[Book Review] Insatiable by Asa Akira

Title Insatiable: Porn – A Love Story
Author: Asa Akira
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Web Link: link
Date of Release: May 6, 2014
No. of Pages: 256
ISBN: 978-602-9193-17-6
Format: Ebook
Category: Non Fiction
Genre: Biography, Memoir, Porn

Asa Akira (28) has already had an extremely unusual life. Educated at the United Nations International School in Manhattan, she soon was earning a good living by stripping and working as a dominatrix at a sex dungeon. Akira has now built up a reputation for being of the most popular, hardworking, and extreme actors in the business, winning dozens of awards for her 330+ movies, including her #1 bestselling series “Asa Akira Is Insatiable”.

In Insatiable, Akira recounts her extraordinary life in chapters that are hilarious, shocking, and touching. In a wry, conversational tone, she talks about her experiences shoplifting and doing drugs while in school, her relationship with other porn stars (she is married to one) and with the industry at large, and her beliefs about women and sexuality. Insatiable is filled with Akira’s unusual and often highly amusing anecdotes, including her visit to a New Hampshire sex shop run by a mother and son.

In a world where porn is increasingly becoming part of the mainstream, Akira is one of very few articulate voices writing from the inside. She something important, controversial, and astonishingly interesting to say about sex and its central role in our lives and culture.

Asa Akira is probably one of the most popular names in porn industry. The self-proclaimed anal queen is not ashamed to flaunt her best interest: having freaky sex on camera.

I’ve read several porn memoirs. One of them is Ordeal, the most disturbing memoir I’ve read so far.
Unlike Lovelace, Akira admits that she enjoys having sex on camera. She says she comes from a happy family. She started masturbating at an early age, that her mother forbade her to put on a blanket, afraid of what she might do under the sheet.

Akira also broke the myth of pornstars. She’s pretty and witty, somewhat rare in porn industry. Unlike any other paents, Akira’s can accept her profession. She said as long as she’s happy, her parents will support her all the way.

Insatiable is a fun read. I laughed a lot when I read this book. Some chapters are quite disturbing, especially parts about anal scene. One thing that confuses me is when Akira was offered to do a squirt scene. She couldn’t believe it because she’s not a squirter. But when she described her sex activities before AVN Awards with her husband, Toni Ribas, she explicitly explained that she squirted during sex and was asked to lick her own liquid (ewww).

What I learn about porn life:
1. Most porn stars contracted STDs. Chlamydia, herpes, or HIV, you name it. Akira got chlamydia during her second month of shooting porn.
2. Almost every porn star is addicted to (sex) drugs.
3. Of course, porn stars are exhibitionists. Akira says having sex on camera and thinking hundreds of men jerking off while watching her turn her on.
4. Not all sex is enjoyable during the shoot. Sasha Grey, a retired porn star, said that she had orgasm only three times during her porn career.
5. Some porn stars even quit the business because they’re humiliated. In her book, Linda Lovelace said she was forced to do porn by her husband. Alina Li has recently quit the business. Read her story here.

If you want to know a bit about porn industry, you may check out this book.

An A to Z Porn Glossary inspired by Asa Akira’s Insatiable: click here

Until next time