This review is about Asa Akira's book, called Insatiable. I listened to it as an audio book read by the author herself. And I have to point out right here at the beginning: her reading the audio adds a bit to the feeling, but she's not a good actor. She even herself admits it when she writes about feature vs. gonzo porn.
What is this book about? Especially what you expect from this crazy Asian pornstar: about her life from the view of porn. And unlike her former collegue,
Jenna Jameson's or
Sasha Grey's book (is writing a book becoming a fashion among porn stars nowadays?), this book is filled with hot and dirty details all along. And what is most important, it is really a good book.
Asa Akira can really write (did she use a ghost writer? I don't think so...). Her text is fluid, compact and catches special details which reflect her unique observation of what she is going through. The chapters are alternating between present and past, porn sets and personal life. I even enjoyed the diary part at the end of the book. The whole structure is well-written and sucks the reader in (which is very important in the case of a book about porn :P ). That's why I suspect a ghost writer or some pretty good editors there.
She shares many-many intimate details of her personal life. We can read about (or as in my case, listen to) her childhood moments, how was she struggling as a young adult before porn, how was she smoking weed, how many abortions did yhe have... the list could go on forever. And she writes about how she got involved in porn, what are the stages of this envolvement both in cases of male and female actors, what's their status in the set, how did she shoot her special movies titled the same as the book, Insatiable 1-2-3, what are her experiences with anal, how is she preparing for it... Yeah, again. The list could go on forever.
The whole book is filled with dirty details. I didn't know, for example, that porn crew uses baby wipes for basically everything. Or what fucking "prison style" means (google it! It can help you understand how Toni fucked Asa at a hot night). Or what are her limits (she lets someone fist her ass but... hey, read the book!). These details and the straightforward makes it a very interesting and entertaining book.And what I liked the most, she seems to be writing honestly. She takes the reader to the most inner part of herself, both in her soul and her past. And this is really the most admirable aspect of her book and I really raise my hat to her for it.
After finishing listening to the book, I still feel some sadness. When I didn't know what's written in this book, I thought she's a hot porn star who really enjoys what she's doing. But as I went through the book, she became less and less sympathic. Not because of her porn career - I totally envy some of her experiences - but because she made some personal choices with which I can not agree. One of these topics is abortion, and the other is beiing irresponsibile (typical example when she was driving without having any driver's licens nor any experience). And because of that, I will watch her scenes differently from now on (I'll check Wicked's new movie Holly...Would as soon as I can get my hands on it!).
Aside of these differences in our moral perception I still miss somehow a strong set of friends and relatives around Asa. Her world is filled with fame, hot sex and money but the majority of her friends die early or leave the industry. She spends even the Halloween with her co-stars. Somehow I miss the "other side of the world", her secure private life where she could take energy from. Sure, she is longer in the industry than most actresses, and longer she herself even planned, but the question rises: what will she do after more ten years? Will she still have energy to go and and be happy with her life? Will she have friends and family?
With all these mixed feelings, I found this book the most interesting one I've read in years. If you want to have a good summer book filled with nastiness and with a hint of drama, this will be yours. Seriously, read it.
