The author came from a difficult family background in North Dublin city and by the age of 15 she was living and working on the streets. For the next seven years she was a prostitute, both on the streets of Dublin, in brothels around the city and occasionally in other Irish locations. At the age of 22, a series of lucky breaks liberated her from life as a prostitute and started her on the path to further education and ultimately a degree in Media Studies and Sociology from Dublin City University. Paid For is her own story in her own words and in her own name. It pulls no punches. In addition to the narrative elements, it contains searing social analysis which explodes many of the myths about prostitution. The author believes there are no happy hookers. To experience prostitution is to endure a cycle of misery, danger, violence and numbness. This is a book of startling originality, courage and honesty. It tells the story of a hidden world, one which is often trivialised and glamorised, with clarity and an eloquence that is quite unique. Paid For tears away the veil that shrouds prostitution and, from her own experience, tells us the truth.
