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Dirty Money: The Memoirs of a Stripper

A Woman's Story Author: Erin Louis Dirty Money: Memoirs of a Stripper sounds like a salacious read, but in truth, it’s more of a life story than a sex filled, dingy club romp. Erin comes forward with her story for a purpose: to disprove the stereotype that all strippers are maladjusted, drug addled, and used by the men whom they entertain. It’s not entirely successful, since Erin constantly refers to herself as the exception and talks of distrusting and disliking other strippers due to their behavior, drug dependencies, and lifestyle. But let’s take a step back for the moment. I came [...]

Frances Carden2024-04-22T18:32:07-07:00April 22nd, 2024|Tags: book review, dancing, memoir, non-fiction, read, reading, stripper|

Mark of the Christian, The

What Love Has to Do With It Author: Francis Schaffer As February approached, the C.S. Lewis Institutes fellows’ study concentrated on the topic of love and preparing the fellows (yours truly being one) to engage in an urban plunge project. Enter one of our reading assignments: Schaffer’s The Mark of the Christian. This is a very short book (ok, think essay or pamphlet), but it is surprisingly impactful and thought provoking. In general, we tend to think of love as a warm fuzzy feeling. We like the heights of affection, but often not the patience and work that goes along with [...]

Frances Carden2024-04-21T10:32:18-07:00April 21st, 2024|Tags: book review, Christian, love, read, reading|

Beautiful and Damned, The

"Things are sweeter when they’re lost." Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald Following The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitz Gerald published several more books, including The Beautiful and Damned, focusing on the decayed indolence of the spoiled rich. Here, we follow the toxic love story of Anthony Patch, who plans to inherit his uncle’s immense wealth, and the beautiful, social princess, Gloria. The couple meet and woo during the Jazz Age, and they are both inspired by the freedom of a life devoid of work and true calling. They party, they philosophize with cynical friends, they drink, they assuage boredom with endless social debaucheries, [...]

Frances Carden2024-04-13T15:03:50-07:00April 13th, 2024|Tags: book review, classic, Jazz Age, read, reading|