The Story

by Aziah King

Based on an infamous 148-tweet Twitter thread, The Story begins when a sex worker named Stefani enters the restaurant where Zola works as a waitresses. The two immediately bond over their shared experience pole dancing, and only a day later Stefani invites Zola on a cross-country road trip, where the goal is to make as much money as possible dancing in Florida strip clubs. Zola agrees, and suddenly she is trapped in the craziest, most unexpectedly wild trip of her life, with Stefani, her boyfriend Derrek, and Stefani's violent pimp, X.

Genres: Nonfiction

119 pages, Hardcover

Published June 16, 2021

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the film Zola about a month ago and then read this book that published King's original 2015 tweets. Its a fascinating and compelling story. I still found it riveting even though I knew how it was going to end. There are additional details in the book that are not in the film, that I found more satisfying than how the film ended. The Dedication by King and the Afterword by Janicza Bravo at the end of the book are very powerful and worth reading. This is definitely a story about female empowerment plus a whole lot of other craziness.

[seamus slattery · Rating 3 out of 5]

digital narrativity reformatted to traditional STILL HITS! this is so great

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly what a goddamn masterpiece. Yes it’s the famous tweet thread in book form, but as the forward by Roxanne Gay, writing isn’t one formalized style. It’s about telling a story that hits all the right notes and keeps you engaged beginning to end.

It’s a story about a woman (and a group of people) that lets be honest, we don’t know anything about. They are so far removed from our privileged lives that it sometimes feel like we are on a different planet.

It’s the story told from a black woman’s perspective that is powerful and unimpeachable and fucking hilarious. It’s about sex workers, it’s about Florida, it’s about stripping, money, and one crazy ass white bitch.

If any of my friends read this review some of you (and you’ll know if it’s you) should one day expect this as a gift.

Also I highly suggest reading it out loud.

[Lisa Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crazy, twitter-storm cautionary tale about sex-trafficking, prostitution ring entrapment and going to different cities with people you barely know. Definitely recommend reading it by audiobook!

[Julia Handzus]

i finally actually read probably the coolest birthday present i’ve ever gotten and i forgot how many things happened in it. nothing will ever get my going like “y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out?” and a special shout-out to my favorite liar “FLORIDA? MURDER? you have the wrong number!” <3

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to see Zola again

[F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book that packs a titanic punch. A'Ziah 'Zola' King single-handedly changed the course of social storytelling. A24 really know how to package tweets into a cute book.

Breaking out from Twitter, King takes us to work. King gives us context on why sex work is work. When I stepped into her world, King guaranteed access through the delicate art of code switching. King knows that the audience is as important as the material, and all I ask is for academics and art writers to take notes.

I recommend that you read Janicza Bravo's zine 'Safe Travels' to read alongside The Story. King and Bravo gift us a thesaurus unto which we can switch up our lives with. English has always been a stale language for me to read, so the slang and new vocabulary introduced in this book lit up my wonder about sex work. If you are open-minded, this book will help you "step your pussy up".

[Reisse Myy Fredericks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never not love this story. Its elevation—first to Twitter, then to film, now to novel—evokes the folk ethic of early internet platforms: a democratized space where artists could find their people. And in this case, the people showed up. Told in the vernacular of the millennium, this wild tale of sex, hustling, and the neon-soaked nights of Florida proves that good storytelling doesn’t need permission. It’s magnetic—and a masterpiece.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read these tweets or seen the film Zola but what an unhinged story. It’s a bit short and reads a bit weird due to the format, but this was a fun quick read before getting up for an action packed vacation day.

[Carlos Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody needs to read this Twitter thread at least once in their life. My friend got me the A24 leather bound version because they made it into the film Zola (great movie btw) as a gift and I highly recommend reading it this way because it’s a wild ride.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good the second time. I’m grateful this twitter story was published in a book.

[Marc Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dope!

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an American classic, it should be required reading I think.

[Doug O'Loughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

HILARIOUS!!!!!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

21st century classic

[Kate Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true classic.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fun time. A quick little read with a few chuckles here and there.

[RK Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

read the whole thread when it debuted & I kind got lost in the story. just watched the movie and the same thing happened.

[Lexi Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

huge fan of the zola extended universe

[Kyle Spishock · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got enough stories like this from my ex, thanks.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing (and fascinating) story based on Twitter conversation, and from which was made the flash hit movie “Zola!”

(Fun side note, in the movie, Stephani’s boyfriend Derrick is played by the actor who plays Greg in the HBO series “Succession.”)