The Princess of 42nd Street
Surviving My Childhood as the Daughter of Times Square’s King of Porn
Biography & Memoir
| Author: | Romola Hodas, Elizabeth Ridley | ISBN: | 9781626014725 |
| Publisher: | Riverdale Avenue Books LLC | Publication: | September 6, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Truth | Language: | English |
| Author: | Romola Hodas, Elizabeth Ridley |
| ISBN: | 9781626014725 |
| Publisher: | Riverdale Avenue Books LLC |
| Publication: | September 6, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Truth |
| Language: | English |
The eldest daughter of the Times Square “King of Porn,” Romola Hodas recounts her chaotic childhood amid the turmoil of publicly growing up as the daughter of the man who almost single-handedly built New York City’s pornography and adult entertainment empire from the 1960s to the 1980s before his spectacular and public fall from grace.
Behind the salacious headlines, Marty’s family paid a terrible price. In her shockingly honest, no-holds-barred memoir, Romola describes hanging out as a child in her father’s porn shops on 42nd Street and meeting the eclectic clientele who frequented the stores, making friends with the girls who performed live sex acts on stage, and spying on her parents’ sex orgies and crazy all-night swinger parties. Romola relates, in moving detail, how she cared for her three younger siblings when her brilliant, bipolar mother broke with reality, and how she survived verbal, physical, and emotional abuse; a year in reform school; her father’s three stints in prison; two kidnapping attempts by the mob (one while at summer fat camp); and how her baby brother, Jarrett, actually was briefly kidnapped by mobsters wanting to send Marty Hodas a clear, unambiguous message.
For all its darkness, The Princess of 42nd Street is, at its heart, an uplifting and inspirational story of how one young woman overcame incredible odds to become a successful businesswoman who now devotes her life to helping others. Raw, unflinching, and devoid of self-pity, The Princess of 42nd Street is a one-of-a-kind story.
“Anyone who remembers the raging sex-for-sale Times Square of the 1960s and ‘70s may have wondered, at least in passing, who was getting all that money. ..His name was Marty Hodas and the story of how he turned quarters into millions is as gripping as it is horrifying. The man behind the live sex acts and slimy peep show booths… still engendered the love and devotion of his most heavily tortured victim -- his daughter Romola. Her tale of surviving her childhood is woven through growth of New York’s porn industry with her father on the throne. It will leave you disgusted, stunned and inspired.”
Adam Sommers, NY Daily News
“[This book is] a testament to the awakening and reclamation of self. We are fortunate to hear such a courageous voice and blessed to be given the opportunity to listen and learn. A most welcome book.”
Saul Stein who plays Marty Hodas on HBO's The Deuce
“Compelling story of charting a destiny that is powerful and successful. Romola illustrates that it’s not where you start but where you build strength from the journey to reach a new horizon”
Kathleen Buczko, thedotspotcast.com podcast
The eldest daughter of the Times Square “King of Porn,” Romola Hodas recounts her chaotic childhood amid the turmoil of publicly growing up as the daughter of the man who almost single-handedly built New York City’s pornography and adult entertainment empire from the 1960s to the 1980s before his spectacular and public fall from grace.
Behind the salacious headlines, Marty’s family paid a terrible price. In her shockingly honest, no-holds-barred memoir, Romola describes hanging out as a child in her father’s porn shops on 42nd Street and meeting the eclectic clientele who frequented the stores, making friends with the girls who performed live sex acts on stage, and spying on her parents’ sex orgies and crazy all-night swinger parties. Romola relates, in moving detail, how she cared for her three younger siblings when her brilliant, bipolar mother broke with reality, and how she survived verbal, physical, and emotional abuse; a year in reform school; her father’s three stints in prison; two kidnapping attempts by the mob (one while at summer fat camp); and how her baby brother, Jarrett, actually was briefly kidnapped by mobsters wanting to send Marty Hodas a clear, unambiguous message.
For all its darkness, The Princess of 42nd Street is, at its heart, an uplifting and inspirational story of how one young woman overcame incredible odds to become a successful businesswoman who now devotes her life to helping others. Raw, unflinching, and devoid of self-pity, The Princess of 42nd Street is a one-of-a-kind story.
“Anyone who remembers the raging sex-for-sale Times Square of the 1960s and ‘70s may have wondered, at least in passing, who was getting all that money. ..His name was Marty Hodas and the story of how he turned quarters into millions is as gripping as it is horrifying. The man behind the live sex acts and slimy peep show booths… still engendered the love and devotion of his most heavily tortured victim -- his daughter Romola. Her tale of surviving her childhood is woven through growth of New York’s porn industry with her father on the throne. It will leave you disgusted, stunned and inspired.”
Adam Sommers, NY Daily News
“[This book is] a testament to the awakening and reclamation of self. We are fortunate to hear such a courageous voice and blessed to be given the opportunity to listen and learn. A most welcome book.”
Saul Stein who plays Marty Hodas on HBO's The Deuce
“Compelling story of charting a destiny that is powerful and successful. Romola illustrates that it’s not where you start but where you build strength from the journey to reach a new horizon”
Kathleen Buczko, thedotspotcast.com podcast
