available December 18, 2009
Scars and Stilettos: The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer
by Harmony Dust
Paperback: 252 pages
Publisher: Monarch
ISBN-13: 978-0825463099
Appropriate for College-Age and Adults
Amazon Product Description:
Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom-tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn't protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can't get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club.My thoughts and review:
According to www.prostitutionresearch.com over 85% of the girls and women who are in the sex industry were sexually abused as a child. A child who is sexually abused learns early on that her body no longer belongs to her ~ it is only there for the benefit of the abuser. Her thought process about her own body becomes warped.
In Scars and Stilettos, Harmony learned to detach herself when she was assaulted as a child. That same detachment helped her to get through her nights working at Live, Live Nude Girls. There are so many villains in this book, but it is not written as a "blaming" book against all men or even against those who violated Harmony. Scars and Stilettos reads like a fast-paced novel with a kindness and love towards women who have found themselves in the sex industry. One never considers to blame and judgment is never even considered. So many in this world blame the victim or the woman rather than recognizing all of the facts and participants in the sex industry. People call it the 'oldest profession in the book' but where would it be without the clients/customers? According to the statistics I have read from www.prostitutionresearch.com and Scars and Stilettos the sex industry is at an all-time high. And what is even more horrifying to me is that the United States is a leader in the pack!
Speaking of those clients/customers it surprised me how they were portrayed in Scars and Stilettos. Harmony gave a benevolent face to some of the men she met while working as a stripper; recognizing that the sex industry draws men from every walk of life from the pimps to the CEO of the largest, latest and best companies. The message in Harmony's book is that we are all loved by God, right where we're at. There's a sweet passage in her book where she finds out that one of her clients at the strip club had a heart attack and was in ICU. When she is able to visit him she takes the time to pray with this former client and to let him know she no longer works at the club. This man whom Harmony used to dance for nude she is able to meet with a love and acceptance that could only come from God.
People and things have enriched me, but they do not define me.
This brings me to God, who loved me while I was still in the middle of my deepest mess. My relationship with Him did not begin once I 'got my act together.' He not only loves us in spite of our junk, but He sees past all of it to the person He has created us to be.I hope you will pick up this book, read it, understand the message and not judge the messenger too harshly. Her story resounds in so many of the strip clubs and the message of hope she brings forth with this book and with the non-profit she founded is truly miraculous. I can only imagine how God smiles down upon her and the women who go out to the strip clubs through the non-profit Harmony formed ~ Treasures to bring a message of hope to women who continue to work in the clubs or in the sex industry. There is no judgment or arm wrestling involved - simply a message of God's love for his precious daughters.
Take a moment to check out the Scars and Stilettos Project at Scars and Stilettos.
To read what other blogs have had to say about this book check out the Scars & Stilettos Blog Tour.
5 Quills!
I have one copy of Scars and Stilettos to give away.
Eligibility for this giveaway ~
open to anyone who is a human bean
leave an email address
smile for the rest of the day!
Contest Ends ~
June 30th at 11:59 am
winner will be notified by email
and has 48 hours to respond with an address
Good luck!
