The life of a stripper is hard. There are the odd fetishes, bad tippers, bruised bodies, drug-addled managers, late hours and bitchy girls.
Diablo Cody, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Juno, details her yearlong adventures as a stripper in her 2006 memoir, Candy Girl. Written in a witty, amusing and self-deprecating style—not unlike Juno—Cody’s blatant honesty is often hilarious. At several points throughout the book, she offers a Top 10 list (for example Top 10 Worst Stripper Names, Top 10 Best Songs to Strip To) that had me laughing out loud at its frankness and absurdity.
Despite the book being one highlight after another, there were the occasional awkward moments. The phrase “too much information” is clearly not part of Cody’s vocabulary. Do you want a detailed description of a certain area of her anatomy? You’ve got it here.
The book reads less like a novel and more like a blog. It’s always ready with the next gag or shock, and Cody focuses on the stories with the most wallop, with quick transitions in between. The blog style makes sense, as Cody first got noticed after a big-time Los Angeles agent googled various inappropriate terms and came across her blog chronicling her stripper tales called The Pussy Ranch. Cody still blogs, in a slightly less personal fashion, at www.myspace.com/diablocody.
Candy Girl is a perfect read for those used to skimming MySpace pages and Facebook stalking during lunch breaks. It’s intensely personal, insanely funny and, at times, thoroughly uncomfortable.
Four out of five stars
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