Book Review: Pimp: The Story of My Life
by Iceberg Slim
Publication Date: May 10, 2011
List Price: $17.99
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
ISBN13: 9781451617139
Imprint: Cash Money Content
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Parent Company: KKR & Co. Inc.
Book Reviewed by Thumper
Hello All. Now, my friend Gwen hipped me to Iceberg Slim. First, with his
book, Mama Black Widow and now Pimp. I didn’t know what to expect, but I
knew that it would be in-you-face reality. I got that and more. Pimp: The
Story Of My Life is brutally honest and it seems to wallow on the dark, ugly
side of human nature. It’s definitely not for the weak-stomach,
illusion-preferred-having people. This is about the other side of reality
that many of us, by the Grace Of God, will only encounter in a book, such as
Pimp.
Pimp covers the life of Iceberg Slim, from his early childhood
to his first stint in prison to his rise and fall as a pimp. Simp opens the
door and a window to the seedy side of town. He goes into details of how to
"turn" a woman to become a prostitute, his relationship to the women in his
"stable", rules in the unwritten book of pimping, and even gives a brief
history of the black pimp. But, the most dangerous is his insight into human
nature. It’s not pretty, not by any stretch of the imagination.
I
was captivated. I felt like a kid reading Hustler in the middle of the
night, under the covers with a flashlight. For it seemed that I was reading
and learning things that I shouldn’t. Let’s face, it disturb the devil out
of me.
The only element about the narrative of the book is the fact
that Slim used slang throughout it. Normally, I wouldn’t mind it, but you
must realize that the slang he used are words that was used almost 60 years
ago. Yep, a history lesson unto itself. Eventually, I caught on, but it took
a while.
Pimp is indeed powerful. Years ago I heard that there was a
possibility that some people in Hollywood was thinking about making Pimp
into a movie. It could be done. But the only problem is…who would play
Iceberg Slim?