Introducing myself - Ruth Jacobs - author of a charity publication: In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call Girl

[Ruth]

Hi, I'm Ruth Jacobs, author of a charity publication: "In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call Girl" from which all royalties are being donated to a charity called Beyond the Streets, which helps women exit prostitution.

It's a brand new publication and so far has received 14 x 5* reviews between the UK and US Amazon websites. One of those 5* reviews is from Stephen Leather, one of the UK's most successful authors and the writer of over 30 bestsellers.

The short book (only about 6 pages on a kindle) is the transcription of a video interview I undertook with a London call girl in the late 1990s for my research on prostitution. The woman I interviewed, Q, was a wonderful person who had a sad and painful life, with childhood sexual abuse and then being pimped on the streets from the age of fifteen.

In her interview, Q was brutally honest about how she felt and thought about herself, working as a prostitute, sex, men, relationships, society and much more. The interview is transcribed completely unedited, including every broken sentence and pause, so that her words are presented as honestly and boldly as she spoke them.

At the time, Q was a very dear friend. Sadly, she is now dead, which is the reason all royalties received from this publication are being donated to Beyond the Streets.

From making this publication available, I hope to change the stigma some of society has against prostitutes and prostitution, which I believe is mainly through lack of knowledge. I want the public to be made aware of at least some of the statistics, such as that 75% of prostitutes have been sexually and physically abused as children, 70% have experienced multiple rapes, and 67% meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, which is a major cause of suicide. Also research from Object shows that 9 out of 10 women would like to exit prostitution. But there isn't the help available.

Q's words dispel the 'happy hooker' myth. On the outside, being a 'happy hooker' was the image she presented. From her contradictory statements, it can be ascertained that she tried to make herself believe certain facts, whilst knowing another truth. Bravely and fearlessly, she exposed her innermost self. She shows the reality of life for women working in prostitution, the effects it has on them psychologically, emotionally, with relationships with men, how they are viewed and how they feel they are viewed by society, as outsiders and outcasts, often judged and looked down on.
In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call GirlRuth Jacobs

[Aishe]

These stories are what can be referred to as "subterranean histories;" they are stories that are easily paved over and looked over and tossed away by the rest of society. They are important stories, they need to be told over and again to get them out there. Thanks for doing this work, thanks to Q for being brave enough to speak truth.

[Ruth]

Thank you so much Aishe. I completely agree but really hope in this case, I will be fortunate in that more of society will hear her story. Q was very brave in being so open in this interview with me and I think what made it work so well was that we were friends and that enabled her to let her guard down and be her authentic self. I just wish she was still alive to see the response the publication has had so far, which has been amazing. Her words and her message are living on.