Pornland has confirmed and expanded my own thoughts and concerns about pornography, which I guess makes me a biased reader inclined to read her book with less critical rigor than I should.

Admittedly, my personal layperson thoughts about porn and its effects on popular culture, business, sexuality, race and gender were often quite similar to Dines’, though obviously in a less-informed, critically organized and researched form. Using very clear language and thought-provoking analysis, Dines breaks down porn in ways that I found convincing and accurate.

Gail Dines’ Pornland is the first book I’ve read about pornography and I think it was an excellent place to start. Proving that this assembly line of content is actually limiting our sexual freedom, Dines argues that porn's omnipresence has become a public health concern we can no longer ignore. Rather they influence legislators, partner with mainstream media, and develop new technologies like streaming video for cell phones. Like Big Tobacco-with its powerful lobbying groups and sophisticated business practices-porn companies don't simply sell products. Going from the backstreets to Wall Street, Dines traces the extensive money trail behind this multibillion-dollar industry-one that reaps more profits than the film and music industries combined. To differentiate their products in a glutted market, producers have created profitable niche products-like teen sex, torture porn, and gonzo-in order to entice a generation of desensitized users. But, as Dines shows, today's porn is strikingly different from yesterday's 'Playboy.' As porn culture has become absorbed into pop culture, a new wave of entrepreneurs are creating porn that is even more hard-core, violent, sexist, and racist. Astonishingly, the average age of first viewing porn is now 11.5 years for boys, and with the advent of the Internet, it's no surprise that young people are consuming more porn than ever. In 'Pornland'-the culmination of her life's work-Dines takes an unflinching look at porn and its affect on our lives. Students and educators describe her work as 'life changing.' She attends industry conferences, interviews producers and performers, and speaks to hundreds of men and women each year about their experience with porn. Professor Gail Dines has written about and researched the porn industry for over two decades.

Pornland by gail dines