Pimp: The Story of My Life
- Downloads：4626
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-07 11:56:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Iceberg Slim
- ISBN：1451617135
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Robert （Iceberg Slim） Beck's first book is told without bitterness and with no pretense at moralizing。 It is the smells， the sounds， the fears and the petty triumphs in the world of the street pimp。
Reviews
Deb
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well。 What turns a mind to do this 。。。 All kind of situations ， for the pimp and for the prostitute。。。or anything that's not the norm but what is the norm 。。anything if you can justify your decisions。。he told it how it was for him。。wow Well。 What turns a mind to do this 。。。 All kind of situations ， for the pimp and for the prostitute。。。or anything that's not the norm but what is the norm 。。anything if you can justify your decisions。。he told it how it was for him。。wow 。。。more
Amirah Beyah
，
I enjoyed this book。 Not the genre I normally read but it wasn’t disappointing。 However， I recommend keeping the glossary handy if you are not familiar with slang。
James
，
One of the best books I have ever read。
Vinicius
，
Me interessei por esse livro por causa do Dave Chappelle。 A leitura é bem difícil no começo， mas depois fica muito interessante e tem um ótimo ritmo。
Preston
，
Listened to the audiobook at 1。5x and it was well voiced。 I largely enjoyed the book though some parts definitely dragged。 Dave Chappelle talks a bit about the book （search youtube） and it made me interested enough to add it to my to-read list。 I was hoping I'd get more out of the book， but apart from it being an entertaining story。。 Listened to the audiobook at 1。5x and it was well voiced。 I largely enjoyed the book though some parts definitely dragged。 Dave Chappelle talks a bit about the book （search youtube） and it made me interested enough to add it to my to-read list。 I was hoping I'd get more out of the book， but apart from it being an entertaining story。。 。。。more
Dahyana
，
La lectura del libro es， en el 2020， tan chocante como debió serlo en 1969 cuando se publicó por primera vez dado no solamente los temas que trata sino por el más mínimo， y también explicito， detalle。 Robert Lee Maupin （conocido como Iceberg Slim） cuenta sus memorias como chulo， “trabajo” que ejerció desde los 18 hasta los 42 años。•Cuando el libro se publicó， Iceberg pronto se convirtió en un icono de la cultura afroamericana， en los mismos años en los que esta comunidad peleaba por los derechos La lectura del libro es， en el 2020， tan chocante como debió serlo en 1969 cuando se publicó por primera vez dado no solamente los temas que trata sino por el más mínimo， y también explicito， detalle。 Robert Lee Maupin （conocido como Iceberg Slim） cuenta sus memorias como chulo， “trabajo” que ejerció desde los 18 hasta los 42 años。•Cuando el libro se publicó， Iceberg pronto se convirtió en un icono de la cultura afroamericana， en los mismos años en los que esta comunidad peleaba por los derechos civiles de la mano de #MartinLutherKing; habían pasado sólo dos años del asesinato de #MalcolmX。 Iceberg nunca fue bien visto por los #PanterasNegras quienes consideraban que había sido un explotador de su misma raza， lo cual era pero con este libro a sus propias palabras trataba de redimirse y al mismo tiempo lanzar un grito de advertencia。 Claramente el efecto que provocó fue totalmente opuesto。 Iceberg buscaba vengarse del “mundo blanco”， sacando textualmente “una tajada de dinero” con su red de prostitutas。•Sin dudas que estas memorias no solo reflejan cómo cualquiera puede convertirse en prostituta sin vender su cuerpo sino que está lleno de relatos similares y de detalles que expresan cómo， sin importar que seas una prostituta， un empleado， un comediante， o incluso una persona en una relación， es posible que alguien nos utilice hasta que lleguemos a un punto límite， y cómo， una vez que estamos a punto de quebrarnos， existen decenas de métodos para convencernos de seguir sufriendo para el beneficio de otra persona。 Es una cruda narración que refleja la violencia y brutalidad en las calles norteamericanas de los 40。•Guste o no guste， #Pimp es un referente de la #literaturaunderground en general y afroamericana en particular。 La realidad que se cuenta en sus páginas y la forma misma de contarlo solo podía ser narrada por un testigo de primera mano。 。。。more
Phil
，
