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Whip Smart
Whip Smart: The True Story of a Secret Life | Melissa Febos
13 posts | 12 read | 1 reading | 9 to read
A dark, wild, powerful memoir about a young woman's transformation from college student to professional dominatrix While a college student at The New School, Melissa Febos spent four years working as a dominatrix in a midtown dungeon. In poetic, nuanced prose she charts how unchecked risk-taking eventually gave way to a course of self-destruction. But as she recounts crossing over the very boundaries that she set for her own safety, she never plays the victim. In fact, the glory of this memoir is Melissa's ability to illuminate the strange and powerful truths that she learned as she found her way out of a hell of her own making. Rest assured; the reader will emerge from the journey more or less unscathed.
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

A bit outrageous memoir of Melissa‘s time as a dominatrix and heroin addict. She got into it for the money, not the lifestyle, and it supported her time in NYC and her drug habit. She did get clean but still fell more into being a domme. She traded the drug addiction for one of being adored and desired. At the end, she was able to make progress in therapy and leave the job behind. But she definitely spills the tea on the crazier aspects! ⬇️

Megabooks ⬆️ While this memoir is fairly introspective, I appreciated her evolution as a writer and enjoyed this essay collection more. (edited) 3y
Cinfhen Creative title!! I‘ll look for a #BorrowNotBuy on both titles 😁 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen 👍🏻👍🏻😘 3y
Cinfhen I‘m also enjoying your #shelfies 🤩😍🥰 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I‘m running out of places!! 😂😂 3y
83 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Megabooks
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My journey through Melissa‘s backlist will start here! Nice to get some Sunday #bookmail 👍🏻🥳

vlwelser She popped up on my radar recently also. I look forward to hearing what you think. 3y
Megabooks @vlwelser I‘m probably going to put it on May‘s bookspin bingo, so I should get to it then! 3y
80 likes2 comments
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REPollock
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Mehso-so

I think maybe this just wasn‘t the memoir I thought it would be. The part of the story which dealt with her addiction and drug abuse was both too much content and not enough depth maybe? I really didn‘t like that the publisher marketed it as a dominatrix memoir without mentioning the addiction portion in the book description bc it‘s like 1/3 of the content.

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REPollock
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I‘m zooming through this, but I wish it wasn‘t an addiction memoir masquerading as a pro-domme memoir. I didn‘t think that‘s what I signed up for. 😕

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REPollock
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Next ebook! I was at the Tin House summer workshop with her but I hadn‘t read her work before.

Crazeedi ❤❤ this picture!! 5y
REPollock @Crazeedi we thought the padded trunk was for storing linens and sitting to put on our shoes, but Riley has decided that its most important function is optimum viewing of Cat IMAX. 😸 5y
Crazeedi I can see that Riley has a "birds eye view "!! ? 5y
REPollock @Crazeedi LOL! We have rabbits and foxes and deer, too. It‘s like Wild Kingdom around here sometimes. Way more wildlife than I would have thought for a city. 5y
Crazeedi @REPollock so riley is certainly entertained!!❣ 5y
26 likes5 comments
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MaryABelle913
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Pickpick

I had to read this for a class, and it was a wonderful story about self discovery and finding the strength to make choices for yourself. People have their own myths that make up who they are as a person, and this story is a great example of that.

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malloryomeara
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Pickpick

A stunning memoir. A searing, brutal, beautiful look into desire and honesty. Febos' writing just ruins me.

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian Have you read her​ most recent memoir too? I loved that but haven't read Whip Smart. 7y
malloryomeara Yep, read that first! It's my favorite book of the year so far. 7y
kiminreverse This is next on my library pile! I haven't read anything by her. 7y
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paradise_found92
Pickpick

I loved this book. It was problematic and funny and contradictory and scary and real.

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paradise_found92
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This book is problematic af, but I can't put it down. I'm horrified at how casually she talks about her clients, and how judgmental she is, while at the same time, utterly fascinated. #memoir #kindle #ebook #subculture

REPollock It bothers me that she consistently maintains that she‘s not doing it for any reason beyond the money, even as it seems clear that she was drawn to it for other reasons too. It‘s like she wants to make sure you don‘t think she‘s ashamed of something she‘s secretly ashamed of. 5y
5 likes1 comment
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Carleneishere
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Mehso-so

After DNFing a bunch of highbrow books in a row, I decided it's time to switch lanes. A memoir of a professional dominatrix is just the ticket. Good story telling but the author jumps around too much for me, and often gets on tangents.

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badnorthern
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Let's see if this will distract me from my raging anxiety!

BookishMarginalia I'm so anxious too! 7y
badnorthern @BookishMarginalia 😬 it's in the air 7y
18 likes2 comments
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MoonChild7
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Pickpick

finally earned this read, and holy hell, it was worth the wait.

3 likes3 stack adds