Product Description

When Harvard medical student Alexa Albert conducted a public-health study as the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada, the only state in the union where prostitution is legal, neither she nor the brothel could have predicted the end result. Having worked with homeless prostitutes in Times Square, Albert was intimate with human devastation cause by the sex trade, and curious to see if Nevada’s brothels offered a less harmful model for a business that will always be with us. The Mustang Ranch has never before given an outsider such access, but fear of AIDS was hurting the business, and the Ranch was eager to get publicity for its rigorous standards of sexual hygiene. Albert was drawn into the lives of the women of the Mustang Ranch, and what began as a public-health project evolved into something more intimate and ambitious, a six-year study of the brothel ecosystem, its lessons and significance.

The women of the Mustang Ranch poured their stories out to Albert: how they came to be there, their surprisingly deep sense of craft and vocation, how they reconciled their profession with life on the outside. Dr. Albert went as far into this world as it is possible to go — some will say too far — including sitting in on sessions with customers, and the result is a book that puts an unforgettable face on America’s maligned and caricatured subculture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #218352 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-25
• Released on: 2002-06-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780449006580
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
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

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.

From Library Journal
In Brothel, which reads, by turns, like a research study, a cultural history, and a biography, Albert (now in her medical residency) investigates the work and lives of the ladies of the (in)famous Mustang Ranch, which in its time (it was shut down in 1999) was one of Nevada's largest, best-known, and richest brothels. Her interest in the Mustang Ranch was prompted by a study she was conducting on how prostitutes protect themselves from the sexually transmitted diseases while on the job. But after her initial three-week study was completed, Albert continued to visit the working girls she befriended over the next four years, spending a total of seven months with them. Using personal stories and anecdotes from the women she meets at Mustang, Albert shows them to be more than merely ladies of the night; instead, they are women with real names, families, hopes, and fears, like the rest of us. Although Albert is clearly sympathetic to the plight of these women, she is careful to present a balanced account of what it means to be a prostitute in a legalized brothel. The tone is engaging, and some sections are a little raunchy. Written for a popular audience, this is highly recommended for sociology, women's studies, and cultural history collections.
- Kim Clarke, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A very informative account of an under reported topic
Unlike illegal drugs, prostitution has received very little in the way of serious study. That's what makes Alexa Albert's book, "Brothel" so valuable. Despite her queasiness with the subject matter, Albert has managed to write a well balanced book that frankly portrays the pros and cons of legalized prostitution. There are a lot of surprises in the book, not the least of which is that nuances of the personalities of the working girls themselves. They do not all come from poor backgrounds, nor are they all victims of prior sexual abuse. They do not all have drug problems, nor are they all subservient to men. In short, their backgrounds are as varied as their stories.

Having said that, Albert's book is not for everyone. It is at times very sexually frank and contains some scenes that are not for the squeamish. I also found the passages where Albert worries about what her family will think of her research to be distracting and not relevant. It is enough for Albert to say that her feelings about what she witnesses are conflicted. This is a difficult subject, and this book should be read by both those who believe (as I do) that prostitution ought to be legalized on a wider basis and by those who would seek to try and eradicate it. Whatever your position, this book is guaranteed to surprise you.

Couldn't put it down
What an interesting and intriguing book. Perfectly told with great insight, clarity and reflection. I'd love to read more about what happened with some of the women and am ever more curious about the impact of legalizing the illicit. It clearly raises the question in my mind of what would be the benefits of legalizing prostitution in other states. And what of legal prostitution in other countries? Is the success the same or the parameters different? A great read - already recommended to many.

inside guide to legalized prostitution
Albert was given special permission to investigate the link between condom use and # of STDs among the professional women of the Mustang Ranch brothel for a graduate assignment. Albert not only presents this information, but also the reasons these women chose this career, the background of the famed Mustang Ranch in NV (and other brothels in NV), and a look at the day to day lives of these girls. Albert has a lot of respect for these women and staff so this book is no means insulting nor overtly filled with details of victimization or sexual misconduct (rape or abuse). Albert does a good job at showing the perks and the downfalls of being a prostitute and detailing the history of the institution.