This autobiography is about a young black man from a broken home。 He’s had an abusive childhood， poverty is never far away， and he’s living in the racism of 1930s America。 He takes all his hate and rage about the oppression and hopelessness of his situation。。。and begins to bully and brutalize black women， perhaps the only social group more oppressed than himself。 Pimps are scum。 But to be fair， they’re not particularly glorified in this book。 I doubt the reading comprehension of anyone who reads This autobiography is about a young black man from a broken home。 He’s had an abusive childhood， poverty is never far away， and he’s living in the racism of 1930s America。 He takes all his hate and rage about the oppression and hopelessness of his situation。。。and begins to bully and brutalize black women， perhaps the only social group more oppressed than himself。 Pimps are scum。 But to be fair， they’re not particularly glorified in this book。 I doubt the reading comprehension of anyone who reads this book and decides to pursue the vocation。This book read a bit like a serial killer memoir。 The author rarely attempts to defend his predatory behavior， the casual manipulation and abuse of women at his hands is presented in a fairly matter-of-fact manner。 Slim wanted prestige and wealth in an unfair society， and any woman he crossed paths with were potentially a means to that end。 Slim was driven to a goal， and other people were tools。In addition to the serial killer memoir feel， this book also has a Clockwork Orange vibe。 The entire book is written in a rich lexicon of blunt， brutal slang that compellingly brings the bleak ghetto lifestyle to mind。 As with A Clockwork Orange， violence tends to be sudden and shocking， and as likely to be a tool of the authorities as the criminal underworld。While I wouldn’t describe it as fun or pleasurable spending time in the world presented here， it’s a fascinating story related in an engaging manner。 I look forward to reading the novels of Iceberg Slim。 。。。more
Ernesto Juárez
，
Es difícil hablar de este libro， no por su complejidad sino por los distintos enfoques que le podríamos dar， la primera vez que escuché hablar del mismo fue en un especial del comediante Dave Chapelle para Netflix， en la cual menciona un pasaj del libro para ejemplificar algo que estaba diciendo （cabe mencionar que lo contó mal， aunque el pasaje en general estuvo bien）。 Me llamó la atención la temática， estuve cazándolo un par de años hasta que cayó en mis garras， un tiempo más para que lo leyer Es difícil hablar de este libro， no por su complejidad sino por los distintos enfoques que le podríamos dar， la primera vez que escuché hablar del mismo fue en un especial del comediante Dave Chapelle para Netflix， en la cual menciona un pasaj del libro para ejemplificar algo que estaba diciendo （cabe mencionar que lo contó mal， aunque el pasaje en general estuvo bien）。 Me llamó la atención la temática， estuve cazándolo un par de años hasta que cayó en mis garras， un tiempo más para que lo leyera y valió cada maldito segundo。En Pimp se nos cuenta la vida del autor en formato de semi ficción， novelada， una historia de abusos， violencia， adicciones， crímen， redención， hundimiento， racismo porque （américa f。。c yeah） entre otras cosas que conforman este drama。Menciona las cosas que ocurren y que muchos "activistas" hacen la vista gorda ya que no encaja en la narrativa que quieren o les conviene contar。 La misoginia y el racismo dentro de la misma comunidad de color， explotación entre ellos mismos y otras cositas más。Pero Iceberg Slim en ningún momento defiende ni denuncia lo que ocurre， solamente lo narra， lo explica porque existe， ha existido y quizá seguirá existiendo。 Influencia para generaciones tanto para bien como para mal， romantizando una figura y una cultura que busca una identidad dentro de un país que realmente sufre de la misma es entendible el alcance que ha logrado。No para cualquiera， sensibles， cristales y gente que no pueda abrir su mente a ver la perspectiva de otra persona que no sea políticamente correcta ni pretenda serlo， que les diga que el mundo no es bonito， que el ser humano es cruel y malvado， que la redención no sea tan adornada como les gustaría， por favor abstenerse。 No vayan a querer cancelarlo。 。。。more
S Dyes
，
This is a story with no moral absolutism， and it has no pretense of being one。
Beatriz De Dante
，
The pimp's book for squares。 Lessons from a wise man on the pimping game。 The misogyny inside made it a hard read， but this was the crude reality back then。 The pimp's book for squares。 Lessons from a wise man on the pimping game。 The misogyny inside made it a hard read， but this was the crude reality back then。 。。。more
Jack Bisase
，
Ana mazing tale from a lifestyle we hear nothing about in "squaresville" Ana mazing tale from a lifestyle we hear nothing about in "squaresville" 。。。more
Alen Brletić
，
。。。sada mi nije žao što nisam postao svodnik :）
Matt Butler
