Barry presents her case for female sexual slavery quite convincingly, except that she leaves out one very important detail - agency. Throughout the book she refers to men in general as the perpetrators of all of women's suffering, especially in the case of prostitution. While many feminists before her have made similar claims, none have been able to write such an influencing book without identifying specific actors.

Copyrighted in 1979, just 6 years after the prostitutes' rights movement was formed in the USA, Barry's work inspired Giobbe to form WHISPER, Women Hurt in Systems of Prostitution Engaged in Revolt. Many scholars have claimed that this book was a response to Margo St. James' attempts to legitimize prostitution.

Barry's book has enjoyed widespread recognition in circles of feminist scholars. While I find her research shoddy and specificity of agency lacking, I recommend the book to those interested in the prostitutes' rights movement. Barry's sensationalism inspired a new social movement organization that is still active more than 20 years later.

For those further interested in the sexual victimization of women, I would recommend Andrea Dworkin's _Pornography: Men Possessing Women_. To learn about another prominent organization in the prostitutes' rights movement, COYOTE, see Valerie Jenness' _Making it Work: The Prostitutes' Rights Movement in Perspective_.