Brutal Uncut Paperback – May 6, 2008

Once you begin this book, you will not want to put it down until you've finished. Mr. Shaw's life is fascinating and at the end, I was grateful that he was still alive and well. His writing style is brilliant!

They are amazing, I ordered one book and he gave me a different book for free. Thanks :)

IT IS HARD TO SAY WHETHER SEX-FOR-SALE OR HEAVY DRIG DEPENDENCE IS MORE IMPORTANT IN THISUNFLINCHINGLY HONEST ACCOUNT OF A COLLAPSING LIFE, FROM WHICH DEATH MAY SERVE AS ARELEASE.

Written in 1996, Aiden Shaw's first fictional book reads like a personal & insightful account of prostitution, drugs, and gay sex. Told from a first-person perspective, the storyline reads like a personal diary, rich in character development and unsuspecting surprises. The subject matter is direct, dealing with gay sex (& unsafe sex at that), hustling, wild parties, and shifting thoughts as an era ends. The characters are seemingly real, written with depth and eloquence. Readers will surely wonder if Shaw isn't sharing a piece of his personal life, told through real experience. Not long ago, Aiden Shaw said he would re-write parts of it. The US edition may be a revised addition, but nonetheless worth picking up. Ideally, it was intended to be a screenplay-- hence the way the story unfolds, draws you in, and characters (as wild as they are at times) to seem like old friends. Mr. Shaw is also a prolific poet, author of two other books, lyricist (fronting a band called Whatever), and incidentally one of gay porn's icons. Who else would have such insight into the gay community and search for love, lust, and luxury?

I surprisingly well written a book about what seems to be a rather sad life

Aiden Shaw has broken one of my life long habits. Never in my long years of reading (and they are long years) have I completed a book at one reading. I like to read a bit, put the book down and ponder on what I have read. With "Brutal" however, once I began I couldn't stop. As a long time addictions counselor and hospice worker, I have heard all the stories and sat with the dying until the end. Aiden Shaw has taken all the stories and experiences and weaved them into an engossing, captivating and life-revealing novel. Written in simple language without any of the technical and college-i-fied terminology, this book provides insights into the psychology -- and spirituality -- of drugs, sex and death and dying. It is a "must read" especially for anyone connected with addictions and death and dying.Ford BoyerAuthor of "Rituals for a Peaceful Transition"Co-Author of "Listening to the Soul"

This man writes from the heart, a very dark heart soaked in dark love! Beautiful and extremely real with only the raw blood dripping truth to stare at! I am loving this mind so do spend time with him before you are unable to.

Awesome book I loved it!!

Bon

Purchased by mistake , I believed that this was the follow up to My undoing [which I had loved ] so at first I thought oh no , another novel re drugs and bad sex . When the therapist Sky appeared I nearly gave up [ therapy talk - please ] . But owing to a long journey and nothing else to read I continued . How glad I am that I did . The voice of Paul is honorable and moving . . This is great writing about prostitution and casual sex . " I wasnt crude but I was honest" Paul says and this to me somes up the sucess of this story . If you are wanting some thing " lurid" , this may not be the read for you as it is intelligent . Aidens masters at Goldsmiths shows. I was also moved by the sudden ending but then I guess it is called Brutal .

This is an amazing read but, be warned it is very much an adult book dealing with things like, drug abuse, male prostitution, AIDS etc. Sadly this version has a lot of typos which I found annoying to be honest. It also has a very different ending to the original and i would recommend hunting down the first version.

This book is really based on Aiden Shaw's autobiography 'My Undoing'. Although in some parts it was predictable, it was still a great read.