Ep. 18: Tampa by Alissa Nutting

People love to hate this book. No. I mean really hate. Tampa depicts, in graphic detail, a teacher abusing a student. I think a lot of hate is misplaced and wrong. Here's why.

Tampa by Alissa Nutting frequently makes the “most disturbing” or “darkest books ever written” lists. The book is currently carrying a 3.4 star average on Goodreads and a 3.5 rating on Amazon. Yes, the book is graphic and depicts dark and depraved scenes. It would be easy to write this off as smut and trash. If you are on the fence, I urge you to listen to this episode before rushing to judgment because I disagree with those ratings as they do not encompass the complexities of this story.

Go Directly to the Episode

Where to Find Alissa

• Goodreads

• Harper Collins

• Twitter/X

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

Other Links

• Review: 'Tampa' a dirty but dull fictional take on Debra Lafave case

• Tampa: The Truth Behind This Year’s Most Controversial Book

• The heroine of Tampa is not Debra Lafave

• Conversation with Alissa Nutting

• HYRT Episode 12: My Dark Vanessa

You Should Also Read

• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

• My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

• Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry

• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Watch These

Alissa Nutting on challenging gender representations

Reading by Alissa Nutting, 1.30.14

Interview with female sexual predator (Debra Lafave)

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