Sugar Girls and Seamen

“Adamantine research and thoughtful analysis … brilliant and detailed.” — Sunday Times, South Africa

“Trotter presents a depth and richness of narrative that could only be achieved through prolonged and personal enquiry… The result is a series of narratives through which the reader, in turn, is able to become familiar with the characters involved.” — International Journal of Maritime History

“Sugar Girls and Seamen is simultaneously racy and light, critical and profound. Trotter shines a light on this shadowy world, helping readers understand the role that sex workers and sailors play in the social, economic and cultural realities of South African port cities, possibly even illuminating how their activities connect us all with each other and to the rest of the world.” — SirReadalot.org

“Sugar Girls and Seamen is a major contribution to our understanding of bar prostitution in harbor areas frequented by international sailors. It is the most in-depth and insightful exploration of this type of sexual commerce available—a wonderfully written, groundbreaking ethnographic study.” — George Washington University

“Trotter is so fascinated with the culture, that his drive to understand makes the book really readable. You are drawn into a world where the rules are important, but they are not the rules you know. A provocative read.” — The Citizen

“The author’s skills of observation, and affection for the real-life characters, results in stories that remain with you.” — O Magazine, South African edition

“We owe Henry Trotter, an American, a great debt for this work which South Africans have shied away from.”

“This book is an eye-opener; it’s an entertaining read that will have you laughing in places and gasping in others.” — Daily Dispatch