，
A detailed and shocking deep dive into a life which is entirely unknown to me， and not well documented。 Some of the stories told will live long in my memory due to their horrific and graphic nature。
Randy Owusu
，
My curiosity about this book was risen by Dave Chapelle。 It isn't anything special，just another brother trying to make it post slavery。 It was tough choice of a career， as a matter of fact its a terrible choice。 The book is riddle with mischievous agenda， misogynistic attitudes and darm right terrible way to force your kind。 Anyway， its life and one thing l know is it's isn't fair。 My curiosity about this book was risen by Dave Chapelle。 It isn't anything special，just another brother trying to make it post slavery。 It was tough choice of a career， as a matter of fact its a terrible choice。 The book is riddle with mischievous agenda， misogynistic attitudes and darm right terrible way to force your kind。 Anyway， its life and one thing l know is it's isn't fair。 。。。more
Alex Ho
，
I respect women
Joshua Bracho
，
Make no mistake about it: this work is superlative。 What stands out for me is that it’s devoid of self-flagellation。 Slim was a man of considerable intellect and， perhaps above all; he wanted to understand his past life。 His writing is unflinchingly illuminating。 Indeed， he was an eloquent and astute observer of human behaviour。 Did he glorify the exploitation of black women？ Well， such a question barks up the wrong tree。 Social conditions breed crime， not artists。 Perhaps for some， Slim wasn’t Make no mistake about it: this work is superlative。 What stands out for me is that it’s devoid of self-flagellation。 Slim was a man of considerable intellect and， perhaps above all; he wanted to understand his past life。 His writing is unflinchingly illuminating。 Indeed， he was an eloquent and astute observer of human behaviour。 Did he glorify the exploitation of black women？ Well， such a question barks up the wrong tree。 Social conditions breed crime， not artists。 Perhaps for some， Slim wasn’t sufficiently repentant。 However， this places an unrealistic and misguided expectation upon him。 This demands of him a level of pandering and pity seeking， which would be pointless。 Moreover， Slim ultimately eschewed a life of criminality and， through what must have been a difficult psychological reconfiguration， he was successful。 I can think of no better way to atone for one's transgressions than to change。 。。。more
Kay Jones
，
great insight to how life was back in the day of a pimp
Julian Dante
，
Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg SlimThe confessional memoir—the shocking revelation of a sordid underworld brought to you straight from one of its sinful adherents now redeemed and laying bare the account of their former selves to ostensibly ward off others from this dark path （while also selling copies from the sensationalism and scandal of this revelation）—is a time tested literary tradition。 Robert Beck， aka Iceberg Slim here employs the form for a graphic foray into the world of pimpin Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg SlimThe confessional memoir—the shocking revelation of a sordid underworld brought to you straight from one of its sinful adherents now redeemed and laying bare the account of their former selves to ostensibly ward off others from this dark path （while also selling copies from the sensationalism and scandal of this revelation）—is a time tested literary tradition。 Robert Beck， aka Iceberg Slim here employs the form for a graphic foray into the world of pimping in 1940s Chicago in a pulp memoir vastly popular among Black Americans ever since its writing。 I could get it for free on audible and was curious to experience more popular literature。Reading it， one has to confront its two glaring contradictory elements。 First， it exposes the raw and often sidelined conditions of deprivation and racist oppression which have always haunted America’s segregated urban populaces。 Slim describes running scams as a teen， tricking gullible white men into secluded buildings for promise of a vaguely prestigious party and beautiful black hookers， only to be robbed literally with their pants down。 He perfectly describes why this repeatedly works， the arrogance of the white men leads them to assume that a young black kid couldn’t possibly deceive them， so ironically they’re least likely to suspect what would otherwise be an obvious setup。 Much has changed since then but this blindness of the white gaze endures。But sympathy for Slim or any man he associates with hits a brick wall with the second， equally essential element to the story， the jaw dropping misogynist violence and emotional abuse with which Slim beats down the prostitutes he controls。 