Call Me Sasha: Secret confessions of an Australian callgirl

by Geena Leigh

At just fifteen years old, Geena had no choice but to leave home. Without an education or any real options, she found herself being lured into the sex industry by the promise of big money and the validation of strangers, she turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of day to day life as a call girl and to overcome the emotional scars of her past.

But even in her darkest hours, Geena refused to accept her circumstances and never stopped striving for freedom and a better life. Eventually, she found the strength to turn things around and set herself on a path to a brighter future.

Now, Geena has a double university degree, a successful career in corporate management and is in a loving relationship.

Call Me Sasha is the inspirational account of one woman's journey from sexual abuse through prostitution to eventual salvation. It is raw with honesty, compelling and at times even laugh out loud funny as Geena Leigh recounts the highs and lows of her fascinating life in the sex industry.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Sexuality, Audiobook, Sex Work, Autobiography

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2013

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the age of nine Geena Leigh's home life was tough and at times extremely hard. Living with her mother, father, two sisters and two brothers in Auckland, New Zealand. Geena recalls getting unwanted attention from her father when no one was around. He would visit her bedroom and touch her in places where no father should. Geena only being young just thought that this was what fathers did although she felt uncomfortable she never said anything to anyone. As well as dealing with this she also had to deal with her fathers violent streak.

At fifteen Geena's parents separate and not long after this happens Geena finds herself homeless and from here her life takes a turn for the worst. Geena gets herself into prostitution and to help block things out she will will also turn to drugs and alcohol. It is here that we learn how hard life really is for Geena. The abuse that Geena puts her body and mind through you are extraordinary.

After many years of living this life she will eventually find the strength and determination to turn her life around.

I thought this was a very interesting and inspirational story.

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a call in August last year asking for one of my photos to be used on the cover of this book. Of course I said yes and the publishers sent me a copy.

As confronting as Geena's story was, I was hooked from the first page. Her ability to write so personally and honestly draws the reader in. As the pages turn you'll begin to feel Geena's struggles, her pain and her eventual relief. She doesn't hide behind other people and admits the mistakes she made in life but is able to clearly articulate the reasons behind these decisions.

Thank you Geena, and God Bless

[Court · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to begin by saying that I think that the story of Geena Leigh's life was a thought-provoking and saddening tale. But, having said this, I think that somewhere along the line the writing (or perhaps editing) of the story proved to be thoroughly lacking. Errors riddled the book that could have been rectified by simple fact checking and made one think that it might not be as true as stated (and I'm not the only one of the opinion.) Two instances come to mind when I say this, though I'm unsure as to why only these two: first, when we are in the chapter regarding Geenas 24th year and she mentions humming a 2000-and-something Avril Lavigne song... In the 90's! Second was a mention of a tape her sister had sent her, and a line something like "because CDs weren't invented yet", which is ridiculously followed, some four lines later, by the buying of CDs.
I am not saying that this all makes the book bad, as I can see that many people enjoy it and rightly so, I'm just saying that it frustrated me and made the book less enjoyable for myself and a few friends. I'm just not a fan of inconsistencies and easily fixed mistakes. That's just me, though.
I will say that Geena Leigh is an inspiring person, and her story is certainly an interesting one.

[Ercsi91 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second book of a prostitutes memoir.
I finished it in 3 days, I couldnt put it down.
The way the writer makes the story flow is very easy for anyone to keep up.

The story isnt new, still it surprises me, how other people live and lived their life.

And proves that the problems of adulthood begin in childhood and if not solved they could get further and further.

I admire Geena for writing down her story and finally finding happiness. I was really glad to read at the end that she finally found the partner she needed.

These storys are need to be told, so that we can learn from them.
This is very important I think.

Thanku Geena :)

[Bec Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read with some interesting stories but predictable and nothing new in the world of "sex worker" memoirs

[Tamara Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look behind the curtain of prostitution and Geena's personal struggles. I loved that it was fast paced and didn't dwell too long on any particular period without losing any of the depth. You really understood Geena's thinking and motivations and emotional struggles, although perhaps here and there, the emotion could have delved a little deeper but it certainly didn't detract from her overall story.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Couldn’t put it down. Well written and really drew me in.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call Me Sasha is one of those books whose cover has always grabbed me. Plus, I was a big fan of books featuring call girls in my younger days (such as those by Belle De Jour) so I thought this would be a light story to listen to in the car. I was entirely wrong about this – Call Me Sasha is not a book to be grouped in that category. Geena Leigh’s memoir is eye opening, haunting and incredibly sad in places. It made my jaw drop several times in wonder – how could people be so cruel to each other? What is amazing is that Geena has been through many horrible, terrible things and has reached a happier place where she can tell the reader about it. She has an excellent way of letting the story unfold and refusing to colour herself and her story with rose tinted glasses.

