The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
by Jan Hutson

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Book Reviews of The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Book Review: I loved this book
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a great little book. I'm delighted that it is back in print. It is the story which led to the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," a great movie with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

But, the book is nothing like the movie! It's even better. In the first place, it is history, not fiction. This is the story of the oldest continuously operating brothel in Texas. It first opened for business in 1844, in La Grange, Texas, where it became an institution which the community not only tolerated, but looked at with a certain pride.

The Chicken Ranch was protected by a succession of sheriffs, who, according to the author, did so out of the goodness of their hearts, and because the Chicken Ranch was a source of invaluable intelligence into criminal activities in the county.

The author, Jan Hutson, who moved to Texas when she married, and is intensely interested in Texas history, writes from a knowledgeable and sympathetic viewpoint.

Hutson is extremely hard on the TV personality, Marvin Zindler, whose efforts she credits for shutting the famous old house down. She portrays him as a toupee wearing, sensation-seeking "jerk" who went on a vendetta against the Chicken Ranch, seeking personal aggrandizement by making it a cause celebre.

"Busting sixteen obscure whores from Houston was not going to grab any headlines. But the Chicken Ranch was not obscure; it was a name familiar to every schoolboy in Texas. The house was doomed because its public relations had worked too well."(Page 109)

This is a great little book. This new edition is a reprint and virtually identical, but of far better quality and less expensive than the first edition.

The book is full of chuckles, and is a delight to read. I recommend it highly.

Joseph Pierre

Summary of The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

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• New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > History > United States