Rating: 
Summary: A vivid tale of struggle, pain, and personal growth
Review: Pimp is a unique look into a dark world that not many people get to see and much less relate to. Robert Beck takes the reader on a journey to witness his captivating transgression from an abused and emotionally scarred child into a misogynistic money hungry beast.Poverty, prison, a missing role model, and the general feeling of hopelessness commonplace in the ghetto made Beck a product of his environment. One which surrounded him by nefarious individuals who also contributed in molding this young man into the now infamous, Iceberg Slim. These factors result into a sad and disturbing premise for Beck's story. Although I must say that once you read it for yourself, you will no longer be surprised that he ended up the way he did. What will surprise you was the way he somehow managed to muster the strength to rise above this squalid lifestyle. Beck has a knack for graphic detail and uses ample doses of it throughout. He is apparently a brutally honest person who was no objections telling you about the pimp game from his uncensored perspective. Not necessarily to glamorize this sort of life; he just refuses to pull punches. And personally, I can appreciate this sort of 'realness.' The dialogue and descriptions are peppered with pimp slang that sometimes is confusing and gives the impression that he is writing in a different language. Thankfully, Beck includes a glossary (which is quite amusing in itself) for some of these more obscure terms. But this did very little to detract from the message Beck was conveying. Overall I enjoyed this book thoroughly and would recommend it to nearly anybody.
Rating: 
Summary: The real Slim Shady
Review: This is the 'realest' book you will ever read. Of course its attitude toward women is ridiculous, of course its attitude that the only way African Americans could get power in the fifties/sixties (to pimp) strikes us as anachronistic. That aside, you just about feel you are PIMP as you hustle the streets, take care of your stable, delude yourself that you're living the dream life. The writing style is original, compelling, so involving you can smell the sweat, you are there in the dingy rooms, watching the transactions, you are voyeur, you are involved in the sex stuff, all the time you can't tear your eyes away from the horror and beauty of Pimp's life.
Rating:
Summary: A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there...
Review: This is the autobiography of a pimp. There's nothing apologetic in it. The author regrets the line of work he chose, but you never get the impression that he's overplaying or underplaying any story in this book. It doesn't judge. It doesn't glamorize. It is nothing but honest. You get the impression that he's is telling this to you, or wrote it as it came to him and never went back to edit. Even the typos and misspellings added to the authenticity.
As a look into an unknown world, this book is fascinating. As a piece of writing, it certainly expanded my vocabulary. There's a glossary in the back for all the slang, but I found that I didn't even know a lot of the words that weren't included in the glossary, presumably because their meaning is well-known. And for all the sex and brutality in the book, the writing is well-crafted-you know enough, but it's never graphic for the sake of it.
The story itself is basically the life of this pimp, nicknamed Iceberg Slim. He tells you upfront that he was very lucky he didn't end up dead or in jail, as most people of his profession do. The story follows him from a young naïve kid to a wise old pimp at the top of his game. The book was written in the late 60s, but the story runs mostly from the '30s-'50s. From different cities to different jails, from whore to whore, the entire book oozes seediness and grit. It makes very clear that there is nothing glamorous in the life of a pimp.
Rating:
Summary: Listen...read...remember...Slim is the truth!!
Review: Too often these days we hear all these people goin around callin themselves pimps, and hoes and say they pimpin it!! How would I ever know that real pimpin took place almost 50 yrs ago. Iceberg Slim delivered his most heartfelt novel. Even more Heartfelt than his "Naked Soul" because these are real experiences, real people, and real pimping. It starts off with him as a child and his loving mother. His father treated him like crap, so they left, him and his mother met a man that would soon become Iceberg's role-model, Henry. But later his mother tricked Henry and she and Iceberg meet his dead beat dad Steve in Minneapolis. From there Robert (Iceberg) gets in a lot of trouble. His first taste of the street. Throughout the book Rob is in contact with characters that sometimes overshadow him. His mother, father Steve, stepfather Henry, 1st botton-whore Phyllis (the runt), Sweet-Top, Party-Time, Flat-Top, Chris, Rachel, and Leroy. The book shows his rise from a pimp dream to a pimp fantasy to a pimp hell! One of the hardest parts for me in the book was understanding the slang, this is slang used during the 1930's 40's and 50's! I found myself flipping back and forth between the glossary. Phyllis was his first cop and probably the most explored character in the book besides Iceberg himself. Even though she later bailed on him she was his first true ride or die chick. Chris (whom he had stolen from a crazed-Leroy who he later met in jail at the end of the book) was the only one to stand by his side when his stable was falling apart while he was in jail. Rachel was also the only one on his side while he was in jail his final time for breaking out of jail. Flat Top and Party Time introduced him to the Chicago pimping game. Although they later on destroyed their lives through pimping they opened the door for Iceberg. Sweet probably the most powerful character in the book was just so powerful and strong that I could just envision his live pad and his lavish dwellings. But as always the stress of the street was just too much and he ended up shooting himself in the head. Only for short periods of time was Iceberg on top of his game, he was trading his old hog for a new hog every year and was pickin up the scratch night after night from his stable (see that pimp vocab is with me now.) and for a short time after he broke out of jail he was the pimp's pimp! But besides that he was pullin somebody's mind or travelin from city to city to get some yellow or H (u gotta read this book to kno what I am talkin about :)) It's just a shame that he had to visit jail multiple times, pimp, beat, and brutalize many woman, and see his mother pass away before he could realize the wrongdoings of his life over the past 20 yrs. I think him sitting in the confined cell over those past 10 mos were a real wake up signal to him, Iceberg Slim. I did not read this book to become a pimp by any means. I read this book because Robert Beck is a celebrated black author of classic ghetto stories not to entertain but to intimidate. Robert Beck knows the pimp game, he knows what its all about, but he also knows the stress, the pain, the heartache, and the paranoia that comes along with it. And he knows that he never wants to see any brother or sister have to go thru it. So while his stories may be heart-wrenching, captivating, and entertaining remember that his stories are warnings and testaments of a life that is cold and always leads to a life full of drugs, sex, death, and sadness. Robert Beck is a ghetto lyrical genius that reminds US that our lives don't have to end or begin like this, get your education and have respect for yourself. No amount of money is worth the hell he put himself through. Listen....read......remember....Robert "Iceberg Slim" Beck is the real truth!!!
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