Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

A Novel

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

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.

Critic reviews

Praise for DEBBIE DOESN'T DO IT ANYMORE:

"In most of his 42 books, the much-admired Mosley has given us desperate characters constantly tested by circumstances and fate. Until now, none of his other series or stand-alones have come close to matching the kudos that have been showered on the Rawlins series. But Debbie's on stage now, and her brutally elegant story and its shocking conclusion will stun you."
—Chicago Tribune

"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, starred review

"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

"Prolific novelist Mosley (Little Green, 2013, etc.) fielded his fair share of criticism for his X-rated one-two punch of Killing Johnny Fry (2006) and Diablerie (2007), and readers attracted to the equally explicit nature of this novel might be expecting more of the same. In truth, readers are likely to be more surprised by the depth of protagonist Sandra Peel, whom the author treats with tremendous compassion... A well-told redemption song about the most unlikely of heroines."
—Kirkus

"... Debbie is an elemental creation in Mosely’s canon, a strong female character with an impeccable voice."
—Publishers Weekly

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.

It was difficult to stop listening

I was reluctant to buy this book. Now I'm glad I did. It's just wonderful.

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!

Love it very much.

loved it. I struggled sometime reading it but over it was a very good book.

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