The book starts with Geena’s youth, spent back and forth between New Zealand and Australia. She was always the new girl, the one with the funny accent. Things weren’t easy, changing schools and friends and it didn’t help that her father sexually abused her. In her teens, both of her parents stated that they didn’t want Geena and she was forced to crash on friends’ couches. Finishing high school, something she desperately wanted, wasn’t going to be achievable. After a conversation with a friend of her mother’s, Geena decided that prostitution would be the way out of an abusive relationship and give her money and freedom. The money came as did the freedom – being able to travel and afford nice things. Unfortunately, it came with a downside – gaol time, drugs and drinking, in addition to unhealthy relationships and abuse. But through it all, Geena finished her education, fell in love and got out of ‘the game’.

Geena’s writing style is to the point. She never paints herself as the innocent and wrong party, she admits her faults. What shines is her strength to get through these times and perseverance to finish her secondary education and go on to university. If she stumbled, she tried again and again. It took time, but she got there. Louise Crawford was also an excellent narrator for Call Me Sasha. She not only read the book, but performed it with such emotion that I couldn’t help but be affected by it. I think listening to the book made the story much more powerful, as if Geena herself was sitting in the car talking to me. There were times when I told Geena not to move in with that man, to get out before he hurt her and there were other times when I was ecstatic at Geena’s achievements. This is a very powerful, raw story. I don’t feel that enjoyed is the right word…I feel something closer to empowerment – because if Geena can overcome her huge obstacles, surely I can overcome my more petty ones.

Call Me Sasha will redeem your faith in the human spirit. Thank you Geena for sharing your story.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call Me Sasha, subtitled 'Secret confessions of an Australian call girl', is a memoir of Geena Leigh's extraordinary journey of homelessness, drug addiction, and prostitution and her eventual triumph in reclaiming her life.

A difficult childhood, marred by a volatile and abusive father and a disinterested mother, resulted in Geena leaving home at fifteen. Despite an admirable initial attempt to keep up with her education and support herself with with a full time job, easy access to alcohol and marijuana inevitably interfered with her goals. Broke, in a bad relationship and desperate for something to change, prostitution seemed somehow to be a solution. Despite a general distaste for sex, and little experience, Geena quickly became enmeshed in the life, appreciating the financial rewards and a feeling of belonging amongst her colleagues, ignoring the slow erosion of her fragile sense of self worth. It took decades for Geena to finally extract herself from the life, detoured by addictions to alcohol, heroin and cocaine, an arrest in Greece, rape and abortion. After hitting rock bottom at age 32 she began the arduous process of putting her life back together, earning double degrees, detoxifying, and at age 37, finally turned her back on prostitution.

I always find memoirs challenging to review as obviously the 'story' is deeply personal. I feel Geena relates her journey honestly and without sensationalism. Necessarily there are some explicit descriptions of Geena's sexual experiences, and blunt recounts of drug taking and violence, but these scenes are simply illustrations of truth, rather than attempts to shock. I appreciate that Geena takes responsibility for the direction her life took, though it would have been easy to blame everything on her parents and others, and I admired the way in which she eventually made the decisions necessary to change her life.
I did sometimes feel their was a sense of distance between the memory of events and the narrative, which is not altogether surprising, but occasionally results in a lack of emotional context except in moments of real crisis.

Written with candor, simplicity and courage, Call Me Sasha is an interesting, and ultimately inspiring memoir. I hope she finds lasting strength, love, happiness and peace.

[Sisterhood · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book does not take into consideration the interpersonal relationships of sex workers. Personal details being used is a violation of trust and privacy and it causes damage to the individuals involved. Did you get a release? permission of those in the book? it is a subjective piece that only argues the worst. Was Geena that depressed that she used the industry as an scapegoat for the reason why it took her so long to transition? It's called choice and personal responsibility. After all, the ability to work gave her the financial means to embrace education. She was not aware of grants or was she? Was it her choice? Yes. This is not a moral crusade Geena. it's about being human. What of the times a man who's wife has died of cancer and misses the embrace of a female. The man who has broken up with his girlfriend, is lost without her and cries in a woman's arms, be it for only a minute of genuine kindness after the carnal energy has been released. those are the moments that can heal. For carers, for those that are stressed, for those who have mothering issues. Our job sometimes is to take the hate of women out of men. To give them a glimpse that it can be better. To have fun, there is no sin in that. What does it mean to be human to you Geena?

[Karen Bendo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in a day. A very well written, easy to follow memoir.

