Brutal Uncut

Aiden Shaw has broken one of my life long habits. Never in my long years of reading (and they are long years) have I completed a book at one reading. I like to read a bit, put the book down and ponder on what I have read. With "Brutal" however, once I began I couldn't stop. As a long time addictions counselor and hospice worker, I have heard all the stories and sat with the dying until the end. Aiden Shaw has taken all the stories and experiences and weaved them into an engossing, captivating and life-revealing novel. Written in simple language without any of the technical and college-i-fied terminology, this book provides insights into the psychology -- and spirituality -- of drugs, sex and death and dying. It is a "must read" especially for anyone connected with addictions and death and dying.Ford BoyerAuthor of "Rituals for a Peaceful Transition"Co-Author of "Listening to the Soul"

Don't expect a pretty ending, or a middle, or beginning, because brutal is reality, the kind you're glad isn't yours. I just hope it's not autobiographical.

I found Brutal chilling, yet heart-warming at the same time. I'm a writer myself so know how difficult this is.

Put two or three days aiside, unplug the phone and read: real characters, telling a real story about lives, I wish at times weren't real. The author, despite his experiances remains sweet, and surprisingly hopeful.

Written in 1996, Aiden Shaw's first fictional book reads like a personal & insightful account of prostitution, drugs, and gay sex. Told from a first-person perspective, the storyline reads like a personal diary, rich in character development and unsuspecting surprises. The subject matter is direct, dealing with gay sex ( & unsafe sex at that), hustling, wild parties, and shifting thoughts as an era ends. The characters are seemingly real, written with depth and eloquence. Readers will surely wonder if Shaw isn't sharing a piece of his personal life, told through real experience. Not long ago, Aiden Shaw said he would re-write parts of it. The US edition may be a revised addition, but nonetheless worth picking up. Ideally, it was intended to be a screenplay-- hence the way the story unfolds, draws you in, and characters (as wild as they are at times) to seem like old friends. Mr. Shaw is also a prolific poet, author of two other books, lyricist (fronting a band called Whatever), and incidentally one of gay porn's icons. Who else would have such insight into the gay community and search for love, lust, and luxury?