Bright Lights, Lonely Nights: The Memories of Serena

A true pioneer, artist, and star of her generation, Serena is the very definition of individuality and freedom tantamount to an exclusive community of golden era, erotic film performers. Melding natural beauty and raw sexuality with an intuitive, ethereal sensitivity, Serena created an abiding presence on screen. Almost 40 years after her film debut, exquisitely characterized by quiet wisdom and honesty, Serena continues to mystify and titillate fans. In her "memory book" Serena has crafted an odyssey of events, ruminations and images reflecting an inspired age of liberation.

For anyone who enjoyed X rated entertainment in the 70s and early 80s, “Serena” stood out as a model and porn star for the uninhibited joy and warmth that literally buzzed off the page or screen. Gifted with an intensely sensuous, expressive face, when sex was inevitable, she’d break into a wide smile that said, “This is all good! I love it.” For dirty old men fumbling under their raincoats, or pimply boys about to stuff another Kleenex under the bed, that smile said, “It’s okay to be horny! Let’s have fun!”

Now, 40 years later, Serena Czarnecki has brought her message full circle with her memoir, “Bright Lights, Lonely Nights,” a full-throated, heartfelt account of her years as an actress and performer in the x-rated industry.

This book is important because it opens the windows and doors on a part of our culture that was shamed and kept under covers for centuries – indeed, Serena and Holmes were arrested for having consensual sex simply because it was put on film. But in a twist that reveals the hypocrisy of the times, the police realized that Holmes was a celebrity, and after getting his autograph, released the two.

A good memoir shows us the challenges that the author has faced, how they’ve been confronted and overcome, and what it’s like now. Serena is unflinching in telling us about her struggles with bipolar syndrome, which she has overcome; her relationships – lovers, partners, husbands – and how she’s found contentment; the tragically sad relationship with her daughter.

There is also lots of interesting, juicy and novel information – or trivia – here: Just what was it like to “be with” John Holmes, and could his 13 ½ inches be accommodated? What on earth was James Brolin – later Barbara Streisand’s husband – doing with Serena? And, what are her three favorite possessions?

This is a book that is totally transparent – there is nothing artificial, contrived or “clever” here. It’s all real, it’s all Serena. And that is the gift she gives us.

In the end, we come to understand that the star power Serena had 40 years ago – that smile, that lack of inhibition, that genuineness – was anchored in an immense generosity of spirit. Here is someone who said to those of us who were lonely, needy, ashamed, and “apart” – “I’m here to give you what you need – take it and enjoy. It’s okay.”