Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema (1968-1985)

Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985
By Jill C. Nelson
950 pages
English

OVER 300 GREAT PHOTOS

Golden Goddesses vibrantly casts light upon twenty-five significant women involved in the erotic film industry during its Golden Era, between the years 1968-1985 when participation in adult productions was illegal. Profiling performers, directors, scriptwriters and costumers, Golden Goddesses is a palate of insights, intimacy, vulnerability and strength, as it immerses readers into the lives of these celebrated and audacious females. Delicately crafted with film highlights and more than 300 photos, Golden Goddesses captures the quintessence of a rebellious spirit from days gone by. Featuring the author's own interviews with Marilyn Chambers, Seka, Kay Parker, Rhonda Jo Petty, Serena, Georgina Spelvin, Juliet Anderson, Candida Royalle, Sharon Mitchell, Gloria Leonard, Annie Sprinkle, Ann Perry, Jody Maxwell, Barbara Mills, Veronica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Ginger Lynn, Kitten Natividad, Amber Lynn, Laurie Holmes, Christy Canyon, Julia St. Vincent, Roberta Findlay, Nina Hartley & Raven Touchstone.

REVIEWS:
"There have been very few writers who have managed to write about this revolutionary era of cinema with such a level of respect, warmth and intelligence like Jill Nelson. Golden Goddesses is a present to the curious, converted and most importantly, to the pioneering women who bucked the status quo concepts of what 'nice girls' should or shouldn't do. The women featured here are artists, writers, mothers, sisters and daughters, each of whose stories are unique and human." -- Heather Drain, Film writer, mondoheather.blogspot.com
"At nearly 1000 pages, this is no fluff piece, and Nelson's (and her publisher's) willingness to allow the space necessary for these women to voice their experiences - diverse, unexpected, often inspirational, sometimes sad, occasionally unsettling, should be applauded. Nelson's agenda-free approach is refreshing in that it allows for the full spectrum of experiences: good, bad, and in between. The project prompts questions, provokes critical thinking and opens up a space for these women to truly voice themselves."

"The book is a series of in-depth interviews that Nelson did (for the most part, in person) with 25 of the most interesting female personalities from the golden years of adult cinema. She doesn't just dictate and call it a day. Nelson is a skilled writer, and provides ongoing context for much of what is being said by her subjects. She clearly put many of her subjects at ease. This is the real deal. I found this book absolutely essential." -- Robin Bougie, Cinema Sewer Magazine

"The layers which Nelson manages to peel back in order to expose the people behind the personas, is outstanding. Anyone with a serious interest not just in the history of adult film, but in the very definition of celebrity and the rise and fall that goes along with it should consider this a must read. Never before has a book tackled its subject with the grace and care which Nelson shows here."

"Golden Goddesses is a noteworthy book due to many factors with perhaps the first being Nelson's incredibly refreshing non-judgmental stand and writing style. The main attitudes that leap off the pages of Golden Goddesses are defiance, independence, originality and strength. These twenty-five artists are ultimately not anyone's victims... they remain, for the most part, wonderfully rebellious free spirits who LIVED a full life and Jill C. Nelson has served them up a fitting and powerful tribute with Golden Goddesses."

Author Comments:
In this book, I have accentuated twenty-five resplendent women of the golden age of erotic films who worked on both the east and west coasts of the United States between the years 1968-1985. My intention is to escort readers toward a clearer understanding of the beautiful and intrepid females who favored an alternative profession in adult cinema that was cultivated at the apex of the 1960s sexual revolution. By the early 1970s, porno was chic, and performers helmed by artful directors were personified in genuine scripts, supported by costuming and make-up departments in quality film projects that often culminated in red carpet premieres. Several individuals, and particularly women who began working in loops and sexually oriented films prior to the "porno chic" juncture, and/or up until the mid-1980s video boom, became legitimate silver screen stars. To suggest that their chosen path has been comfortable or without debris would be false, for as each unfolding story will reveal, experiences for a female employed in the adult entertainment industry during the generation when it was illegal to participate in the production of sex films, were anything but ordinary...Jill C. Nelson