MY LIFE AS A WHORE : THE BIOGRAPHY OF MADAM LAURA EVENS 1871-1953

by Tracy Beach

An extensively researched book about a well-known Colorado madam, but most of what's known about her is wrong, including the spelling of her last name. Follow the antics of Laura as she works in parlors in Denver, Leadville, and Salida, until she opens her own house. Laura's house stayed open longer than any other in Colorado, due largely to the unusual qualities of its owner. After years of trying to shut her down, the Salida town council finally passed the edict. Not long after, Salida began having numerous assaults on the streets. The council came back to her and suggested that she re-open, but she turned them down. Includes numerous historical photographs of Laura and her girls.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Historical

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have been reading a fair amount of Colorado history lately and, despite being my passion for the subject and my ability to get through any book, regardless of how tedious it is, I have been QUITE disappointed at the widespread omission of the experiences of those who aren't white, straight men. I have also been disappointed in the subpar writing that characterizes a lot of these books.

I loved this book for the alternative history it provides. Reading about these "soiled doves" provided a much more interesting and vivid narrative of Colorado than those I've been reading. These working women also provide an interesting parallel narrative, as many of them interacted with prominent politicians.

I particularly liked learning about the business of sex work at that time, how those new to the business had internships. It also surprised me that there was a kind of career path from sex worker to madame and that these advances were often made with the help of other women or of men who wanted to support them.

The role between red light districts and cities at that time fascinated me because it seems that the relationships were much more progressive than they are now. Red light districts would pay high fines and contribute to the tax base and in some cases, cities would require sex workers to get health check ups and then would be left alone. In Salida, as the book details, the city ended up reversing a sex-working ban because after they prohibited sex work, they ran out of money.

I was also touched by the generosity Laura showed during the Great Depression. It reminds me of today: people living on the fringes of society sharing resources, including with those in power (Laura paid for a new roof for the church, uniforms for the local football team, and gave jobs and food, anonymously, to the community), only to be treated like crap.

While I appreciated the author didn't use a sex-work-as-tragedy narrative, I do think she was too flippant in her treatment of Laura. Yes, life as a sex worker offered the chance for financial self-sufficiency, self-determination, etc., but I bet it was much harder than Beach depicted.

Another reason I'm giving this book three stars is because Beach liberally uses the word "Negro" when describing black people. What the fuck? I see the book was published in 2015, and Beach looks pretty young in the photo on the back of the book. Why does she use this word at all? Why didn't the editor tell her it's inappropriate? Weird.

[Bob Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing style. Well researched. Interesting story lines. I would highly recommend.

[Eleanore Trant · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who loves Colorado—especially Leadville—I was really excited to read this book. The subject matter was fascinating, and it was clear that the author had done a fair amount of research. I enjoyed learning more about life in Colorado during the Wild West era at the turn of the century. Unfortunately, the experience was dampened by the poor writing and lack of editing. The book was filled with misspellings and grammatical mistakes, and the writing style felt choppy and disjointed at times. With stronger editing and a more polished narrative, this could have been a truly compelling read.

[Trilby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lady lived such an incredible life. I appreciated all the minute details that the author put in this biography. I also loved knowing that basically everything was true. I loved googling lots of things she talked about like the Leadville Ice palace from the 1890s!!! Wild.

[Michelle Jacobson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe the author is ok. But Madam Laura Evens is a shitty human being who deserves no books to be written about her. I picked this book up because I wanted to understand the humanity behind the decision to pursue sex work. I wanted to understand the real struggle of a woman who was attempting to have work in a time when women were given few options. Laura Evens was a racist, greedy, judgmental jerk who deserves to stay in obscurity.

An author who romanizes these types of people - well that author is shit too. So maybe the author isn't ok.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on the recommendation of the local bookseller who said a woman from Salida, CO wrote this about the Madam from Salida. Despite the title that made me not want to buy this book, I found it so interesting! The "wild west" history of the turn of the century, the funny stories, and the unbelievable stories of this brave woman with the big heart captured my imagination. It is definitely worth reading!

[Jessica Lave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Laura Evens had a really interesting life and I had never heard of her before we chose this book for book group. The book is written smoothly in a way that makes all of her stories come together seamlessly despite gaps in time, and Laura's sense of humor helps make the book read really fast.

[Sanderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author did a fantastic job of telling Laura's story. I was totally lost in the story, and I learned a few things about different presidential elections, prohibition, and life of "parlor ladies" This was a well written book, not a smut story by any means.

[Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book while on a visit to Leadville. It tells the story of Laura Evans and her friends, co-workers, bosses and daughter, while being what she called herself, a "whore." She worked in Denver, Salida, Leadville and Cripple Creek - all places I am familiar with and enjoy day trips to visit. There's not much visibly left of the brothels, although I have a friend whose mother bought a house in Georgetown, Colorado that used to be a brothel with all the houses on that particular street in the same business. You wouldn't know it know with all the luxury cars parked in the single family homes or AirBnBs but it's not hard to imagine in these mining towns the work and lives these ladies would have lived.

Laura was one strong woman. I never understood why she got into the business - she said she wasn't made out to be married and left her husband, but there were so many other avenues a smart, strong-willed woman could have taken, even in the late 1800s. The book doesn't address this, nor does it address the other ladies that went into the business. What was their first time "servicing" a man like? Did any of them get beat up? Several got shot, but mostly from angry relatives. Every single woman had a set of parents, siblings, aunts or uncles - were they ostracized? Did they have regrets? I realize that once the decision was made, it was a done deal, but in no part of the book does Laura or any of the other ladies reminisce about what they left behind, or wish they had chosen another path. And at least some of them must have.

But, other than that, the history comes alive with these ladies, and if you ever get a chance to visit any of these mining towns, read the book first to get an idea of what survival was like back then. It's truly fascinating.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have used some better editing but was really interesting and engaging.

[Jennifer Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really interesting story but it kind of reads like an essay or dissertation that was was trying to be fiction. Theres a lot of random historical facts (mostly about politics) that seemed out of place and unnecessary to the story but maybe the author was trying to add bulk to the page numbers. Laura Evens was a great character whether all the stories were true or not. I felt like her story would have been better served if the author had just gone ahead and written a historical fiction novel based on her life and the lives of her "girls".

[Kelli Baxstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read about an amazing woman. I doubt we would have been close friends given the chance, but what stories being in her life would give a person!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an insightful look into CO history in the late 19th/early 20th centuries through the eyes of a working woman-- but the writing left something to be desired, and the author could have done a lot more to not blindly accept the racism and sexism of the time in her recounting of Laura Evens' life story. It definitely didn't feel like skilled or insightful writing, more of a collection of tidbits collected about Evens' life from letters and interviews that others had done.

[Meriç · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can say that I quite enjoyed this book; but let me talk about the ups and downs of it for me:

I liked how the author didn’t quite view Laura as a pitiful/wretched woman but I also felt like they should’ve reflected on how much harder her life must’ve been than how it was written. I personally haven’t read anything proper about Colorado history before, hence why I was quite hooked on this book. I appreciated the alternative history knowledge provided besides the main idea and felt like all the extra knowledge helped me understand Laura’s story much better.

I was truly impressed learning about the way sex-work was viewed back then. How much they were involved in politics and other serious matters also surprised me. The way women were able to climb up a career path and even become madames at some point or even get in the whole parlor house business itself was quite shocking to me; considering it was the 1800’s.

Besides everything, I was pretty disturbed about the way the author used the word “n*gro” so often to refer to black people. I feel like it could’ve at least been censored in a way.

But overall, it was a unique read for me.

[Pepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting biography with history facts woven into the story, I enjoyed that very much. I've been to most of the places described in the book, it was so fascinating reading about them. Laura Evens was no pushover, she stood her ground but also helped those in need. Reads like a fast page-turner novel.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club book. A biography of a whore in turn of the century Colorado. Pretty interesting, and the contrast with Emma Donoghue's "Frog Music", which is a novelization of a real crime that happened in S.F. , was interesting.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting stories about some of my favorite places in the state

[BiblioBarista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well researched biography about the last Madam in Colorado, Miss Laura Evens.

[Crystal vigil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about Laura Evans life!

I choose this rating because this book was the best book I have read so far. I recommend this book to anyone who loves true history!

[Marjorie Noleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible biography of an OG businesswoman!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story of a truly remarkable woman

[Kayla Kvacik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. I was so entertained! AND educated on the area where we were staying that summer–Salida, CO. Quickest I've finished a book in a long time!

[Char Medich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been really interesting (love CO history), but it felt more like a middle-grade historical fiction than a biography and there were some overtly racist choices made by the author.

[Amanda Langdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting local history; as a Salida High School graduate, I knew many of the locales mentioned, although I'd never heard of Laura or her brothel. I was interested in the stories I'd heard recently about Laura's philanthropic activities, her wider social influence not only in Salida but in Leadville as well.

Sadly, the writing felt very choppy and stilted; an interesting snippet of story would start, a character would begin coming to life, and then the narration would shoot off in a new direction and that person/story was never mentioned again. Overall, it was sadly disjointed, which for me, meant I felt no connection or sympathy with Laura or her girls. They were all flat, 2-dimensional, and completely lackluster.

