Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes
The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes |
| The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes Posted: First, my usual disclaimer: While Dawn and I are not friends, I am acquainted with her. When I discovered she was writing a book about her experiences, I approached her to review it. A word of warning: if you are looking for titillating details of the porn industry or John Holmes, you will be disappointed. This book is about Dawn and her ordeal as Holmes' girlfriend, not about porn, the porn industry, or Holmes' place in that. There is very little mention of it in this book, as it has very little relevance to Dawn's story. In fact, she had no idea who he was or why he was famous for some time after they met. (He was a major porn star in the 70s, for those who aren't aware of that.) The book is quite well written, drawing the reader into the story rather quickly. It keeps the reader's interest almost effortlessly, and I would have finished it in one sitting if my schedule had allowed. I found myself deeply interested in the characters and events. The book begins with Dawn's difficult childhood in a dangerous neighborhood in Florida, and moves through these turbulent years to her parent's divorce and the move to L.A., setting the stage for her introduction to Holmes. She goes into considerable detail about many of the milestone events which were turning points in her life and relationship with Holmes and others. While not overtly explicit, she is quite candid about her thoughts and feelings, giving the reader a deeper insight into the process of seduction in an abusive relationship. Most of the book details her rollercoaster ride as Holmes' underage girlfriend. The reader gets to witness the cycle of abuse/romance/abuse which becomes familiar to anyone even mildly aware of the problem of abusive relationships. Dawn's willingness to share her life this openly is very powerful, and should prove helpful for anyone caught up in this kind of relationship. Feeling alone and powerless is the cornerstone of this kind of prison, and knowing that others have escaped can be a lifesaving bit of information. There is also an "up close and personal" look into the downward spiral of drug abuse and the way it ruins lives. My only disappointment was with the way the book ended. I felt it was somewhat abrupt, and the way she glossed over so much of her "post-John" life in Thailand and Japan was unsatisfying. Even if that is meat for another book (I certainly hope so), I would still have liked more detail and an attempt to more overtly delineate lessons learned and the progress she has made in her personal life since that time. On the other hand, it probably would have doubled the already considerable size of the book. Still, that little bit of disappointment was not enough to keep me from giving it 5 stars. Oh, I was also concerned about Thor, and would liked to have known more about the rest of his life. On the whole, I liked the book, even though I am not a big fan of biographies. It is a very well written and interesting read, and I believe it will have the power to make a difference in people's lives. Dawn is quite a good writer, and I hope she continues to write. Good job, Dawn. You should be proud of this. |
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