by Alexa Albert
Judy Albert, my mother, who obliged my requests as a child to drive past the streetwalkers who lined the doorways of Seattle’s First Avenue peepshows and porn theaters. Her openness, curiosity, and compassion for others are three of the most important gifts she has given me.
My daughter, Coco, who waited patiently in utero as I tried to finish my last draft.
There are three debts that are unpayable.
I owe the first to George Flint, executive director of the Nevada Brothel Association, without whom this book would never have been written. Thank you for trusting me and for opening the doors to this exotic world.
I owe the second to the many individuals who shared themselves with me and whose stories helped to inform this book. I wish I could acknowledge you all by name. Thank you for letting me into your lives. I hope you feel I have done justice to your experiences. Most especially, I wish to thank the prostitutes of Mustang Ranch, whom I will always remember with the deepest respect, fondness, and awe.
I owe the greatest debt to my husband, Andy Sack. Thank you for respecting my desire and need to write this book. You are my lifeboat, my confidant, my comedian, my lover, and my best friend.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexa Albert is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Medical School. She has written and lectured widely on issues of public health and prostitution and was named one of Mirabella’s 1,000 Women for the Nineties for her work with Nevada’s legal prostitutes. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle, where she is completing her pediatric residency.