Her Life and Times
In Madam Bessie Jones, Her Life and Times, Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews’ “bawdy house” and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area’s elite white clientele—lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones’s operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative.
by Joan West
Page Count: 136
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: April 28, 2021
Imprint: Local History Press
Genre: History
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic
HISTORY / Women
HISTORY / United States / 20th Century
Reviews:
"This is a a great book, and integral story and a massive spotlight on the misogyny and racism that brought us where we are today." -- Pat LaMarche, author of Still Left Out in America
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At first blush, Madam Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times may look simply like a new, true crime examination of an old Carlisle, PA murder mystery. And, the book certainly delivers on that front. But, this history by author JM West is much more. She explores the economic and social factors which likely led to Bessie Jones -- and her mother before her -- to choose to run a bordello in a conservative small town in Pennsylvania. She looks at the nuanced and tiered treatment prostitution, the bawdy house operation, Bessie Jones, her employees, and her customers received from law enforcement and the town’s residents. Plus, West provides a broad historical context at the world, national and local levels as the stage upon which Jones’ personal story plays out. These various layers combine to tell a fascinating story about an enduring local scandal and murder mystery while taking the reader on a walk through 20th Century history and offering a thought-provoking and fresh perspective on the realities of prostitution.
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