A very readable auto-biography, I had never heard of Dirty Helen despite her being a Milwaukee legend during what was ostensibly her retirement? I'm glad the updated edition includes photographs and a foreword by the person who helped edit the book, and was struck by some of the parallels between 1920 and 2021, especially the Butterfly Theater ad which indicated they had "good ventilation and air exchanged every 3 minutes."

Dirty Helen met so many people during her time as a salesperson, a sex worker, and a bar owner. Definitely recommend a read.

CW for racial slurs, violence