Madam: A biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age

 

I sure do like a book about old timey sex workers.

I first heard about Madam - and, Polly Adler herself - when the author of this book was on CBS Sunday Morning. I'll buy anything that appears on CBS Sunday Morning; it's like my QVC. Anyway, as soon as I saw this story and heard about Adler's story, I dropped the request on the library website.

Polly Adler's story is uniquely American, though she herself was an immigrant from Belarus. She came to this country with nothing, poor and passed from family member to family member. After working at low-paying jobs, she finally realized the real money at this time in New York City was in the brothels that were frequented by everyone from professional athletes to prominent politicians. 

Polly took that idea and ran with it all the way into history. She was THE madam of the day and an absolute legend in New York City. History may not remember her name, but the imprint she had on that city in that time was undeniable.

This book was about sex work in the Jazz Age to a point, but was also a fascinating look at the Jazz Age in general. That combined with the history of New York City makes this a fascinating - albeit long - read.