    14. Political Science / General   

Reviews (19)

funny and facinating
I wasn't quite sure what this book would include for obvious reasons. I was pleasantly surprised. What a great insight to the inner workings of a very popular magazine.With great humor it told his rise from the very bottom of the ladder to the top. Great stories about all different famous and not so famous people and of course about Larry Flynt. A great story.

Thank God Allan Lives!
I've known the author for over 30 years, 27 of which I thought he was dead.As college students at the dawning of the punk rock era, we were involved in hijinks ranging from the rerouting of public transportation to social criticism using jumbo markers.We ended up losing touch after someone had told me that Allan was dead.Easy enough to believe after personally witnessing him nearly lose half his body while trying to bulldog a moving cable car and knowing of his great fondness for self-induced catatonic states.
Not that Revealing
I had high hopes for this book but I was a little disappointed.Parts of the job I wanted to know about were glossed over and boring things were described in excruciating detail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    3. Mass Media - General    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Pornography    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Biography: general    10. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (36)

Story of a Survivor
I bought this book because of the similarites between the author's life and my own.Both of us came out of repressive, abusive Fundamentalist Christianity, both of us served in the military, both of us battled substance abuse, and both of us are gay.This is one man's story, and it's the story of a survivor...in short, it's my story, and the story of countless others as well.There, but for the grace of God, go all of us.Rich Merritt came through the fire, as have so many of us.Well done, Rich!This is a helluva read.

Can a straight guy enjoy this?
Yes.I picked up SOAGMPS as research for a novel I was writing that included a gay ex-Marine as one of the main characters.So I intially approached Merritt's memoir as 'required reading' with highlighter in hand... I didn't expect how quickly I'd get sucked into the story.The author's evolution from Bob Jones disciple to porn-Marine double life is expertly told, warts and all, with humor and a sharp mirror.By its end, you appreciate the journey and can chalk another point in the "we're all human" column.

Truly Engaging
Rich writes in an engaging, friendly, and conversationalist manner that instantly draws one in. His life is neither typical nor atypical of anyone, but it has some clear features that probably speak to all of us, and because they do, we find his life compelling. Rich, of course, is our protagonist, and rigid orthodoxies are his antagonists. His cold, demanding, and insensitive mother, an indolent father, his hyper-fundamentalist Christian format