Strip By: Abigail Cohen

This book isn't a fairy tale. It's not a romanticized version of the underworld, some polished fiction designed to titillate and entertain without confronting the harsh realities. This is a story born from the concrete and shadows, a narrative forged in the crucible of firsthand accounts and late-night conversations with those who live on the edge. I spent years immersed in the world of New York City's strip clubs, not as a voyeur, but as an observer, a listener, a chronicler of lives lived outside the comfortable confines of societal norms. I’ve smelled the cheap perfume and sweat, heard the muffled screams behind closed doors, and witnessed the raw power dynamics that shape these spaces. I've sat across tables from men and women who operate in a world where violence is currency and trust is a carefully traded commodity. They shared their stories, their triumphs, and their devastating falls. They opened a window to a world few ever get to see, a world of relentless ambition, chilling