Madam - The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age by Debby Applegate
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Web ID: 14737317Insightful History
This is not only a fascinating biography of Polly Adler, but also an insightful history of the Jazz Age. Polly Adler was once one of many young immigrants to come from Eastern Europe, but the path her life took was anything but expected. Born in Yanow, Russia, in 1900, Pearl Adler's early life was very circumspect due to her gender and the anti-Semitic restrictions of the Russian Empire. Nevertheless, throughout her childhood, Pearl exhibited intelligence and was determined to get an education, even though that was unheard of for a girl. At just thirteen years of age, she landed at Ellis Island, all alone, to meet relations who were strangers. When this arrangement turned out to be less than desirable, she was forced to live on her own at a very young age. Her intelligence and determination would be put to many a test in the coming years. How Pearl became Polly Adler, the most well-known madam and a legend in New York City, is a long story, and very much worth reading. Boxers, gangsters, politicians, entertainers, cops, judges, writers, and reporters. High brow, low brow, and everything in between. She met them. Some came for drinks and games, some for the women, some to hide out. She had her finger on the pulse of the current culture for years. I was shocked at the depth of corruption in NYC during Polly’s lifetime. It was truly wild, as was her existence. The tenacity and stamina it took to hold on to her livelihood is unimaginable. Author Debby Applegate has used the language of this time period, and it effectively creates an atmosphere that transports the reader to another era. I am impressed with the extensive research this volume required and was captivated by its style. I haven’t given away any details in this review, in the hope that some of the surprising facts--and there are many--will amaze and enthrall someone else in the same way. Many thanks to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for this mesmerizing experience.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Engrossing!
The life of Manhattan bordello madam Polly Adler comes alive in this wonderfully written biography by Debby Applegate. Adler, a Russian immigrant worked the sweatshops of New York City as a seamstress, survived the horror of rape and eventually found a job working for Nick Montana procuring women for his ‘entertainment operation’. She opened her first bordello in 1920 and catered to patrons in the arts, bookmakers, bootleggers and politicians. She had an iron will, a sharp mind and an eye for marketing and drawing attention to the beautiful girls she employed. Her flamboyant style and nightclub appearances garnered attention, publicity and notoriety leading to vice raids and time behind bars. Throughout the Roaring Twenties and the Depression days of the thirties, Polly ran brothels throughout Manhattan. Protected by mobster Dutch Schultz, her private life was one that revolved around her girls and their customers. In the 1940’s her madam days were in the past and she retired to Los Angeles. Still ambitious, she returned to school, earned a degree and wrote her best selling memoirs. A remarkable read about a remarkable woman. Highly recommended.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Roaring Twenties
Debby Applegate, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, has written a fascinating biography of Polly Adler, a jazz-age madam, referred to as the "Jewish Jezebel." At age 13, she came to the United States by herself from a shtetel in Russia, and eventually became a notorious madam, catering to society men, gangsters, and the literati of 1920's New York. In Polly's rags to riches story; the author tells of life in the shtetl, Polly's experience as a new immigrant, and the reality of running an illicit business in 1920's Manhattan, replete with police payoffs, bootleggers, drugs, and the constant demand for attractive women. (I kept wondering if she would get caught, as did so many of the gangsters of the era, for tax evasion.) Recommended for anyone with an interest in women's history, or the history of the Roaring Twenties..
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
FASCINATING!
Who knew a book about a woman I had never heard of would be so compelling and bring together famous people we all know (FDR, Milton Berle, Desi Arnez) into this incredible picture of life in the early-mid 20th century. What an amazing, complex, relentless woman Polly Adler was! I loved this book. So well researched! I love when I’m reading and learn new things yet am reintroduced to familiar names and events tying them all together. This book is long - and packed with details and info - I found all of it captivating. This is the book I didn’t know I needed to read and am so glad I did! Highly recommend! Heartfelt thanks to Doubleday for the advanced copy. Go read this book! So fascinating!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Roaring 20s young madam
A fascinating and thorough look at the life of Polly Adler. She came to America alone from a shtetl in Janow, Russia. After being kicked out of two different relatives homes, she moved to New York City and got some work in a corset factory. She learned the ropes in the prostitution game and set up her first brothel in 1920, the same year as Prohibition came into existence as a moral ban on alcohol. She ran her brothels well for someone in her 20s, but paid a lot of money in bribes and still got busted at times. That cost her a lot in having to relocate, bail everyone out and hire lawyers. Polly built up a following of famous people, wealthy patrons, and underworld figures. She allowed just about anyone with a large bankroll to hire the services of her girls. Polly Adler soon became so well known that there were few who didn’t recognize her name. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Debby Applegate, and the publisher.
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