Karen Abbott

Author

Karen Abbott is a journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Sin in the Second City, an exploration of the role of brothels in the cultural and political life of turn-of-the-century Chicago. Prior to publishing Sin in the Second City – which took her three years to write and research – Abbott worked for Philadelphia magazine and for Philadelphia Weekly. Abbott, a native of Philadelphia, received her BA from Villanova University in 1995. The critically acclaimed Sin in the Second City tells the story of Chicago’s Everleigh Club, a famous high-end whorehouse that was known as the “finest brothel in the land.” Abbott lives with her husband in Atlanta and is working on her second book, a portrait of Gypsy Rose Lee and Depression-era New York.

Everything Videos

Karen Abbott reads from First Ward Ball,

Karen Abbott reads from First Ward Ball.

What are you working on now?

Abbott is exploring Depression-era New York.

How do you get past writer's block?

With non-fiction writing, there’s always something to write.

What is your creative process?

Abbott listens to music to get on the right frequency.

The Historical Narrative

Can a historical narrative ever be objective?

What is human nature?

Abbott talks about how she could write about such dark materials.

Why are we so fascinated by the underworld?

We have a vicarious need to see how far we could go, Abbott says.

Re: Will city governments always be corrupt?

Probably, Abbott says.

Was Victorian society more invested in its girls?

It would depend, Abbott says, on their class background.

How has feminine sexuality changed since the Victorian era?

At this point, urbanization was starting to change the social dynamic of courtship, says Abbott.

Karen Abbott on Legalized Prostitution

Legalization would make an unavoidable practice safer.

White Slavery in America

Abbott describes the turn-of-the-century culture that created the conditions for white slavery.

Sexual Mores in America

Will the country ever shed its Puritan origins?

Has Chicago changed since the turn of the 20th century?

Chicago is still the most theatrically corrupt city, Abbott says.

Social Reformers in the Early 20th Century

What motivated the social and political reformers in early 20th-century Chicago?

Sin in the Second City and Turn-of-the-Century Sexual Power Dynamics

Abbott’s book started with a lost great-great aunt, and ended with an exploration of the Everleigh sisters and the politics of sex in turn-of-the-century Chicago.

What drew you to writing?

Abbott was always drawn to people’s darker impulses.

A Catholic school graduate writing about strippers and prostitutes. The nuns, Abbott says, would be proud.

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