Brothel: Mustang Ranch And Its Women (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
Every time I take the California Zephyr and go through Reno, the On Board Chief of Services, or one of his minions, never fails to point out the famous Mustang Ranch, located in a secluded valley twenty-some miles out of Sparks, Nevada. If you've ever been curious about what goes on, and why, in Nevada's brothels and the Mustang Ranch, in particular, you will find this a fascinating book. I did. Ms. Albert, a public health specialist, had been interested for years in HIV and STD transmission and condom usage. She was curious to measure the impact of legalized prostitution on these parameters. Her first overtures to George Flint, ordained minister, wedding chapel owner, and executive director for the Nevada Brothel Association, were rebuffed, but she didn' give up. Flint realized she was a serious researcher and paved the way for her to spend several weeks living (not working) at the famous Mustang Ranch in Storey County, near Reno — not in Reno, and that distinction is important and has historical roots. Brothels can only be licensed legally in counties, and Reno and Las Vegas have chosen not to do so. That is itself an interesting story, because one of the staunch opponents of legalized prostitution in Las Vegas has been Steve Wynn, wealthy casino owner, who publicly argues that it tarnishes the image of Las Vegas, gambling and former mob mecca of the world. Privately, many speculate that the real reason is that unlicensed, freelance prostitution, which thrives in Las Vegas, takes place in the hotels that own the casinos and therefore keeps the gamblers in the casinos where they belong. The brothels are all located in remote areas, away from the cities and that takes money away from the casinos. Brothels are prohibited from advertising, yet the freelancers have 140 pages in the Las Vegas Yellow Pages devoted to their activities which are completely unregulated. A brothel can be a very substantial source of revenue for the county (4% of Storey County's total revenue in the case of the Mustang). Annual license fees in the hundreds of thousands are not rare, and the associated employment brings in needed additional tax revenue. Following the federal seizure of the Mustang Ranch for the failure of the owner to pay appropriate income taxes (he was a fugitive in Brazil and hiding the revenue under a false corporation), the brothel has been shut down until the courts can decide on the legality of the appeal of the conviction. The Feds had thought about running the brothel to bring in some revenue to pay the expenses of the prosecution, but that was deemed politically unwise. The author came away from the experience a confirmed advocate of legalized prostitution. Customers and prostitutes are safe and the regulation is intense. Condom usage is mandatory, as are regular health checkups, and in fact no licensed prostitute has ever been diagnosed with HIV, although several applicants, who were refused licenses, had been. It's ironic, but the johns have virtually no control over their experience at the brothel except for the selection of the girl, and even that is often out of their control. If the word gets around that a particular john is impolite, routinely abusive, or just generally obnoxious, the word gets around, and the girls will walk him, i.e., quote impossibly high prices (as independent contractors they set their own prices, returning 50% to the brothel), and soon the john leaves, frustrated to say the least. In any case, the girls remain in complete control of the situation and each customer gets a thorough wash and genital examination to look for any sign of an STD. Many of the women see themselves as providing a valuable public service, and from her interviews with many of the clients, Ms. Albert would agree. For many of the men, it's their only form of social contact, and many even become quite addicted to it, even to the point where they subsidize the girls beyond what happens in the building, giving them extra clothes, helping with moving, the rent, etc. But to the majority of the women, a trick is still a trick, and they can be quite good at manipulating these relationships. Most of them are in it for the money, which can be very good. Some were persuaded by husbands, others by mothers!!, most by financial necessity, but many have worked for many years. Several insisted they can completely separate their professional lives from their personal, insisting they maintain a normal life at home with their husbands and families. But despite its legalization, the life lacks legitimacy, and those who work in the brothels as barkeeps, maids, vendors, and prostitutes develop a sense of community and family that provides structure and support that they often lack elsewhere. The brothel "had provided an income as well as friendship, compassion, trust and hope for countless women and men. In many ways, Mustang Ranch picked up where society had dropped the ball. It had provided a safe, nonjudgmental, economically sound work environment and a fair way for a community of several dozen women and their familles to meet their most basic needs. Whatever you think of prostitution and its legalization, this is an essential and very interesting read.
