Review: Whoreson: The Story of a Ghetto Pimp

Whoreson: The Story of a Ghetto Pimp by Donald Goines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The jungle creed, said the strong must feed, on any prey at hand. I was a branded a beast, and sat at the feast, before I was a man.”

I am reading this book for the October 2020 Black-Oween-athon, for the category of Underrated Black Authors. Donald Goines wrote about the portraits and reflections of the ghetto black community. Goines books were popular in the 70’s and 80’s, but he fell off the map. People that read his books, remember, but I don’t hear much about him now.

It took me a while to read through this book. I read it years ago and enjoyed it. At the time, being young, I guess I was intrigued by the unknown. Now older and reading it, I have a few eye rolls. However, this story is so true in many ways. This was how the life of pimps and whores existed back then and it stills holds true today, even in family households, maybe not as pronounced. This story takes place when Hasten street was still in existence. Before the destruction to build the 1-75 expressway in Detroit, the area was called Black Bottom/Paradise Valley. Now all that is left of Hasten street is a small corner street.

Jesse a whore, named her son Whoreson, because he was a son of a whore. Raising him and teaching him to be a pimp. The way Jesse put it, “Whoreson was her only pimp.” Before Whoreson was born, Jesse’s pimp took the money that she was saving to pay the hospital when she gave birth, dump her, and went off with a white whore. She thought it was her pimp’s baby, but as “high yellow” as that baby was, she knew it was from a john. Whoreson grew up learning the streets and surrounded by prostitutes. But, in their light and his, it was a good living.

This story is filled with hustlers, violence, drugs, sex, explicit language, abuse, rape, incest, and oppression. Whoreson seems to look at all women as whores, regardless if they were or not. Just as Whoreson said, “I didn’t care for no one woman, black or white, they were all just stepping stone.” But, considering his mother was a whore, it was the only way he could look at women. His mother did teach him how to be a pimp.

I found this book to be informative and derogatory; the story had a lot of truth in it. I give this book a 4.0. Although, the book showed the demeaning treatment of women, yet, it was quite an interesting read. I recommend this book because of the true content and it was well written. All I can say is, WOW!

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