cover image Prisoner of X: 20 Years in the Hole at Hustler Magazine

Prisoner of X: 20 Years in the Hole at Hustler Magazine

Allan Macdonell. Feral House, $16.95 (311pp) ISBN 978-1-932595-13-0

Allan MacDonell's account of his twenty years spent working for Larry Flynt is prime Feral House material: blunt, salacious and to-the-point. Opening with MacDonnel's curtain call, the nervous and barbed attack he delivered at Flynt's roast, MacDonell recounts his tenure working for one of America's most notorious citizens with candor and a biting wit. As a young punk rocker with a knack for writing but without a high school diploma, MacDonell managed to land an entry-level job in the editorial department of Hustler. Working in an environment that embodied the hedonism of the 1980s, MacDonell managed to excel in an office staffed by nepotistic hires, degenerates and the occasional competent worker, all nervously toiling under the moody shadow of Flynt. From bit parts in pornos to soliciting evidence of politicians' improprieties, MacDonell tells his story without flinching. Much like Hustler itself, this is a vulgar, sometimes shocking read, but it provides an excellent foil for Flynt's self-penned memoirs.