Georgina Spelvin

Not sure which forum this belongs in, but since Georgina Spelvin was one of the greatest ever feature film actresses, I will try here; our patient moderators will surely relocate it if appropriate.
I recently read Georgina Spelvin's memoir, The Devil Made Me Do It, and highly recommend it. This is a genre I haven't explored much: the only other porn star story I have read is Ron Jeremy's book, which couldn't be more different. While Mr. Jeremy comes across as an affable, fun-loving fellow, his book feels largely like a fluffy exercise in name-dropping. By contrast, Ms. Spelvin's book is not only written in a rich voice, but it travels a bold dramatic arc.
The Devil Made Me Do It is a very well written book: smart, witty, charming, and with frequent flights of lovely language. It is rich with honesty and an earthy, human touch. In her candor, she spares herself little, but if Ms. Spelvin has any axes to grind, she eschews the opportunity to do so here; she is consistently warm and gracious to the supporting cast in her story.
Ms. Spelvin avoids a straight linear narrative of her life, instead focusing at length on key periods and spiralling in other phases when needed to backfill. Thus, long passages dwelt on her entry into porn and the filming of Devil In Miss Jones; her shift from East Coast to West; her battles with alcoholism and especially her mother's labors to help her deal with it; the death of her mother and subsequently her father; finally, finding sobriety and love -- yes, the story has a happy ending. I hope that isn't too much of a spoiler; just let that glad thought help carry you as concerned reader through the hard times. Such a non-linear structure can be dangerous as, in clumsy hands, it can make a muddle of the tale, but Ms. Spelvin controls it with skill and clarity.
If you approach this book expecting a blow-by-blow account of each successive film shoot, you will be disappointed; it is not a filmography, but a woman's life. Though we in the general public know her primarily through her adult movies, they constitute only a small part of this incredibly textured life. So, she addresses only a few key movies for their impact on her or for the people involved.
The book was an honest and very personal journey. I began reading it as a devoted fan and finished it genuinely liking this warm, generous, smart, deeply human woman as a person. What better testament can I give than that?
On her blog (see http://georgiespelvin.com), Ms. Spelvin talks of writing a second volume, though she also admits little progress on it thus far; the spirit may be willing, etc. Being retired myself, I well understand how easily each day can slip by; my wife always comes home from work (yes, sadly, she is still in the labor force) and asks what I did that day, and I find it difficult to account for how little it seems I accomplished and how long that little took. But, in the case of Ms. Spelvin's sequel, I have a conjecture (it might be total nonsense, but I am accustomed to being wrong): I sense that in writing The Devil Made Me Do It, Ms. Spelvin was partly driven by a need to write of her mother and to unload some of the things she wished she had said while her mother was still alive. Having now expiated that need, it is far harder to sustain the discipline for another book.
I hope, though, that she does complete it. Her writings reveal a personality that sparkles and a prose to be savored.
Edited by - alphadachs on Mar 31 2011