liirogue's review
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Karen Abbott
liirogue's review
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott
liirogue's review
rating:
I really enjoyed this - a mix of a biography and a social history that made you feel like you wish you could have been there to see it.
The book begins as a biography of the Everleigh sisters, the upscale madams of a famous Chicago brothel at the turn of the century. The entire time the author was describing their life and their house, I wanted to be there. I wanted to see for myself the beautiful artwork and the rich patrons.
The book loses a little steam when it begins to look at how society was changing at that time, but it is still interesting. I never knew or understood how the US went from "prostitution is okay if it is done on that side of the railroad tracks" to "prostitution everywhere is illegal." You'll also hear about the white slavery scare and the state of race relations at the time. Any book that can cover that amount of information and still keep your attention is doing pretty dang good.
The book begins as a biography of the Everleigh sisters, the upscale madams of a famous Chicago brothel at the turn of the century. The entire time the author was describing their life and their house, I wanted to be there. I wanted to see for myself the beautiful artwork and the rich patrons.
The book loses a little steam when it begins to look at how society was changing at that time, but it is still interesting. I never knew or understood how the US went from "prostitution is okay if it is done on that side of the railroad tracks" to "prostitution everywhere is illegal." You'll also hear about the white slavery scare and the state of race relations at the time. Any book that can cover that amount of information and still keep your attention is doing pretty dang good.
