Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red Light District
by Al Rose
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Book Summary Information
Author: Al RoseEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1978-04-30
ISBN: 0817344039
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Book Reviews of Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red Light District
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red-Light District is written by Al Rose. The author states that the purpose of this book is "to give the reader a reasonable true-to-life impression of `The District'--its people, its music, its press, its rise and decline, its `ways" (1). Rose is not interested in telling myths and rumors. He wants to tell the true story and present only the facts. This book is also not an argument for or against the legalization of prostitution. Through his interviews with former inhabitants of Storyville and historical accounts, the author delivers a powerful message of what life was like for residents living in New Orleans shortly after the turn of the century.
This book describes how Storyville began, how life in New Orleans was affected when it was in business, and how it eventually was shut down by the government. Al Rose also includes chapters on the people, music, press, and first hand accounts from some anonymous survivors of storyville. These different chapters help to describe many aspects of Storyville. The author does a thorough job of recounting the events of Storyville. While taking the reader through the history, Rose also includes many photographs, documents, drawings, maps, and excerpts from newspapers of the time. This helps the reader to better understand and visualize the history and show evidence that the author is interested in only telling the true story.
Al Rose starts the reader off with an introduction to Storyville. He describes Storyville as the legal red-light district of New Orleans. It existed for nineteen years from January 1, 1898 to November 12, 1917. Storyville was an area defined by law to be used for prostitution and other areas of vice. Lawmakers wanted a way to control and regulate prostitution without having to openly acknowledge it. New Orleans passed an ordinance, and this ordinance initiated the episode of events that created Storyville. The ordinance stated that prostitution was clearly illegal outside of storyville, but neither legal or illegal inside it. The area was later named Storyville by the press after Alderman Story, who helped to write the ordinance that created Storyville. Alderman was mortified and fought with the press for years to change the name. The residents of New Orleans often called Storyville `the district.' It was only called Storyville by the press and historians.
The most informative part of the book is the chapter dedicated to anonymous interviews of people who experienced `the district' first hand. Rose includes several interviews with many different types of people, with different view points of Storyville. He interviews a "Trick Baby," a Pimp, a Man About Town, a Madam, a Crib Woman, a Working Stiff, and a Working Girl. These interview give the reader amazing insight to what it was really like to live in New Orleans while Storyville was open for business. In one interview with the "Trick Baby," she describes how she was born in the attic of one of the brothels. Her mother was a prostitute and her father was just another customer of `the district.' She compares growing up in a brothel to growing up with a father that owns a grocery store. "I know it'd be good if i could say how awful it was and like crime don't pay--but to me it seems just like anything else--like a kid who's father owns a grocery store. He helps him in the store. Well, my mother didn't sell groceries" (150). These interviews force the reader to imagine what it would be like if they were in that situation. This helps one form their own opinions about prostitution and vice.
In another interview with a Man About Town, who was a customer of `the district,' the man offers a unique insight into how the businesses were run. He states that he has traveled all over the world, and has been to many different `whorehouses.' He says that Storyville is different from all the other districts that he has been to. He reveals that, "The foreign whores, somehow manage to feign an attitude that leads you to believe, at least for the moment of intercourse that you have their attention and that they are interested in seeing that you have a pleasant time" (155). He describes them as having pride in workmanship. He compares this experience to his experiences in Storyville, "Storyville whores, no matter how well-dressed or how gaudily expensive the whorehouses, were avaricious, greedy, and uncouth. Really low class people, despite the Blue Book ads" (155). This contrast helped to reveal the truth about how storyville was run.
Rose also talks about this stark contrast between Storyville and how prostitution is done in other places around the world. He compares it to Japan where women raised in the authentic geisha tradition receive a professional training in the sexual arts such as the Kama Sutra. He adds that Storyville was not about art, it was about greed. He describes the women as having no real interest in their customers' enjoyment or satisfaction. All they wanted was the money that the men brought. This helps to realize how unique and different Storyville was for other places that dealt with prostitution.
Al Rose writes Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red-Light District as a true account of the events of `the district.' He uses many primary and secondary sources to describe the attitude of Storyville and its people. He helps the reader to understand that `the district' was a unique place. The interviews offer an extraordinary view of the lives of the people and how they were affected by Storyville. This book gives a significant understanding of the history and its importance to the reader.
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