A Review

The following review appeared in the October 2026 issue of CHOICE, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association: "Grassé, an independent scholar, examines the formation of 'red light districts' in Tucson and their persistence after the

criminalization of prostitution in the rest of Arizona from 1870 to 1918. This timespan coincides with Arizona’s growth and

emergence as a state, along with the increased regulation of sex work that emerged across the US during the Progressive

Era. While this is a focused study, it also illustrates how larger policy developments and trends looked in a specific setting.

The author demonstrates this despite the inherent difficulty of research with scant primary sources. Most coverage comes

from criminal dockets and condemnatory press accounts. This book provides a year-by-year chronicle of developments in

three districts that reflected shifting spatial and social patterns. The text is rich in anecdotes and includes many archival

photographs. Tucson’s population was highly diverse, and ethnic and racial dynamics are central to this history. While this

book is largely focused on recovering this history and presenting it to a larger audience, it can also inform a larger

understanding of the US West, borderlands, and law and social policy during an era of rapid change."

--J. M. Starling, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley

Summing Up: Recommended. General readers through faculty.