Review: Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey

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Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey 

4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

In Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey, 50 writers—from romance and erotica authors, to real-world BDSM practitioners, to adult entertainment industry professionals—continue the conversation regarding the impact of the success of the Fifty Shades of Grey series from E.L. James.

I have not read the Fifty Shades of Grey, and I doubt I will. I have been listening to the conversations regarding “mommy porn” and “pull to publish.” When I looked at the list of contributors, I saw quite a few names I recognized and thought it might be interesting to see what they had to say about Fifty Shades of Grey. What would this group of writers have to say?  Was it worth an entire book dedicated to talking more about this series and what it spawned?  

The essays in Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey offer insight into the popularity of the series by E.L. James and also talks about the issues of sexuality that have bubbled to the surface as a result. The best essays were those written by those writers having first-hand knowledge of the BDSM lifestyle. I also found the essays discussing what this series exposed regarding our acceptance of sexuality interesting.

Most of the essays had some content of interest, and my favorite was from Susan Wright, titled Fifty Shades of Sexual Freedom.  She struck a chord with me regarding sexual repression. 

She starts out by saying “There is a way to get the amazing sex you want, and it actually involves talking about it.” and wraps up with this. “Anything that gets people talking about sex-- not just sensationalizing it or making fun of it - is a good thing for Americans.” 

The essays are short, quick reads and perfect for reading a few at a time. This is not a book you pick up and read from start to finish, at least I didn’t. I could easily see this as a textbook in a sexuality or writing course. 

There was a nice selection of topics and opinions, although none of the contributors had anything controversial to say. And there was humor too. 

So overall, if you find the topics surrounding the Fifty Shades of Grey popularity interesting (BDSM, erotic romance, sexuality, fanfiction)  and would like to read some well-reasoned, well-written essays on the matter, this book is a great start.  It held my interest through all fifty essays.