Some Girls: My Life in a Harem

219 Pages·2010·1.18 MB·English

by  Jillian Lauren

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements

chapter 1
chapter 2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
chapter 13
chapter 14
chapter 15
chapter 16
chapter 17
chapter 18
chapter 19
chapter 20
chapter 21
chapter 22
chapter 23
chapter 24
chapter 25
chapter 26
chapter 27
chapter 28
chapter 29

epilogue
A PLUME BOOK
SOME GIRLS
JILLIAN LAUREN is a writer and performer who grew up in suburban New
Jersey. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

“Lauren is a gifted and lyrical writer whose coming-of-age tale has the reader firmly under its spell
by the end of the first paragraph. It’s an amazing ride as she seeks, and then finds, meaning and
connection in her life. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Nina Hartley, author of Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex “Catfights,
mad cash, priceless jewels—welcome to the sultan’s harem. What starts out
juicy quickly turns soulful in this elegantly crafted, multilayered stunner of
a memoir. A spellbinding tale of one woman’s exotic search for identity and
true love.”
—Rachel Resnick, author of Love Junkie “Some Girls reads like a novel,
but gets under your skin in a way fiction can’t. This is a striptease of a
book, sexy and mesmerizing, but at the end a very real woman stands in
front of you, exposed and vulnerable. I couldn’t put it down, and when I was
done, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
—Claire LaZebnik, author of Knitting Under the Influence “Few women
dare to speak of their sexual adventures with such honesty, fascinating
detail, and personal clarity. Jillian’s journey is the most exotic sex worker
memoir I’ve ever read.”
—Annie Sprinkle, PhD

Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. • Penguin Group
(Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson
Penguin Canada Inc.). • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England. • Penguin Ireland,
25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.). • Penguin Group (Australia),
250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty.
Ltd.). • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017,
India. • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of
Pearson New Zealand Ltd.). • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank,
Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL,
England
First published by Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, May 2010
Copyright © Jillian Lauren, 2010 All rights reserved
Excerpt from “Once in a Lifetime,” words and music by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina
Weymouth, and Brian Eno. Copyright © 1980 by WB Music Corp., Index Music, Inc., and EG Music Ltd.
All rights on behalf of itself and Index Music, Inc., administered by WB Music Corp. All rights for EG
Music Ltd. in the United States and Canada administered by Universal Music - MGB Songs. International
copyright secured. All rights reserved. , Inc., and Hal Leonard Corporation.
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCAREGISTRADA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Lauren, Jillian.
Some girls : my life in a Harem / Jillian Lauren.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-10140444-7
States—B iography. 3. Harems—B orneo. 4. Identity (Psychology) I. Title.
HQ144.L38 2010
306.74092—dc22
[B] 2009046026
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the
copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the
permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic
editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of
the author’s rights is appreciated. Some names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect
the privacy of the individuals involved.
BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT QUANTITY DISCOUNTS WHEN USED TO PROMOTE PRODUCTS
OR SERVICES. FOR INFORMATION PLEASE WRITE TO PREMIUM MARKETING DIVISION,
PENGUIN GROUP (USA) INC., 375 HUDSON STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10014.

Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity.
In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers;
however, the story, the experiences, and the words
are the author’s alone.
http://us.penguingroup.com
to Scott
love redeems all
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack And you may find yourself in another part of the
world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself
in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself, well . . . how did I get here?
—Talking Heads
acknowledgments
Special thanks to Becky Cole, Alexandra Machinist, Patti Smith, Jim Krusoe,
Leonard Chang, Joe Gratziano, Anne Dailey, Colin Summers, Nell Scovell,
Claire LaZebnik, the Writer’s Sunget, Robert Morgan Fisher, Tammy Stoner,
Ivan Sokolov, Suzanne Luke, Carol Allen, Catharine Dill, Amber Lasciak, R. P.
Brink, the Wooster Group, Richard Foreman, Lindsay Davis, Sean Eden, Dr.
Keely Kolmes, Julie Fogliano, Jennifer Erdagon, Jerry Stahl, Shawna Kenney,
Bett Williams, Austin Young, Lily Burana, Lynnee Breedlove, Gabrielle
Samuels, Sherri Carpenter, and, always, Scott Shriner.

Deepest gratitude to my family and to all who shared my story.