A strong lady that but for her addiction to drugs could have been set up financially for life. More than understand her addiction: to block her pain. How did her mother not know about her abuse? How could she forgive her for turning a blind eye? Was she also so abused to suffer such a lack of confidence?
Incredible story, funny in parts, many men really are such simple creatures!.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super easy read although, despite the 'secret confessions' I felt there was so much more she could have explored. Seemed to elude to some things and never follow up. And then brush over others that I would have thought were quite significant. Overall an easy, enjoyable book.

[Deb Bodinnar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read giving an insight into the life of a prositute and some of what they go through. Geena has done a great job though coming through that lifestyle to be the woman she is today.

[Zoë P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published on A Keyboard and an Open Mind 16 March 2018:

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The trials that Geena Leigh went through in the first forty years of her life are horrendous, and make you wonder how anyone could have the stamina to get through it. While this story is definitely worth of a book, I feel that another editing pass could have made all the difference.

Geena describes her family life as a young girl, growing up with a father who abused her both physically and sexually, her subsequent homelessness and eventual entry into the sex trade, and the drug and alcohol abuse that came with it to numb the pain. She describes her attempts to go straight, and how she eventually managed to complete her education and find true love.

As I said above, I did feel that while the bare bones (and some of the muscle and sinews) were definitely there for this books, the writing sometimes felta bit chunky. To be honest, it felt a little immature, like it had been written by someone much younger. There were a few inconsistencies, like an Avril Lavigne song being referred to in a chapter that would have taken place in the late 90s. Small things in the long run, but they pulled me out of the narrative.

There were some rather broad claims made about sex work that, having read memoirs by other sex workers, I met with some wariness. There was also an implication that a lesbian couple would have a masculine and a feminine counterpart (odd considering she is now in a relationship with a woman herself and would surely know that same-sex relationships don’t have to comply with heteronormativity) and another section where she says she didn’t want to call herself bisexual because it sounded like she couldn’t make up her mind, which is always a problematic statement.

I don’t usually mention audio book narrators unless they really stand out to me in one way or another. I have to admit that Louise Crawford’s tendency to finish sentences with an upward inflection (making everything sound like a question) wore thin pretty quickly. She also sounded quite petulant, making me wonder if some of the things said in the book would have bothered me as much had I been reading the print copy.

[Tash F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geena Leigh shares her life with us, from her abusive childhood right through to hitting rock bottom and picking herself up once again. There were many incidents where my heart broke for Geena because of what she was experiencing throughout this book and its her true life. Every challenge put in front of her, she was able to overcome. This may have taken her hours, days, weeks, months, years or even decades for this to occur but Geene did it. She fought to build a life for herself that she always dreamt of. Inspirational.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geena worked fulltime as a prostitute in Australia and overseas for well over 15 years before leaving the industry. The book is fairly graphic in language and descriptions about her work, so it’s not for people easily offended. Throughout this period she was very much alone, so it’s a wonder she ever managed to get out of the industry. The book probably helps the reader understand why some people get into prostitution and why they stay even when they don’t like the job and want to leave.

[Tanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the story might have been interesting, the voice of the author was quite juvenile. It read like the diary of a teenager. I didn't love the author, there was little self-awareness, no empathy or understanding towards other women that she worked with and was incredibly rude about homeless people ("bums"). But more importantly, the book desperately needs editing. There are occasions where the timeline of events jump around and there are statements which are just incorrect factually.

[Casey Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was great to read an honest and raw account of the sex industry, as well as the path that lead her there. The only thing I found confusing was the chapters were named after her ages at the time, yet each chapter seemed to jump forward and back so it was hard to really gage the actual age/time of the events.

🙂

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely great! A true account of Sasha's life as a prostitute and all that it entails. In particular, I really found it insightful to learn how , even though 'big', how miserable a prostitute feels with all those dollars. This book reminds us what really is meaningful in life.
Kudos to Sasha!

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me Sasha was an incredibly interesting read as it was a true story. Gene has written it in a way that makes it both easy to read while giving you the ability to be in her shoes. I admire her strength and will to achieve everything that she has achieved.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

eeeee good storytelling but i'm glad to leave this book (and its world) behind!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright, I found it a bit drain out in parts making me loose interest and become bored.

[Damo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very poignant view of a troubled life. Someone that has been through hell and come out the other side unscathed is always an interesting read. Hats off to the author.

[Amy Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read. Beautifully honest and raw.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, it’s sad that some people have to do things like that to get through life.

[Brooke Lyndall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf 30%

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book I have no more words just wonderful

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good insight into that world. Fascinating really.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A heartfelt memoir that would be of interest to family and friends (mainly). There was not enough to sustain my interest. DNF.
5.5/10