2.0 out of 5 stars weird weird book

M.L.M. · 20 March 2007

So, I read an extract somewhere and was intrigued...I ordered the book and started reading. It took me nearly a month to finsih it.It's a strange book because of the one hand it's quite interesting to get an inside peek into the mad mad world of Hustler magazine but at the same time this guy is putting so much focus on self importance that it made me feel a little nauseous. He goes on and on about his expensive (brand named) suits, his insight into understanding Flynt like no-one can whilst at the same time slagging the guy to the ground.There's too much detail in this book, there are too many stories started and not finished (I kept, literally, loosing the plot).It had a lot of potential but unfortunatelly i found it did not live up to its expectations.

So biting, it drove Hustler to name McDonnell 'A**hole of the Month'!

M.P. · 9 July 2006

I found the book hilarious, entertaining, educational, and a real gas to read. Hustler magazine apparently didn't feel the same because they have labelled McDonnell the "A**hole of the Month" in their current issue (pretty ironic considering that McDonnell wrote that column for over a decade!). They accuse him of being a drug addict who drove the magazine into the ground (even though he explicitly explains in the book that he stopped all drug and alcohol abuse following a near-fatal DUI incident). If you've read even one issue of Hustler, you'll enjoy the heck out of this book. The stories of grotesque celebrity videos, Larry Flint's shockingly explicit activities and racist sense of humor, and having to put up with arrogant sleazeball child rapist Dwaine Tinsley (of "Chester the Molester" fame) will keep your eyes glued to the page. In short, another winner for Feral House.

Interesting Book From A Real Insider

J.A.R. · 27 May 2008

This is an interesting book by a writer who worked his way up the ranks at Hustler magazine for twenty years. He's brutally honest about the inner workings of the magazine including his descriptions of the pedophile Dwaine Tinsley and the sociopathic Larry Flynt, as well as about his own moral and social failings. This is good reading for anyone interested in the history of the magazine or in learning about what it was like working inside the porn magazine industry during the latter part of the Twentieth Century. As to be expected it's sexually explicit so if that bothers you, you might want to skip this one. The sexual descriptions were not gratuitous and I felt they were necessary for the honest story-telling this book provides.

Review of Prisoner of X

R.A.H. · 20 October 2009

An interesting read, it had some seriously funny moments, kind of raw humor but that's to be expected. I liked it but didn't think it really went anywhere, not very challenging but some interesting insight into some twisted real-life characters.

Great Book!

J.A.O.S. · 8 May 2018

One of my favorite books of all time. A life inside Hustler? What could go wrong? MacDonell holds no punches about his world of being inside Hustler and working within the smut world. I loved it. It's a great autobiography of the literary life of adult magazines, and a life that most people will not end up seeing for the most part. It's a fast read, but it holds your attention from the very first page. I'd like to hear a follow up to this one, it's that good.

How do you Hustle a Hustler?

R.A. · 22 December 2013

Granted the events that are shared in this book are the view of one person. However the writing is entertaining and informative. LFP's continues on the tradition of having the wrong people in the right roles, and it's fascinating to find out how a porn empire is mis-managed on a constant basis.Well worth the purchase if you want to invest finding out more about how your favourite magazine is run.