Get Up, Jack!

“I know what men want, but I also give them what they need. And what most of them need is a talking to. The majority of men have some sort of mental problem, in fact. Some shadow has fallen across their life.” A young Englishwoman, Birdie Hart, is forced into prostitution in a Colorado mining camp but she makes her way back to civilization and prosperity. Her story is narrated by a male with an ever-vigilant eye for the erotic detail. His narratives are in contrast to, and interwoven with, passages from Birdie’s diary in which she writes about her struggles, her sad losses, and her spiritual and intellectual growth. Against a backdrop of men behaving badly, it is a prostitute who delivers an uplifting message.