It’s at its most problematic element where Slim’s honesty proves most essential， for only by rawly exposing his own cruelty can he also reveal the driving force behind the misogyny inherent in being a pimp—exploitation。 Both Slim and his mentor are painstakingly clear on this fact， the reason the beatings， torture， emotional manipulation behind every interpersonal encounter， are necessary is because everything must be subordinated to profit。 Prostitutes are more than once compared to slaves in this regard， their role is to take as much physical burden as possible， take as many clients as possible， to get the maximum use out of her。 Who knows when a prostitute might get hurt， killed， or run off？ If one’s only good for a month， then for that month Slim needs to bleed her dry。 They’re not lovers， wives， or friends， he reminds himself。 Nothing comes before the scratch。What this central contradiction resolves into is a penetrating look at a member of an oppressed class who warps his mind into the pure， cold logic of an oppressor， an employer。 Ultimately the book wasn’t really my cup of tea， but I hope my whitesplainy explanation of what I got from it nears the truth。 。。。more
Deshawn Vasquez
，
It's funny， it's weird， it's deeply uncomfortable and sad。 Among his other talents， Robert Beck was a brilliant wordsmith。 He bounces from intrigue to tragedy like a metronome。。。 measured and steady。 The first time I had heard about this book was from Dave Chappelle's The Bird Revelation， as he compares his experiences on his show with a section in the book's latter half。 It stuck with me， and was on the back of my mind going through it。 I can see why it resonates， and why it's mentioned in the It's funny， it's weird， it's deeply uncomfortable and sad。 Among his other talents， Robert Beck was a brilliant wordsmith。 He bounces from intrigue to tragedy like a metronome。。。 measured and steady。 The first time I had heard about this book was from Dave Chappelle's The Bird Revelation， as he compares his experiences on his show with a section in the book's latter half。 It stuck with me， and was on the back of my mind going through it。 I can see why it resonates， and why it's mentioned in the same conversations as James Baldwin or Donald Goines。 It's strange to me that Trick Baby got an adaptation before this。 I'm sure it's inevitable。 。。。more
Tordar Tømmervik
，
Just like president of the United States， this too， sounds like a miserable profession。
Jacqueline Shanklin
，
Opening line: "A pimp is happy when his whores giggle"⭐⭐⭐⭐ Opening line: "A pimp is happy when his whores giggle"⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Connor Ard
，
Pimps， they’re not good people。 Extraordinarily lurid。 Captivating and horrific。 The man known as iceberg knows what a person wants， it’s why he does what he does so well。 He treats the reader like a voyeur， coaching the average person through ever more intense periods of his life。
Musa
，
Chilling。。。 Ice cold。 An interesting read， as one would expect from the life of a pimp， an in depth account of the authors life filled with bone chilling moments and accounts of physical and psychological torture。 Very interesting book
Ali Hussein
，
One of the best books I’ve ever read。 This book is an education。 The pimp game is all about an abundance mindset。 The dialogues in this book were too good lel。 Here are some of my favourites:‘Any sucker who believes a bitch loves him shouldn’t have fallen out his mommy’s ass’‘Listen square ass bitch， I’ve never had a whore I couldn’t do without。 I celebrate bitch， when a whore leaves me。 You scurvy bitch’ 😂‘I can’t make a pimp out of a pussy like you。 To be a good pimp you gotta be Icey cold lik One of the best books I’ve ever read。 This book is an education。 The pimp game is all about an abundance mindset。 The dialogues in this book were too good lel。 Here are some of my favourites:‘Any sucker who believes a bitch loves him shouldn’t have fallen out his mommy’s ass’‘Listen square ass bitch， I’ve never had a whore I couldn’t do without。 I celebrate bitch， when a whore leaves me。 You scurvy bitch’ 😂‘I can’t make a pimp out of a pussy like you。 To be a good pimp you gotta be Icey cold like the inside of a dead whores pussy’ If they made this book compulsory reading in schools we’d have a lot less suckers， tricks and simps。 This book is written so well you can almost picture every scene playing out in your head。 Iceberg Slim paints the picture so vividly。 Doubt I’ll ever let a bitch Georgia me after reading this or let her con me out my scratch 。。。more
Josh Smith
，
Gets kinda boring and repetitive at around 40%。
Tessimo Mahuta
，
