The Double Standard Sporting House (Paperback)

Nancy Bernhard

ISBN 13: 9798896360520

Published by She Writes Press, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. For fans of Ariel Lawhons The Frozen River, debut historical fiction about a brothel nurse in nineteenth-century New York City who fights brutality in the sex trade and pioneers treatments for survivors of sexual violence.A high-class brothel that entertains New Yorks most powerful men, the Double Standard Sporting House funds a free clinic for women. When the Tammany Hall criminal syndicate takes over the city in 1868 and starts kidnapping girls, the houses owner Nell Doc Hastings cannot stay quietespecially after sixteen-year-old Vivie arrives at the clinic bruised and bleeding. Resolving to seek justice for Vivie and girls like her, Doc builds an unlikely alliance with religious reformers, a rare honest ward cop, and an alluring newspaper publisher she cant seem to keep away from. Even with their help, Doc will have to use her sharpest toolssecrets, guile, and a surgical bladeto prevent a dark turn in the sex trade. Full of intrigue, friendship, and love, this timely story of a heroine erased from history by the sexual double standard reminds us that women help and heal one another, even when shameless criminals come to power. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798896360520

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Double Standard Sporting House (Paperback)
• Publisher: She Writes Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798896360520
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

For fans of Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River, debut historical fiction about a brothel nurse in nineteenth-century New York City who fights brutality in the sex trade and pioneers treatments for survivors of sexual violence.

A high-class brothel that entertains New York’s most powerful men, the Double Standard Sporting House funds a free clinic for women. When the Tammany Hall criminal syndicate takes over the city in 1868 and starts kidnapping girls, the house’s owner Nell “Doc” Hastings cannot stay quiet—especially after sixteen-year-old Vivie arrives at the clinic bruised and bleeding. 

Resolving to seek justice for Vivie and girls like her, Doc builds an unlikely alliance with religious reformers, a rare honest ward cop, and an alluring newspaper publisher she can’t seem to keep away from. Even with their help, Doc will have to use her sharpest tools—secrets, guile, and a surgical blade—to prevent a dark turn in the sex trade.

Full of intrigue, friendship, and love, this timely story of a heroine erased from history by the sexual double standard reminds us that women help and heal one another, even when shameless criminals come to power.

About the Author

Nancy Bernhard is a journalism historian and yoga teacher, fascinated by how survivors of political and sexual violence heal through storytelling and movement. She was born in Brooklyn, and lives with her family in Somerville, Massachusetts.