Many of the brothel madams were kind hearted. For instance, Madame Pauline, on hearing of a desperate family in dire straits, provided them a house and a job for the father. In the west, the bawdy house girls filled an obvious need or they wouldn't have survived. Many girls left the trade as soon as they could, usually by marriage. Others became hooked on drugs or committed suicide.
The reader of this book will come away with a better understanding of the desolate and forlorn bordello girl, who, too often, had no place else to go. Many were gentle and kind hearted. Take Madame Pauline, who on hearing of a desperate family in dire straits, provided a house for the family and a job for the father. Her generosity wasn't known until her death. In the west, the bawdy house girls filled an obvious need, or they wouldn't have survived as long as they did. Many girls left the trade as soon as they could, usually by marriage.
Centering the experiences of women, this vivid social history examines Baltimore's prostitution trade and its evolution throughout the nineteenth century.
The first full length study of the history of sexuality in America, Intimate Matters offers trenchant insights into the sexual behavior of Americans, from colonial times to today. D'Emilio and Freedman give us a deeper understanding of how sexuality has dramatically influenced politics and culture throughout our history. "The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues struck down a Texas law criminalizing sodomy. The decision was widely hailed as a victory for gay rights—and it derived in part, according to Kennedy's written comments, from the information he gleaned from D'Emilio's book, which traces the history of American perspectives on sexual relationships from the nation's founding through the present day. The justice mentioned Intimate Matters specifically in the court's decision."—Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune "Fascinating. . . . [D'Emilio and Freedman] marshall their material to chart a gradual but decisive shift in the way Americans have understood sex and its meaning in their lives." —Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times Book Review "With comprehensiveness and care . . . D'Emilio and Freedman have surveyed the sexual patterns for an entire nation across four centuries." —Martin Bauml Duberman, Nation "Intimate Matters is comprehensive, meticulous and intelligent." —Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World "This book is remarkable. . . . [Intimate Matters] is bound to become the definitive survey of American sexual history for years to come." —Roy Porter, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
"Comprising all the decisions of the Supreme Courts of California, Kansas, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, District Courts of Appeal and Appellate Department of the Superior Court of California and Criminal Court of Appeals of Oklahoma." (varies)
Analyzing key examples of the sexual and familial regulation (through the law) of girls and women in twentieth-century Canada, this work explores the ways in which class, race, and gender shape the definition and punishment of criminality. It also examines the changing social and legal definitions of "normal" versus "criminal" sexual and family relationships, using case studies of incest, childhood sexual abuse, wife assault, prostitution, girls in conflict with the law, and Native women and the law.
