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Back over Christmas, stuck at our parents' house, we plowed through Sin In The Second City, Karen Abbott's tome about Chicago's legendary brothel owners, the Everleigh sisters, and the religious battle against the houses of ill-repute. It came highly recommended as a great source to fill us in on Chicago's colorful and adventurous past. Abbott's writing breathes life into both the turn-of-the-20th-century Chicago and its inhabitants: Minna and Ada Everleigh, Vic Shaw, Bathhouse John, Ike Bloom, Ernest Bell, and Clifford Roe. It's one of the best books on our city's wonderful history that we've read (yes, including that book) and we highly recommend you get to a local library or bookstore and pick it up.
Regardless of whether or not you've read it, you'll likely enjoy hearing Abbott herself read and discuss the book tonight at 7 p.m. at the Edgebrook Public Library, courtesy of the Edgebrook Library and the Edgebrook Historical Society.
We also recommend the book's official website. It has an extensive collection of reviews, interviews with Abbott, and historical information. It also has an ample list of "Chicago Resources" links featuring bookstores and Chicago-related websites (including this one!). We particularly recommend this CSPAN interview with the Trib's Rick Kogan (RealPlayer required).
Here's a clip of a previous Abbott reading to tide you over.
Karen Abbott, Wednesday April 2, 7 p.m., Edgebrook Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 5331 W. Devon Avenue, Admission is Free
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Does anyone remember Babs? This old crazy, homeless woman was a fixture for years in the Belmont/Clark area, easily recognizable by the black-framed eyeglasses she wore with no lenses...
One of the local owners of a now-defunct coffee house told me that back in the day, she was a prostitute and later the madame of a brothel on Belmont. Apparently, she had contracted syphillis which went untreated and eventually left her mentally deranged. Despite being homeless, she had allegedly amassed a small fortune which she kept in a savings account in the bank at that same intersection...
On one occasion, after bumming a cigarette off me, she went on to tell me how the Nazis were trying to take her money.(?!) It's been several years since I've seen her--I can only assume that she has either died or been institutionalized. At any rate, I miss seeing her shuffling up and down Belmont--she was definitely part of the local flavor of that neighborhood...
"It's one of the best books on our city's wonderful history..."
2nded
I totally remember Babs. It's been awhile, but I used to see her stalking up and down Broadway, usually muttering racist stuff to herself or whomever would listen. One time I saw her chasing two middle-aged asian women down the sidewalk, shouting something at them. You just don't get that kind of entertainment in Schaumburg.