Desperately Seeking Sex & Sobriety
A cautionary tale of Sex Tourism, Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution & Suicide
Paul Pisces
Authors Online Ltd
40 Castle Street, Hertford SG14 1HR, England
www.authorsonline.co.uk
ISBN: 0755201140, 9.95GBP, 136 pp, 2004
To begin, I would not recommend this book to anyone who is offended by sexually explicit language and descriptions, and if you are, you may not want to read my review.
This autobiography is about the author, Paul, who realized at an early age that he had an alcohol problem and liked beautiful women. In his search for sex and sobriety, he takes us from London to Amsterdam; to San Francisco; to Bangkok and Pattaya in Thailand; to Manila, Angeles City and Subic Bay in the Philippines. He takes us through his education, jobs, women and brothels in exotic places. I quote:
"Beautiful women fascinate me. They always have, they always will. It's my Achilles heel. I'll do almost anything to be in the company of beautiful women. To hold them, to touch them, to love them, to fuck them. I'll do anything - I'll even pay (within reason of course).
Wandering the red light area is interesting. It's prostitution at its most efficient. The deal can be done and the transaction executed in less than twenty minutes. I wander into a bar and order a whisky and lemonade. A petite Asian girl wanders over to me."
I thought Paul had good insight not to marry and have children (although he is still young enough, if he found recovery and a woman to love). Even though he's telling us what a butthead he is and that he's not a very nice man, I found it reassuring that he understood the concept of love and had feelings for some of the women with whom he shared himself. I found humor in this book, too . . . Paul's measuring stick for a good time . . . how many fucks to the buck.
I don't personally see Paul's life as a waste (though others may)-nothing's ever a waste. Life is a guru and gives us puzzles to solve. When you can no longer take the abuse you are afflicting upon yourself, you stop or die. It's really a pisser to be addicted to something that controls you, and alcohol is a master at control. Paul followed what he loved . . . women. I'm sure he had lots of fun and good sex. Whose to say that wanting-to-be-with-beautiful-women is a wasted life? . . . especially for a man who does not feel he can be responsible for a family and children (considering our divorce rates and domestic violence problems).
For myself, I admire Paul's down-and-dirty honesty (even though the language may be considered objectionable) because it reflects real life, and real life is more interesting than fiction. I hope you can appreciate his honesty, too. As a woman, he has taken me to places I could never go and shared experiences I could never have. I personally believe that prostitution should be legalized. It's been around forever, which supports the premise that it must fill a definite need. If it were legalized, it could be taxed and health problems addressed with some control. Men have a need and there are women who want to fill it.
So, the author took a chance and exposed himself to the world, actually. It certainly took some courage. And though, as POD published authors, we may not sell many books, we evidently feel the need to share ourselves with others, even to the extent of expending many hours and much energy to get our book published. The bottom line certainly is not a profit margin. We all hope our books will be read, but that's not solely why we write them.
When Paul enquired if I would consider reviewing his book, he stated: "It is not a particularly nice book (I am in many respects a bad man) but it is an honest book." My take was that Paul is just a man struggling between his Apollonian nature and his Dionysian sexual appetites. There are many worse things in this life than alcoholism and patronizing prostitutes . . . war and greed to name just two.
Paul Pisces is an intelligent man. His story and the quality of his writing will appeal to readers looking for an honest, unique, provocative read.
Glad you're still with us, Paul, and thanks for the honesty . . . so refreshing!
Reviewed by Kaye Trout - April 21, 2006 - Copyright
