Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

Karen Abbott

Edition	Hardcover
List Price	$25.95
	$17.13 (Save 33%)

Published by	Random House
Release date	2007-07-10
ISBN	1400065305
Availability	Usually ships in 24 hours

Step into the perfumed parlors of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history?and the catalyst for a culture war that rocked the nation. Operating in Chicago?s notorious Levee district at the dawn of the last century, the Club?s proprietors, two aristocratic sisters named Minna and Ada Everleigh, welcomed moguls and actors, senators and athletes, foreign dignitaries and literary icons, into their stately double mansion, where thirty stunning Everleigh ?butterflies? awaited their arrival. Courtesans named Doll, Suzy Poon Tang, and Brick Top devoured raw meat to the delight of Prince Henry of Prussia and recited poetry for Theodore Dreiser. Whereas lesser madams pocketed most of a harlot?s earnings and kept a ?whipper? on staff to mete out discipline, the Everleighs made sure their girls dined on gourmet food, were examined by an honest physician, and even tutored in the literature of Balzac.

Not everyone appreciated the sisters? attempts to elevate the industry. Rival Levee madams hatched numerous schemes to ruin the Everleighs, including an attempt to frame them for the death of department store heir Marshall Field, Jr. But the sisters? most daunting foes were the Progressive Era reformers, who sent the entire country into a frenzy with lurid tales of ?white slavery???the allegedly rampant practice of kidnapping young girls and forcing them into brothels. This furor shaped America?s sexual culture and had repercussions all the way to the White House, including the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

With a cast of characters that includes Jack Johnson, John Barrymore, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., William Howard Taft, ?Hinky Dink? Kenna, and Al Capone, Sin in the Second City is Karen Abbott?s colorful, nuanced portrait of the iconic Everleigh sisters, their world-famous Club, and the perennial clash between our nation?s hedonistic impulses and Puritanical roots. Culminating in a dramatic last stand between brothel keepers and crusading reformers, Sin in the Second City offers a vivid snapshot of America?s journey from Victorian-era propriety to twentieth-century modernity.

Visit www.sininthesecondcity.com to learn more!

Praise for Sin in the Second City:
?Assiduously researched? [Sin in the Second City] describes a popular culture awash in wild tales of sexual abuse, crusading reformers claiming God on their side, and deep suspicion of the threat posed by ?foreigners? to the nation?s Christian values.?
??Janet Maslin, The New York Times

?Lavish in her details, nicely detached in her point of view, [and with] scrupulous concern for historical accuracy, Ms. Abbott has written an immensely readable book. Sin in the Second City offers much in the way of reflection for those interested in the unending puzzle that goes by the name of human nature." ? The Wall Street Journal

"Abbott's first book is meticulously researched and entertaining... a colorful history of old Chicago that reads like a novel."
??The Atlanta Journal Constitution

?With gleaming prose and authoritative knowledge Abbott elucidates one of the most colorful periods in American history, and the result reads like the very best fiction. Sex, opulence, murder ? What's not to love??
?? Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

?A detailed and intimate portrait of the Ritz of brothels, the famed Everleigh Club of turn-of-the-century Chicago. Sisters Minna and Ada attracted the elites of the world to such glamorous chambers as the Room of 1,000 Mirrors, complete with a reflective floor. And isn?t Minna?s advice to her resident prostitutes worthy advice for us all: ?Give, but give interestingly and with mystery.??
?? Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City

?Karen Abbott has combined bodice-ripping salaciousness with top-notch scholarship to produce a work more vivid than a Hollywood movie.?
?? Melissa Fay Greene, author of There is No Me Without You

?Sin in the Second City is a masterful history lesson, a harrowing biography, and - best of all - a superfun read. The Everleigh story closely follows the turns of American history like a little sister. I can't recommend this book loudly enough.?
?? Darin Strauss, author of Chang and Eng

?This is a story of debauchery and corruption, but it is also a story of sisterhood, and unerring devotion. Meticulously researched, and beautifully crafted, Sin in the Second City is an utterly captivating piece of history.?
?? Julian Rubinstein, author of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber

Customer Reviews - courtesy of Amazon.com ( Marked4Sale.com is not responsible for review content )

I Love the Naughty Ladies

What I love about this book:

- Terrific writing with vivid details about the lives of the Everleigh Sisters
- A real feel for what it was like to live and work in the demimonde at the turn of the century
- A sense of drama with the stories of the rivalries between brothels, the religious movement and the machinations of the political and legal systems.
- Excellent insight into the greater social forces in regards to sexuality and women

This is just a fascinating read - if you're like me, you won't put it down until the last page (and i am a notorious half-finisher, so that's quite a feat!) A fantastic choice for book clubs too!

I *highly* recommend this - one chapter in and I guarantee that you will become a rabid fan like me.

CANNOT PUT IT DOWN

For those that love to read a book that grabs them and doesn't let go - Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City is a MUST. Not only does the reader get an enjoyable history lesson- but along the way Karen shows us how so much of what we know and experience today - is not new at all.

The portrait of the Everleigh sisters is simply fascinating, Chicago of the early 1900's was made for Abbott's prose - and the best part is - She's writing another book. People will read again - and Karen is one of the reasons why. Read this book. Its SUPER.

History that reads like a novel

SIN IN THE SECOND CITY reads like a novel but is a non-fiction book. The fascinating world of the Everleigh sisters and the underground world of prostitution in the early 1900's make for a fascinating read. The author has researched the material well to flesh out the elusive sisters and their cohorts, courtesans, friends and enemies.

The author's prose is evocative of the time without ever being stiff or scholarly. It is easy to become engrossed in the world of the Everleigh club and the shifting allegences of the various madams and underworld figures.

All in all, a fascinating book that reads like a historical novel. I would highly recommend it.

Sin in the Second City

A fine story telling in the context of a well-crafted historical novel. The small and difficult to read font is the only reason why I cannot make Sin in the Second city a 5-star read.

Fascinating slice of history.

Really great book about turn of the century Chicago right after the World's Fair. There is no doubt that sin and crime were just as evident in the world 100 years ago as they are today. The Everleigh sisters did an amazing job of running a "decent" brothel and staying a step of two ahead of their competitors. I wish there had been more history on them from before they came to Chicago, I was surprised to find they grew up near the area I live in. The history of the religious movement to tame Chicago's Levee district was also very interesting. The only drawback is the book didn't flow quite as smoothly as a pure novel, but it is one of the most interesting non-fiction books I have ever read. If only my high school history books had been this good!