A review of “Madam” by Debby Applegate

A Jewish Book Festival book being presented and discussed Tuesday, Jan. 23

By Carole J Greene

To say this biography is a departure from what we’re accustomed to in presentations at the Jewish Book Festival would be an understatement. The title gives it away: “Madam” is the true story of the impossible-toimagine life of Polly Adler, the legendary “Empress of Vice” for three decades in New York City. The tiny, uneducated teenager who left Belarus in 1914 and immigrated to “the Golden Land” as a nobody lifted herself to a legend as a — shall we say — bordello businesswoman.

The Roaring ’20s roared its loudest in her establishments, where politicians, attorneys, entertainers, journalists and cops came to drink champagne, play cards or backgammon, mingle with the important guests and sample the wares of alluring young women. When one location got too hot, she moved her girls to another and the new address and phone number went out to clients, so she didn’t miss a night. The tele phone came to symbolize her success and fortune. Although she handsomely bribed the cops, lawyers and judges, the occasional demand that Tammany Hall rid the city of all corruption and sin resulted in Polly’s arrest. But her payoffs and her own brilliance kept her from ever serving time.

The names dropped in this tell-all include politicians, journalists and famous stars of theater, nightclubs and movies as well as some of the most notorious gangsters in the Prohibition era. Author Applegate’s original research for more than a dozen years unearthed references to noteworthy clients as well as starlets still waiting to be discovered. They had to earn money somehow, and many found their way to Polly’s posh brothels to engage in the oldest profession for a lot more than they could earn elsewhere.

With prostitution at the center of this biography, the book skillfully skirts what could easily have tripped into pornography. Instead, Applegate delivers a serious, incredibly researched and beautifully written book. I admire the numerous euphemisms Applegate uses for Adler and her industry.

I’ll close with Polly’s own words: “From the arrival at Ellis Island up the ladder rung by rung — five dollars a week, ten dollars a week, a hundred dollars a week, a mink coat, a better address — from neighborhood trade to an international clientele — from a nobody to a legend.”

The author will surely drop some of these names in her presentation at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center. To attend, visit Jewish BookFestival.org. Come 20 minutes early for light refreshments and an opportunity to socialize.