Prisoner of X

You expect shocking stories from a guy who spent 20 years working for Larry Flynt. And this memoir doesn’t disappoint. Allan MacDonell recounts his career at Hustler — ”not the vilest magazine on the market, but we tried” — from proofreader to editor (until Flynt fired him in 2002). He recalls a Flynt party at a Hollywood mansion where hookers were the only items on the menu. He devotes an entire chapter to Hustler‘s library of celebrity sex videos (some so gross they’d make R. Kelly puke). But the real shocker: Prisoner of X is surprisingly well written. MacDonell’s prose is so perky and witty, it’s a shame Flynt didn’t fire him years ago so he’d have a real career to write about.