The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay. HarperCollins, 2012. Adult Fiction.
In the tenements of New York City in the 1870's, twelve-year-old Moth is sold into servitude by her own mother. She is cruelly treated, escapes, and finds her way into a high class training school for prostitutes. Wealthy gentlemen pay high prices for "untainted" companions, it seems, and believe this can cure them of a variety of diseases the men may carry. Of course, sometimes the girls get sick and die of those scurges. Moth makes friends with Dr. Sadie, a physician who treats the residents of the area and who wants very much to help Moth and rescue the child. Details about the society of the times, the role of women, the unprotected status of children, and the high prices of freedom and life alone are vividly described. Moth's story is one that readers will remember for a long time.
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