Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women

book notes

title: Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women
author: Alexa Albert
published: 6.25.2022
publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: gift
genre(s): nonfiction
pages: 254
format: paperback
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BookBub | BookHype | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating:

the blurb

When Harvard medical student Alexa Albert conducted a public-health study as the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada, the only state in the union where prostitution is legal, neither she nor the brothel could have predicted the end result. Having worked with homeless prostitutes in Times Square, Albert was intimate with human devastation cause by the sex trade, and curious to see if Nevada’s brothels offered a less harmful model for a business that will always be with us. The Mustang Ranch has never before given an outsider such access, but fear of AIDS was hurting the business, and the Ranch was eager to get publicity for its rigorous standards of sexual hygiene. Albert was drawn into the lives of the women of the Mustang Ranch, and what began as a public-health project evolved into something more intimate and ambitious, a six-year study of the brothel ecosystem, its lessons and significance.
The women of the Mustang Ranch poured their stories out to Albert: how they came to be there, their surprisingly deep sense of craft and vocation, how they reconciled their profession with life on the outside. Dr. Albert went as far into this world as it is possible to go — some will say too far — including sitting in on sessions with customers, and the result is a book that puts an unforgettable face on America’s maligned and caricatured subculture.
From the Hardcover edition.

a few notes

❗warnings: some graphic talk about sex

setting: Mustang Ranch, Nevada
keywords/phrases: sex work, interpersonal relationships, brothel

mood reading: in the mood for an interesting look behind the curtain of the world-famous Mustang Ranch

my review

It should be noted that this was written almost 25 years ago, in the midst of its closure by the US government. It has since reopened and is alive and well.

This was a fascinating look at the Mustang Ranch, most particularly at the women who worked there. What started out as a thesis study on an aspect of public health for the author turned into much more. The author spent a considerable amount of time at the ranch, not only researching her area of study but getting to know the women and their stories. Because of that, she shines a light on the little known, or thought about, aspects of legalized sex work. What struck me the most was the feeling of community that the ranch gave not only the sex workers, but those at the ranch who worked in other roles.

When I began the book, I wasn’t certain I was going to enjoy the perspective. The author goes into the study with some very obvious preconceived notions about the industry and the women, an attitude that puts me off immediately. Especially when she states she went into it with an open mind, and it was clear it was anything but. But to the author’s credit, she recognizes and acknowledges this about herself as she spends more time at the ranch.

Whatever your feelings on the subject, I think this is a fascinating look at it with some interesting perspectives.

Rating Report
the story
the characters
the writing
the pacing
the world-building
the mood
the emotional significance
the conclusion
Overall:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge