- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Jun 25 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0449006581
- ISBN-13: 978-0449006580
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#389,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #78 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Pornography
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
A journey into a fascinating subculture, Alexa Albert's exploration of Nevada's infamous cathouses began as a public-health study into the safe-sex practices of these legal working girls and the effectiveness of condom requirements in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. It took her three years to gain access to the brothels, and when her project was eventually approved by the head of the Nevada Brothel Association, she was surprised to be invited to stay at Mustang Ranch, among the women of the brothel, for the duration of her research. She learned that despite the legalization of prostitution in several counties of Nevada, the working girls still faced restrictive local ordinances and work regulations that kept them virtual prisoners inside the brothel compound. Outside, they encountered the same social stigma that has always haunted sex workers. In her compassionate, engaging first book, Albert answers all the questions you might ever have about prostitutes, providing a rich and nuanced depiction of a largely hidden world. --Regina Marler
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Perhaps the most prominent legal brothel in Nevada, Mustang Ranch held mythical status in contemporary Western culture until it was shut down on racketeering charges in 1999. As a medical student, Albert was granted rare access to this intensely private world in order to conduct a study on condom use, and lived periodically at Mustang Ranch from 1993 to 1999. Her routine study soon deepened in tandem with her curiosity about the politics of prostitution and about the prostitutes themselves. In this straightforward account, she details the brothel regimen (from the women's relative captivity to what happens during various "parties") and explores the private lives of the women who work there, as well as those of the "johns" and the workers who service the Ranch. Yet the heart of the book lies in Albert's exploration of the sense of family that thrives in the brothel with all the fractious infighting, competition and camaraderie inherent in any community. Her short history of the legalization of prostitution in Nevada revolves around Joe and Sally Conforte who officially owned Mustang Ranch until charges of tax evasion forced Joe into hiding in South America in 1990 while illuminating the confluence of public opinion and economic forces that spurred legalization. Acknowledging her own feelings (which range from disgust to profound respect), Albert convincingly dispels myths about this mysterious world and provides a strong defense for the legalization of prostitution. (May 15)Forecast: More current and sociological than last year's The Last Madam (which was set in New Orleans), this engrossing, plainly told account should attract considerable attention as Albert travels the country on her seven-city tour.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The postmark read "Reno Nevada, 24 Dec 1992." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
The postmark read "Reno Nevada, 24 Dec 1992." Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Quick Read,
By J. R. Bodine (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women (Paperback)
The book is an interesting quick read, written by a female Dr. who did one of the first inside studies. Interested things you will learn or may have already suspected:1. With protection there have not been any recorded AIDs cases in a legal brothel in NV....condoms work. 2. Ladies don't do this because they are working their way through college or seeking an advanced degree. Most do it because they need the money and don't have the skills to earn the money they need w/ their current job skills. Many have several children and families to support. 3. The ladies working here are not weird freaks, but mostly just regular females from all different backgrounds. 4. Many of the ladies are Not 18 - 25, but much older. 5. The only negative fact that I learned about legalized prostitution is that unfortunately pimps sometimes still exists in the picture. 6. My opinion from the book is that legalized prostitution is a better alternative than illegal prostitution. Overall this is a highly recommended book on an interesting subject.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book,
By
This review is from: Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women (Paperback)
I had to read Brothel as a book for my Gender and Womens studies class, so of course I did not jump to the reading as I normally would with a book that I picked. However, from the begining the book was quite interesting and informational. Alexa Albert not only explains one of the legal brothels in Nevada but also takes you on a journey in the life of a legal prostitute. Albert was astonished that the women liked what they did and tried to excell in their profession.This is a good book that deals close with the profession of Prostitution.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where no one has been before...,
By
This review is from: Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women (Paperback)
Alexa Albert's study in Nevada's well-known (and now defunct) Mustand Ranch brothel was a fascinating read. Albert lobbied the Nevada Brothel Association, for three years in order to conduct a public health study, and was finally given admittance. Nevada is the only state in the U.S. that has legal brothels. Albert wanted to study condom use and measures to prevent the spread of STDs. No public health official, or doctor had ever conducted a study in a brothel, seemingly the most obvious place to learn about it. Albert begins the book talking about her study, but the rest of the book is more of a journalistic style, reporting on the lives and trials of the Mustang Ranch prostitutes. The prostitutes are not portrayed as whores or drug addicts, but real women with outside lives, families to support, and educated minds. She became friends with some of the women, and continues to correspond with them, even after Mustang Ranch was shut down by the IRS in the late 1990s.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
