Thank You, John: A Memoir

Gurule blends candid self-examination with sharp critiques of class and power in this audacious debut chronicle of her experiences as a sex worker. Gurule met “John”—a lonely, middle-aged businessman—while stripping to pay her way through college. John soon became Gurule’s sugar daddy, and the money she earned from him provided financial security for her and her eccentric family, including her conspiracy theorist father and financially reckless mother. As Gurule grappled with the isolation and shame attached to her new gig, she wondered what toll it might take on her dignity, body, and future relationships. Eventually, Gurule charted a path out of sex work when she earned a spot in a graduate writing program and enrolled in a transformative seminar taught by Alanis Morissette, which helped her realize she was “keeping parts of myself locked away” and “living in fragments of truth” by focusing solely on putting money in the bank. With a bruising wit and a gimlet eye (her recollection of a disastrous date with John at the Cheesecake Factory is particularly memorable), Gurule paints an affectionate portrait of her eccentric family and delivers a nuanced glimpse at the pros and cons of sex work. It’s an enthralling mix of the funny and the gut-wrenching. (Sept.)