The Autobiography of a Sex Worker

‘Sex workers are free in four respects: We don’t have to cook for a husband; We don’t have to wash his dirty clothes; We don’t have to ask for his permission to raise our kids as we deem fit; We don’t have to run after a husband claiming rights to his property.’ Fiery, outspoken and often wickedly funny, this candid account of one woman’s life as a sex worker in Kerala became a bestseller when it was first published in Malayam. Nalini Jameela, who takes her name from both Hindu and Muslim traditions, worked as a child in the clay mines. She has been a wife, mother, successful business woman and social activist – as well as a sex worker – at different stages of her life. This is Nalini Jameela’s story, told in her inimitably honest and down-to-earth style, of her search for dignity, empowerment and freedom on her own terms.