Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women (2002)

I really enjoyed this book even though I stopped after reading half.

here we have many legal brothels so I don't think any weird of it at all. I think it is better than to have the girls on the street. The author even made me laugh when she tried on the red negligee! ( )

Culture is a strange thing. Depending on where you live in the world prostitution is either accepted or illegal and here in the United States it's even more strange as it's accepted nowhere other than in Nevada. Even then it's only legal in licensed brothels such as The Mustang Ranch. While it's legal and provides a high percentage of income for local government it's still not the type of business that is embraced or advertised publicly and is associated with a "look the other way" mentality.
Due to the attitude towards brothels, and prostitution in general, Alexa Albert took it upon herself to investigate the day to day practices of the brothels, its workers and its customers. Integrating herself into the Mustang Ranch by living there she became close with many of the workers and documented her findings and attitudes in 'Brothel: Mustang Ranch and its Women'.
'Brothel' is a very informative book that humanizes the sex industry in relation to the Mustang Ranch. It's also a very complicated industry which the author does her best to understand even going to the lengths of watching the actual act of prostitution taking place. Albert's greatest strength is also her greatest weakness in that she becomes emotionally close to some of the workers. As such she is allowed greater access into how they feel, what they think, how they cope etc but at the same time that causes her to lose her objectivity as she has an emotional connection to her subjects. Calling the workers her subjects is almost dehumanizing them on my part as they become friends of hers and Albert becomes someone who they can confide in.
One aspect that I took away from reading this book is that there is no set personality when it comes to who ends up in prostitution. Women from all walks of life turn to one of the world's oldest industry. However, none of them are ever there due to it being a career choice brought about by their love of the industry. Many were prostituting due to financial hardship while others were drawn towards the high earning potential even if they weren't experiencing hardship of there own. In many ways I ended up admiring the choice that these women had made, particularly those who were selling their bodies, so their children could have a better life. Sadly though as working at the Mustang Ranch meant being confined to the brothel for three weeks at a time, and sometimes more, their children missed out on time spent with their mothers.
I was surprised to learn that a fair percentage of the women enjoyed the sex they provided and often experienced orgasms. Unfortunately, even within such a stigmatized industry, those women were further stigmatized by some of their fellow workers who considered enjoying the prostitution a disgusting practice.
As much as the author analyzes and interprets the situations, conditions and experiences of the working girls the true beauty of this book lays in the human aspect. Regardless of whether they are working in a stigmatized industry, ultimately, the females who prostitute themselves are just like you and I and that shines through in the narrative.
The one problem I had with this book, and it's not something that can be avoided, is that it's dated. It was published back in 2001 when Mustang Ranch had been shut down by government agencies and so it ends with the future of the ranch still in limbo (I do believe it was rebuilt at another site and is now running under new ownership). Also, some of the laws that applied back then that are issues in the book have now changed such as brothels, and the sex workers themselves, not being able to advertise themselves. With the onset of the internet clients can book a time, their woman of choice and agree a price long before they even visit a brothel.
If you have an interest in human sexuality then I would certainly recommend this book as it covers a lot of different aspects such sexual health, prostitution, attitudes towards brothels and the sex itself. What it isn't is a book full of licentiousness, seediness and cheap thrills as the subject matter is handled in a mature and professional way. ( )

Though she originally visited the famous Mustang Ranch in Nevada to perform a study about condom use in legal brothels, Albert discovers a fascination with the life of a prostitute, and is in fact invited back to live at the Mustang several times over it last few years in operation. I admit I hadn't given legal prostitution too much thought; after all, what consenting adults do behind closed doors is none of my business. This, however, provided an engrossing look into one of America's last remaining taboos. Albert covers all aspects of the business - from legislation and lobbying, to pimps and boyfriends, to traveling salesmen who supply the prostitutes with clothing and makeup, to internet fans, forums, and conventions - and all with both sympathy and blunt honesty, regardless of her personal feelings. This is certainly a book to make one think. ( )

Albert spent a year living in a legal brothel near Reno, NV. The main characters in this documenatry-style book are of course the prostitutes, but she also examines the male clientele who patronize the Mustang ranch and the bartenders, laundresses, madams, and other support staff who work there. The portrait of the prostitutes is nuanced, yet ultimately sad, and the politics of the brothel are brutal, yet they have an esprit de corps not present among many classes of workers. Albert does not argue the case for decriminalization or legalization of prostitution, but the facts that emerge about the Mustang Ranch present a compelling case that this model is preferable compared with what prostitutes working outside the law must do to survive. ( )

I know this seems like a strange read but I really enjoyed it. It gave me a totally different light on Brothels, how they got started, why the women work there and the lives they lead. I thought it was well written by the woman that went in lived with them on and off for a few years. She kept her tone neutral until it was time to take a side. Really interesting book. ( )