Mustang Ranch is a behind-the-scenes tale of Nevada's legal brothels. Author Alexa Albert ends up spending years visiting Mustang Ranch and getting to know its residents prostitutes. As a student, Albert decided to first visit Mustang to learn about condom use in the brothels. She stuck around because she fell in love with the women, wanted to learn more, and (seemingly) wanted to share their stories. I believe that in the course of her time, she may have become slightly biased, but the book is still a unique look inside the brothels. More importantly, it places a high value on these women who worked so hard to earn their way.I fell in love with Chau, the Mustang Ranch traveling manicurist. Her story about how the women working at the Ranch became her family is moving, and reveals the strong bond and sense of community that held this business together. In the beginning of the book, Albert gives a brief introductory to legalized prostitution in the United States. Two of my favorite history pieces:1. When Searchlight, NV created a town ordinance stating that no brothel could be within 400 yards of a school, the town relocated the school.2. I want to learn more about Julia Bulette, one of Nevada's most renowned and popular prostitutes. "When she was brutally murdered by a customer in 1867, sixty firemen marched in her honor at her funeral, led by the Metropolitan Brass Band. When her killer was finally caught and tried, over thirty special deputy sheriffs armed with rifles and sixty National Guardsmen with bayonets had to be called in to protect him from the thousands who came to witness his hanging."This book is easy and fast to read and gives some insight to the reader on both the pros and cons of legalized prostitution. Women who work in brothels are, in general, physically safer than their street-working peers. Among them, there is a negligible rate of STI-transmission, and I was amazed to learn that the women at Mustang actually treated men for pubic lice at the time of service! Despite the benefits of legal brothels, many of these women still had horror stories and traumas to share, and even pimps. The women are tightly controlled and not allowed to leave the brothel unsupervised. They pay runners to do their errands and their rooms are constantly searched by brothel employees. The rules are stringent and management runs a tight ship. Some of the details are frightening!Favorite quotation:"The one thing you've got to know is we've got a lot of squares getting into the business [legalized brothels]. They've got to understand that we're not selling cough drops, we're selling pussy."
What do You think about Brothel: Mustang Ranch And Its Women (2002)?
Very interesting read. I especially appreciated the detail spent on political and local laws. The author had my attention as she was neutral in the beginning. As her relationships with the prostitutes deepened she became more intimately involved and her writing changed to a pro-prostitution bias. Even with the blatant bias she was very honest in all facts, both pros and cons, of legalized prostitution. There is a strong emphasis on the economic benefits of the community by the brothels. The brothel owner lobbies legislators while at the same time claiming to be a libertarian. He also owns a cheap trailer park and charges very low rent to his other employees, cooks, maids etc. He keeps everyone dependent on him. He keeps the rent low because he makes takes 50% of the prostitutes earnings and on top of that charges them rent, maid service and for their cook.For the prostitutes there is camaraderie in their misery - is this the life the author wants for her friends? Many are emotionally and psychologically abused by their boyfriends and husbands and parents who are no better than pimps. Overall the life of a prostitute seems like Hell on Earth. After reading this I do have a better understanding of what a working girl goes through. I realize how many are coerced by loved ones and the brothels are run by mafia-Esq owners behind the scenes. To me that's abuse and a form of human trafficking. I feel bad that these women are being abused on so many levels. I also found myself liking the prostitutes. Some were brutally honest in their disgust for the business and of the men that pay them.After finishing the book I realized that the author never gave the results of her research on the effectiveness of condoms, the reason she was visiting the brothels in the first place.
—Kelly
Alexa Albert was allowed rare access to the inner-workings of the Mustang ranch outside of Reno, Nevada. She's now a doctor and became interested in prostitution while researching public health issues, including the transmission of HIV. She had done work with street prostitutes in New York, but was interested in learning more about the brothels in Nevada, where STD testing and condom usage are mandated. At the time of the book, since HIV testing began in 1986, no brothel worker had tested positive.I drove by the Mustang Ranch in the early '90s and remember wondering what it was like inside. It's closed now, but when it was open, non-working women were not allowed inside. Albert's book provides a rich description of life there.By the end of the book, Albert is clearly pro-legalization, for health reasons, but also because of the other protections and community being a legitimate enterprise allows.
—Brenda
I knew the author of this book, Alexa Albert and her acquaintance made this book all the more interesting. Alexa is a Harvard trained physician whose exploration of Nevada's infamous cathouses began as a public-health study into the safe-sex practices of these legal working girls and the effectiveness of condom requirements in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. It took her three years to gain access to the brothels, and when her project was eventually approved by the head of the Nevada Brothel Association, she was surprised to be invited to stay at Mustang Ranch, among the women of the brothel, for the duration of her research. During her stay she befriended the girls living in the Mustang Ranch and discovered that despite the legalization of their trade these women still faced local ordinances and work regulations that kept them near prisoners inside the brothels. Sadly, their lives outside the brothels were plagued with social stigmas long associated with sex workers. Alexa writes with compassion and grace on this interesting topic.
—Julie
