The Last of the Live Nude Girls: A Memoir

The writer of this memoir worked the "live nude" booths in several sleazy Times Square establishments a few years ago. Her job consisted of performing a short nude erotic show behind a glass partition of a booth for a man who paid $30 for the privilege. She had come to New York from Michigan, hoping to be a writer, but soon she was caught up in the need to make a living, got involved in this lifestyle and spent several years living the seedy existence of the women who had no other skills but using their bodies for men's enjoyment.Now a writer for the New York Post, Ms. McClear has put together a book which brings the world she formerly lived in to the curious reader, especially those who walked past those establishments often but never really understood what they were about or the way the job impacted the women and distorted their worldview.So well written that I couldn't put stop reading, I soon identified with the author as she changed into a street smart victim of this unique lifestyle. Nobody forced her to do this. She made her choices herself. And, for a while she enjoyed it but was wise enough to leave when she saw the effect it had her.There are also sections of the book about this sleaze business in general and the history of the politics of New York regarding this kind of entertainment. I loved this book and heartily recommend it.

The writing is uneven, at times even poorly edited. I didn't read an advanced copy and yet several times there were sentences repeated. It is possible that it was not editing errors though as I noticed this writer skipped around in a less than fluid fashion. At times, she rewords what she has already said, perhaps struggling to understand herself: It's not a bio of a woman or an industry but only a furtive glimpse into a period of time in a life. Perhaps the disconnectedness she had to achieve to survive drove the writing of the book as well. I got about as much of a sense of who she is (or was) as the men on the other side of the glass must have.I can't recommend this book because I can't promise anyone they'll walk away with anything after they read it. Then again, apparently the other reviewers enjoyed it, and so far I seem to be the only voice of dissension. It seems ironic that the writing, the author, the bio, the experience of reading Live Nude Girls mirrors the tone of the book itself. Flat, disassociated. Just like some of her customers were satisfied with what they paid for and some felt shortchanged.

I really enjoyed this book. Ms. McClear has told about her time working at the peep shows in NY very openly and honestly.

A great read, and in my particular case, very nostalgic. As a frequent visitor to the Times Square peeps decades ago during their heyday, I found it fascinating to learn something about Ms. McClear and her coworkers -- their backgrounds, circumstances, relationships to one another and to management, feelings about the clientele (less then flattering, as I expected), and the drugs and booze that helped them get through their shifts. I visited a couple theae ladies for many years, yet I didn't know a thing about them. This was by design, of course, but as crude and transactional as the setup was, I couldn't help but be curious.

In her first year or so upon arriving in NYC, Sheila McClear, now a journalist, logged a fair amount of time dancing nude behind a glass wall in a couple of notorious Times Square peep shows. It is a world fast fading now but it was still alive as recently as 2005 which is when McClear did her prancing and dancing. This book is a look behind the glass and into a world few of us will ever enter.For that reason alone, this book is valuable -- just to get into the mind set of why a young, intelligent woman would take up this lifestyle. McClear explains that and so much more in clear, engaging prose that draws you into a world most of us would shun. It is dark, sometimes depressing, funny, touching -- in short, the gamut of human emotions.Her writing seems to grow as the book unfolds until the last few paragraphs which are absolutely entrancing. I'm glad she made her way out of there to a lifestyle she might have thought impossible back then.

This isn't one of "those" books about sex work - it's more of a concise workplace drama, plus insights into the writer's life as she struggles to figure out what kind of person she wants to be in New York. The book isn't sexy, it's sexual, and at times downright un-sexy (such is the nature of the work). It's about the camaraderie of the live girls and their "us against the world" attitude more than it is titillation. You're rooting for the author by the end of the book, hoping that she'll take the right path... the end will pleasantly surprise you.

Sheila McClear tells a great personal story. The pacing is fast; chapters are short and punchy. There's suspense as you come to care for her as a character facing the risks of her environment, and she sheds light on the subjugation of both the women and their customers in the smarmy Times Square sex trade. At the same time she recounts the loss of borderline characters slipping over the edge, she never fails to bring humor to her story. I think McClear can grow into a really strong writer and look forward to her next venture.

Nothing really special. I had to fight to finish. The story of women who work in the peep show businesses. It was actually pretty boring. I should not have forced myself to do continue on.

This is a fine piece of immersive journalism. Ms McClear - what a great name - writes with McClear insight about the human costs of working in the Broadway peep show underworld. On the strength of this book, I would be happy to buy Ms McClear's next book - whatever the topic. A great new reporter.