Rock Paper Sex

By Kerri Cull

“St. John’s is known as a flourishing port city, a cultural gem, and popular tourist destination: a picturesque city of pubs and restaurants, music and colourful houses. But a thriving sex trade quietly exists beneath that polished conception, a trade few are aware of or even understand. In an engaging journalistic style, Kerri Cull respectfully reveals the people who make up the city’s surprisingly diverse sex industry and, in the process, makes a compelling humanistic argument for understanding before judgment..” … Summary by Breakwater Books

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What Happened at Book Club …

The new year started out with a fabulous bang! Tonight the author of Rock Paper Sex, Kerri Cull, attended our book club meeting. It’s the first time we’ve had an author attend our meeting in  person.

Rock Paper Sex is a collection of interviews the author conducted with participants in St. John’s sex industry – some who sell sex , and some who buy. It is their voice, their words, their experience as they wished to tell it.

We had varying reactions to the different stories. There was surprise at the positive slant on many of the stories, others felt a more negative under current beneath the words. We felt that there were other experiences not told in the book. The interview with outreach worker Angela Crockwell was very effective at providing a balance. (It should be noted that the author did not seek out people to interview. She posted notices explaining the project and for those interested to contact her).

Kerri fit in like a smack in the mouth (as Nan would say). She graciously answered all our questions, and there were many, and provided some great insights into the people she met and situations she encountered in researching her book. In exchange we tried to be on our best behaviour – it wasn’t easy.

We didn’t do our usual ‘what did you think of the book’ poll as that would have been awkward with the author there. However based on the quantity and quality of the questions we asked and the level of interaction by everyone present, it’s safe to say we’re all very glad to have read this book.

The author was not alone in the book club spotlight. She had to share it with… the food. Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the garden what a friggin’ spread!

Thank you Peggy for not only preparing the amazing food and that cheesecake mmmmmmmm…… but also for doing such an amazing job organizing the author’s visit, putting together the character cheat sheet and sending us home with homemade jam.

Liz no pressure for next meeting…but it’s kind of like having to follow Oprah on last night’s Golden Globes!

Till next time Wormies!