There were a LOT of typos. I know that speaks more to the poor quality of editing than her writing, but it was very distracting.

Also notably, her use of racial epithets was startling. As a historian, I know perfectly well that variants of "The N-word" were commonplace in Laura's time. I'm sure she was using them to develop and reveal the world in which Laura lived. But without an Author's Note acknowledging the historical prevalence, or without quotations from the copious interviews at her disposal, it almost felt like it was the author's (inappropriate) word choice.

[Joseph Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author beautifully captures the life and times of this extraordinary woman who broke barriers and defied the odds to become a successful businesswoman and philanthropist in a time when women were expected to stay in the shadows despite her chosen profession.

I appreciated how the biography contextualized Madam Laura Evans' story within the broader historical context of the time period. The author did a fantastic job of highlighting the social and economic forces at play during this era, which helped me better understand Madam Laura Evans's challenges and the significance of her achievements.

Tracy Beach's writing style is engaging and accessible, making this book a joy to read from start to finish. I was impressed by how she weaved together primary sources, interviews, and historical analysis to create a compelling narrative that brought Madam Laura Evans' story to life.

Overall, I would highly recommend this biography to anyone interested in learning more about the life of this remarkable woman and the impact she had on the world around her—as well as those interested in Colorado history. The book is a well-researched and expertly-written piece of historical literature that will leave you feeling inspired and enlightened.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird racist choices by the author, about a racist. I got this book online and it didn’t have the same synopsis that is on the physical book which states - ‘Laura Evens wasn’t any ordinary soiled dove from the days of Colorado’s wild West. Raised by a Grand Cyclops of the KKK from the Mobile, Alabama branch, she wasn’t about to let anything stand in the way of what she wanted. She wanted to be rich.’ Wtf. Author seems enamored of this.
First page of chapter one says, ‘As the men began to play, Doctor Moxsom motioned for the maids to come and assist the girls with the removal of their dresses. At this, Laura got up and left the stage. She had never undressed in front of anyone before, including her husband, and she was not about to start by undressing in front of a group of Negros.’ Uses the word negro repeatedly in ways that seem to be from the authors use. Just strange. As a historical biography I would have rather seen the transcripts of her interviews and seen the letters myself, with the added historical commentary of the times, than to have this badly written partially fiction fill-in summation of them. Laura Evens seems like a terrible person even for the times.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So hard to rate this book! If you have any ties to Colorado, I would highly recommend. So much historical information about Leadville, Salida, and Denver. I also really enjoyed the first half of this book and learning about the parlor girls. It’s amazing how much power these women had in a time where women in general had very little. I really did learn a lot of fun information.

With that being said, the second half of this book was a drag and almost felt like a student writing a history essay. I think the author wanted the book to be about Laura’s life until her death, but after she was older and no longer participating in the parlor life, it felt like there wasn’t much to talk about so the author turned to US history. I really didn’t care to know who every president was between 1900-1950. There was also random historical facts thrown throughout the book that really did nothing for the storyline and just felt like they were added to make the story longer. I think this book could have benefitted from some professional editing to make the overall story flow better. Would have loved if it just focused on Laura and the parlor girls.

[Desirée · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read and well put together/researched. The vibe was more of a creative non-fiction, which no doubt made it all the more fascinating. I didn’t get the sense Laura Evens felt hesitant in becoming a “soiled dove” overall. It seemed she took more of an issue in being insulted for what she was doing. Despite the culture at the time, and still today, she made no apologies for who she was or what she did. I think for that alone, she’s to be admired. It’s a tough world when the so called “moral” road is against you. She did a lot of amazing things to support her surrounding community—all the while knowing the same people asking for help would be the first to deny knowing her. She stood up for those who couldn’t and helped so many during hard times. I gathered from this read that she was a business woman—one who just happened to be in the business of sex work.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

We picked up this book in a little store in Leadville, CO. The manager said it was an interesting read and gave a lot of historical facts about that area of Co in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It profiled the life of Laura Evens who was a soiled dove in both Leadville and Salida, CO. Parts of the book were very interesting. The writing was pretty basic though and read like it was written by a high schooler. Lots of information on the political scene in the US during the time of the book. Felt almost like filler as it wasn’t directly tied to main storyline necessarily. Overall, not bad.

[Serena Montoya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tracy Beach encapsulates an entire lifetime into this book. Laura Evans was one of Colorado’s Madams from the late 19th century into the 20th. This book was mildly repulsive, emotional, and interesting. The writer bounced between creative writing and factual information. It’s a piece of non-fiction. The writing was simple and had a few errors. The author also seemed to glorify Laura, which made the piece feel biased. The writer portrayed her in a bright light and shadowed her darkness. Laura's whole life was dark, she was a prostitute.

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