At fourteen, under the pseudonym of Lily Ann Rose, Lillian followed her mother and three aunts into the world of Burlesque. She learned to twirl tassels like Sally Keith, envied Sally Rand's famous feathers, and emulated Ann Corio, Boston's most beloved stripper. Totie Fields introduced her with body beautiful jokes, and she worked with some of the most famous baggy pants comics of the day. She was befriended by mob bosses, champion boxers, politicians, including Jack Kennedy, and held captive by the Chicago Mafia. She was loved by many and raped by a childhood friend. She paraded and stripped to the songs of boy tenors including Robert Goulet, was banned in Boston when she mistakenly bared her breasts on-stage under the watchful eyes of Boston's Watch and Ward Society, and was imprisoned by an overzealous State Trooper - all before she turned eighteen.

Although the book reads like fiction, it is the true story of her years as a stripper and follows the careers of her mother and aunts in Vaudeville and Burlesque from the excitement of the "Roaring Twenties" through the "Great Depression."

Burlesque was for many years a phenomenon of theatrical entertainment, unlike anything that had ever existed in show business. Stripping was an art form. The burlesque stripper was not just a sex symbol. She was a consummate artist. A true strip tease artist knew the secret of capturing a man's attention. In this book the era is looked upon with nostalgic interest. I will touch on the legends of burlesque and shatter the mystique. You will meet the famous and not-so-famous burlesque queens, the super stars like Ann Corio and Sally Keith funny lady Totie Fields and many more. I hope I can make you love them as I did. Listen to the music as the curtain opens and step into the resurrected world of burlesque.

Ms. Brown is available for speaking engagements. To contact her send her an e-mail at lillyannrose@bellsouth.net

Click Here for reviews of Banned in Boston

Scollay Square Website -- Check out this site to find out about the history of the Square, its famous personalities, and memories of this by-gone era.