The Last Madam (306.742 WAL) is refering to Norma Wallace, who ran a house of prostitution in New Orleans during the '70s. Before writing The Last Madam, author Christine Wiltz interviewed the former prostitutes who worked for Norma Wallace. Also, two years before her death in 1974, Wallace began tape recording her memories. By using these two resources, Wiltz is able to really flesh out her life and expose the underbelly, seedy side of New Orleans.
Norma Wallace was born in a life of poverty.
As to the year that she born, it's not known for certain, since she was preoccupied with her age all of her life and wasn't above shaving a few years off depending on whom she talked to. She began as an underage teenage prostitute. During this stage of her life, she added years to her age so that prospective clients would not be scared away for fear of getting caught and charged with a more severe crime. I love this quote: "Don't ask me what year (I was born) because I lied so much about that I don't even know anymore. My mother caught me lying about my age once. Then she started lying about her age, and I wound up older than my mother."
It wasn't long when she moved to New Orleans and set up her first house of prostitution above a bar in the French Quarter. Even during prohibition, alcohol still flowed freely at her establishment. Of course, there were raids and she was thrown in jail a few times, but nothing major. She had connections around town.
This book is full of the salacious husbands and lovers she had over the years. At the time of her death, she was married to a younger, attractive man - a rocky marriage that seemed to be more for prestige, proving that the aging grand dame could still attract young men.
1975 was a violent, bloody year for Norma Wallace. The end of the life of The Last Madam.
c Waterloo Public Library 2008
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