• Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

  • A Novel
  • By: Walter Mosley
  • Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
  • Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (324 ratings)

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Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore  By  cover art

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

By: Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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Publisher's summary

In this scorching, mournful, often explicit, and never less than moving literary novel by the famed creator of the Easy Rawlins series, Debbie Dare, a black porn queen, has to come to terms with her sordid life in the adult entertainment industry after her tomcatting husband dies in a hot tub. Electrocuted. With another woman in there with him. Debbie decides she just isn't going to "do it anymore". But executing her exit strategy from the porn world is a wrenching and far from simple process.

Millions of men (and no doubt many women) have watched famed black porn queen Debbie Dare - she of the blond wig and blue contacts - "do it" on television and computer screens every which way with every combination of partners the mind of man can imagine. But one day an unexpected and thunderous on-set orgasm catches Debbie unawares, and when she returns to the mansion she shares with her husband, insatiable former porn star and "film producer" Theon Pinkney, she discovers that he's died in a case of hot tub electrocution, "auditioning" an aspiring "starlet". Burdened with massive debts that her husband incurred, and which various L.A. heavies want to collect on, Debbie must reckon with a life spent in the peculiar subculture of the pornography industry and her estrangement from her family and the child she had to give up. She's done with porn, but her options for what might come next include the possibility of suicide. Debbie... is a portrait of a ransacked but resilient soul in search of salvation and a cure for grief.

©2014 Walter Mosley (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"This could be the best thing Mosley has written in years, a deeply affecting story of a woman whose determination to pull herself out of one life and into another is tested almost to its limits by things she can't control - until she finds a way to control them.... [Mosley is] back at the top of his game here." ( Booklist)
"The premise is jarring, yet Mosley is able to pain a picture of ordinary people. He shows the humanity of the characters despite their flaws." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Different than I thought

I thought this story was going to be freaky deaky, sweat drenching, explicit to the max filled with sexual scenes that would take my mind to different levels. That's what I wanted and expected but that definately is not what this book was about. I am a lil disappointed but it was a reasonable story. I wasn't too intrigued by this book, not saying it wasn't good but I guess I wanted the RAW Hardcore raunchy explicit uncut version. Don't judge me that's just how I like my books. Bahni Turpin was phenominal with this read though, her voice is so assertive and live. Not a bad book, there was a lot going on around each and every corner. A lot of revelations that came to light within this book. This book just wasn't for me.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Do you Debbie!

DDDIA, was an awesome novel! I found it to be empowering for anyone dealing with breaking away from the old and starting anew.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth reading at least once

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I like action in my books, but in this case, too much would have taken the heart out of the story, so no.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I can't say what I expected, but I wasn't blown away. Just ok.

What does Bahni Turpin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She was outstanding. She made me sympathize with Debbie. She brought out her strength and vulnerability at the same time.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Hmmmm...I'd watch it on Netflix.

Any additional comments?

This book has some action, but not much. It's a moderately paced book mostly about Debbie's internal turmoil and personal growth. Overall, it was a solid book. Worth at least one read.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Bahni Turpin is perfect

What about Bahni Turpin’s performance did you like?

The expletives! She does them so perfectly.

Could you see Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I would watch this if it came out as a movie.

Any additional comments?

I like Debbie, and I liked hearing her perspective on life and on her husband and his death. It's so different from the way I would expect someone to think and act, very different from the way I would react to a similar situation. It's why we read books, right? So, for that, the book was worth hearing, but it isn't a book I will be rushing out to recommend to friends.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I Liked It...

Where does Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks pretty high; probably in the bottom 10.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Debbie, of course. Debbie was so deep; more than what people prbably would think of a porn star. She had a genuine heart and very kind spirit.

What does Bahni Turpin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Life. Character. She gave Debbie a voice and color. It made me seem to know her on a personal level.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Debbie doesn't do it anymore... Perfect title.

Any additional comments?

To follow someone through their thought process of ending it all was an interesting journey for me, especially since suicide hit so closely to me recently. I felt her numbness and understood her need to be free.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping yet sensitive 💥❣️

There are few storytellers that match the insight and creativity of Walter Mosley, and Debbie Doesn’t Do it Anymore, does not fail to deliver. This tell gives the reader a glimpse into the human side of the adult film industry while at the same time exploring the uncertainty of the human condition and the fragility of life in general.

Bahni Turpin’s performance was impeccable ✨!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A facinating book for the open minded

This book is so different from anything I have read. It is about the porn industry but there is so much more. Walter Mosley's exquisite writing handles this subject with raw reality but also dignity and respect for the humans that are in and around this world. I liked and respected the main character for her confidence and knowledge of who she is and what she stands for. This book is for those who have an open mind and able to see the good and bad in all people and accept those things even if it is not what you would have chosen in their own lives. This book will stay with me for a very long time

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not my favorite but he wrote it so...

The subject matter was just not my cup of tea but I wanted to try listening to something by the author. Not mad I used a credit just not the best book I ever experienced. I certainly attribute that to personal opinion and not the writing ability of the author, we all know he is on of the great ones!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good for Debbie!!

Where does Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a decent book. Although it had its slow moments.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I loved hearing the story from the perspective of a porn industry actress. I often wondered how they separated working sex and real intimacy with a person that they love.

Which scene was your favorite?

The body in the bathroom was my favorite. Her reaction to her husband's death and the fact that he was with another woman. First, what horrible way to die, and second who wants to be the wife of that man?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Walter Mosley never disappoints

Mr. Mosley’s characters make you feel like you know their pain. She is more than her actions. She preaches in her behavior while asleep but as Ms. Pinckney awakens she gives voice to every stuffed emotion and begins to live. I’m glad I listened to this book I feel better for it.

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