House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III

This is one depressing book. It's hard to tell you a whole lot about it without giving away the plot, but the setup is this: Kathy Nicolo is a hardup cleaning woman living in a house in Corona, California, that she inherited from her father. She's evicted one day because of a tax bill that isn't hers, and the police officer who does the job falls for her right away. The house, once she's out, is sold to an Iranian family who, despite appearances, have this one chance to turn their finances around. The county discovers its mistake in evicting Kathy, but the Iranian refuses to give back the property. Her lawyer tells her to stay away from the house, but Kathy can't, and of course, the Iranians don't take to this very well. The book quickly slides down a slope of threats, intimidation and depression. The big lesson? Don't judge people by the way they look, or their possessions -- inside, everyone is just fucking miserable. Well-written, but it'll make you suicidal even if you're feeling fine.

Bare: On Women, Dancing, Sex, and Power, Elisabeth Eaves

ok, this will come as a shock to you, but try to retain your grip on reality. apparently working as a stripper isn't a great job! apparently being viewed as a sex object and only a sex object all the time affects the way in which you think about yourself. apparently it affects your body image. and --this was the real kicker -- it can even have an impact on your relationships with men! "bare" is a first-person account by elisabeth eaves of her adventues working as a peep-show dancer, and her two days as a club stripper. i read a review of this book that accused eaves of dallying with stripping as a passtime, and i think there is a certain amount of valid criticism in that. eaves' book tells her story, and those of a few other strippers (many of whom were much more heavily involved in the sex industry than eaves herself). she discusses her feelings about herself and her body, and reveals a well of ambivalence for men caused in part by her experiences. ultimately the book is unsatisfying and i found myself angry with eaves' distress over her experiences. i don't buy the argument that victims are in part responsible for what happens to them, but eaves put herself by choice into a damaging industry, and she had every opportunity not to.