Red Light: Inside the Sex Industry

by Sylvia Plachy, James Ridgeway

Featuring over 120 gritty black-and-white photographs, Red Light: Inside the Sex Industry is a provocative tour of New York City's sexual underground, told in the authentic voices of those who live and work in it.

Genres: Photography, Pornography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Paulette Illmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but very outdated, especially the parts about the internet. I suppose it was much more relevant in its day (early 90's), although the basics seemed to hold true.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostagic trip down red light memory lane. Plachy's Cartier-Bresson/Weegee wannabe photos contribute nothing other than to up the price of the book.

[Jim Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This again supports my reluctant admission that the cliche is true: porn really can be boring. Still the Plachy photos are good if obvious, and the text may have some value as research, so I'll keep it. It wouldn't be the first time I've made a too-hasty judgement.

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, if not terribly in depth, expose about the sex industry. It has graphic photos though, so beware. Also, some freaky stuff I hadn't heard of before-and I'm not so innocent.