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Guests | December 7, 2009

The Cornucopia of Home Science

1 comment By Theodore Gray

Reading old books of science experiments for children, it's easy to become nostalgic for the days when you could buy jugs of sulfur and mercury at... Continue »

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1. 
   $20.96 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

   The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe

   Theodore Gray

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lupabitch, September 23, 2008

No, this isn't a knock-off of "Sex in the City". Though "Sin in the Second City" deals with sex, women, beauty, and money for luxuries, the latter book is entirely true--based on the incomparable Everleigh Sisters, Minna and Ada.

At the turn of the century, the Levee District of Chicago was a hotbed of vice--prostitution, gambling, illicit substances of all sorts, and a high rate of violent crime. Into this morass of sin came the Everleigh Sisters. Toting their profits from successful prostitution in Omaha, and a pair of fake histories to throw off anyone attempting to trail their true origins, Minna and Ada set up shop at 2131-2133 Dearborn Street. Rather than following local trends and buying white slaves who would then be abused, denied health care despite their professions, and intimidated by a house whipper, The Everleigh Sisters set out to create a whorehouse that had a waiting list a mile long--for prostitutes who voluntarily wanted to work for them.

In the decade that followed, the Everleigh Club (as their fine house was known) became the center of a blazing hot debate over white slavery and the red light district. Politics reigned supreme, from rivalries between different houses, to civic power struggles and grafting. And, of course, the morality police came out in force, using the worst cases of white slavery (and even some trumped-up charges) to paint the entire Levee District--the Everleigh included--with the same tawdry brush.

Karen Abbott devotes much of the book to chronicling the adventures, misadventures, and tragedies that resulted. This is no dry tome listing historical factoids. Abbott brings the early 1900s vividly alive, with a talented eye towards description, and the ability to weave a story that would leave the Everleigh Sisters looking larger than life--if we didn't already know this was a work of nonfiction. Indeed, the author has done her homework, and I look forward to learning from more historical narratives from her.

Every person involved in the sex and the scandals is brought forward as a true human being, well-rounded with heart and soul. Abbott has the ability to make the reader sympathize with all of them, both the hookers and the preachers, whether we agree with them or not. Related issues at the time are discussed to give context, and the connections between the politics at the time--including on a federal level--and the eventual demise of the Everleigh Club are made quite clear.

In short, this is an incredibly fascinating read about such a seemingly insignificant, yet truly important, part of American history. Whether you cheer for the sexual prohibitionists who brought the Levee red light district to an end, or for the sisters who brought about the premiere whorehouse for both the "boys" and the "girls", you'll be sure to be engrossed in a true story that, for all its age, has only become more interesting with time.

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