Fucking cold as ice， but damn if it isn't a great book。 Fucking cold as ice， but damn if it isn't a great book。 。。。more
Homero Ontiveros
，
Un libro crudo pero increíblemente transparente。 En muchos momentos me hizo sentir incómodo la forma en que Slim narra cómo trataba a "sus mujeres"， me preguntaba si era necesario leer tanta misoginia y violencia， luego me recordaba que eso era lo que quería mostrar Iceberg， esa violencia y misoginia real。 No por nada se ha convertido en un referente de la cultura callejera afroamericana。 Me quedo con lo que dice la escritora Sapphire en el postfacio: No necesitamos idolatrar a Iceberg Slim， per Un libro crudo pero increíblemente transparente。 En muchos momentos me hizo sentir incómodo la forma en que Slim narra cómo trataba a "sus mujeres"， me preguntaba si era necesario leer tanta misoginia y violencia， luego me recordaba que eso era lo que quería mostrar Iceberg， esa violencia y misoginia real。 No por nada se ha convertido en un referente de la cultura callejera afroamericana。 Me quedo con lo que dice la escritora Sapphire en el postfacio: No necesitamos idolatrar a Iceberg Slim， pero sí respetarlo como escritor。Pimp es una lectura que sacude， que incomoda， y por eso es importante leerla。 。。。more
David Cox
，
3。25
Mason
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I saw a post on reddit about this book so I gave it a read。 It's an interesting book and I would recommend it。 After I finished it I looked around for reviews because I was curious about other people's thoughts。 What caught my eye was the large number of people justifying Slims actions because of the circumstances of his life， or praising his metamorphosis into a better man。Simply put， I think Slim conned them。I think the only thing that changed about Slim was the recognition that he was too old I saw a post on reddit about this book so I gave it a read。 It's an interesting book and I would recommend it。 After I finished it I looked around for reviews because I was curious about other people's thoughts。 What caught my eye was the large number of people justifying Slims actions because of the circumstances of his life， or praising his metamorphosis into a better man。Simply put， I think Slim conned them。I think the only thing that changed about Slim was the recognition that he was too old and had too much heat to continue pimping。 I don’t think he felt even the slightest bit of regret for his actions， in fact I think his pride in them was the major inspiration behind writing this book。 I also think Slim was a sociopath。Sociopath is an overused label that I would usually avoid， but in this case I believe it is clinically correct。 The most striking aspect of PIMP for me wasn’t the look into a seedy underground culture， but instead into the mind of a person who can beat the shit out of a woman with a coathanger whip without a shred of remorse。There are only three things in the narrative that give any evidence Slim has even the slightest capacity for empathy or compassion。 These are his love for his mother， his reflections on Henry， and the passages where he bemoans his actions and the poison of pimping。 I don't believe him。 Slim was a master manipulator， I think that he was well aware that readers would want to see some form of humanity from him as well as regret for his actions。 I’m also sure he knew that without these aspects it would be much harder to attract a publisher。Besides these passages， the overall tone of the piece is not that of someone who is confessing， but of someone who is bragging。 There is even the stereotypical claim of having an incredibly high IQ。 The entire narrative's primary goal seems to be showing us how intelligent， ruthless， and notorious he was。 Slim tells us openly that he became a pimp not just for money， but for prestige。 In fact I would argue that the value money held for him was mostly as a symbol of status。 I don't see any reason to view this book as anything other than a final opportunity to tell the world that Iceberg Slim was its most cunning pimp。In my opinion it is wrong to view Slim as a product of circumstance。 I think he was a very intelligent man with a psychological illness that made him incapable of empathy， which both led him to pimping and allowed him to succeed at it。 He displays this behavior from his earliest actions to the tone that he recounts them in。 Maybe I am being reductive， and maybe I am being ignorant to the huge number of normal people who have casually done horrible things， but I genuinely believe that Slim was born with a cognitive disorder。 To me， the value of PIMP is that it gives us a rare look into the mind of someone I would call truly and naturally evil。 。。。more
C
，