Fresh out of the Israeli Army, twenty-year-old Iris Bahr decides to follow the footsteps of many before her and backpack through Asia. Only unlike the average traveler, she has more in mind than just seeing the sights: she is on a desperate mission to lose her virginity.
Dork Whore is a fresh and funny memoir about a young woman whose quirky personality and embarrassing neuroses always seem to get in the way of her getting what she wants. As Iris lands in hotel rooms in Bangkok, rides scooters out of opium-fogged compounds hidden in the jungle, and antagonizes an impromptu tour group in Vietnam, she begins to realize that the greatest obstacle she'll have to overcome isn't losing her virginity, but coming to terms with the reasons for her need to be accepted. Poignant, hilarious, and always original, Dork Whore is a remarkable mix of bawdy humor and heartbreaking moments, witty intelligence and touching personal discoveries. Iris Bahr has given us an unforgettable coming-of-age tale about how a young woman finally learns how to trust others--and her own judgment.
Iris Bahr is a critically acclaimed actor, writer, and director. Best known for her recurring stint on Curb your Enthusiasm, Iris also just starred in the comedy Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector and the CBS pilot Big Bang Theory. She has performed stand-up comedy across the country and guest-starred in numerous TV shows, including Friends, The Drew Carey Show, and King of Queens. Born and raised in the Bronx, Iris relocated to Israel with her mother at the age of 12, before returning to the U.S. to study at Brown University. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
Praise for Dork Whore: "Girl meets boy, girl meets another boy, and girl meets another boy…my kind of book! Dork Whore is hilarious. It's like listening to a drunk friend tell you all the embarrassing stuff she'll regret the next day."--Chelsea Handler, author of My Horizontal Life "Much about Ms. Bahr can be learned in her gracefully titled memoir, Dork Whore: My Travels Through Asia as a Twenty-Year-Old Pseudo-Virgin (Bloomsbury). The subtitle cannot be fully explained here, nor can her unpleasant experience in the audience at a Bangkok sex show, nor her exquisitely detailed gastrointestinal troubles, nor her repeated attempts to bring to an end her pseudo-virginal status."--New York Times
"Bahr has a flair for the self-deprecating wisecrack, a trick that keeps this quick memoir moving."--Kirkus Review
"Witty…touching details."--Publishers Weekly
"Like Bruch Chatwin with a vagina, Paul Theroux with a sense of humor, Iris Bahr takes an external and internal journey that is exotic, unique, singular, personal, intimate, honest, exciting, wildly funny, smart, and strangely arousing"--Larry Charles, director of Borat and producer of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm