Rachael: Woman of the Night

by Rachael Lindsay

Offering a firsthand look at the sex trade in South Africa, these memoirs tell the story of Margaret (a.k.a. "Rachel"), who becomes a prostitute at 38 in order to lift her family from poverty. She endures long, bruising nights and abusive men but finds solace in laughter and peanut-butter sandwiches with "the girls." This sobering tale is told with a wicked wit and remarkable depth that gives readers a rare glimpse into a world that is often treated with scorn and misunderstanding by society. In Margaret's long road through life, escorting is but one in a series of ups and downs-including abusive husbands, addiction, bereavement, a traumatic stay in a psychiatric ward and, worst of all, having her family torn apart by a faceless bureaucracy. But Margaret's story is tempered by a real compassion for women who, like herself, are forced to sell themselves to keep body and soul together.

248 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2004

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really gets to grips with the world of prostitution , its dangers and how woman in this trade live. The truth is prostitutes are full human beings, and some of them are really good hearted people, Racheal sounds like an amazing person.