The Princess of 42nd Street

The Princess of 42nd Street: Surviving My Childhood as the Daughter of Times Square's King of Porn
by Romolda Hodas
2018
Riverdale Avenue Books
4.0 / 5.0

Straight-forward and hard hitting, this is a deep memoir that packs a punch of just how cold and hard the reality of Romoldas childhood and adolescence was. It's hard for most to grasp such abuse, deprivation and abandonment so young.
Her father began with gumball machines, jukeboxes and vending machines and eventually became extremely wealthy as the Times Square King of Porn, in the late 60s-early 70's. His sex and drug partying went on all night. Her mother was bi-polar and could spend days and months in bed, leaving Romolda with little supervision from a young age, and she did her best to guide her siblings.
Amazingly she was able to take the harsh and negative realities of her upbringing and use them as a motivator and catalyst to overcome and she has started the group Moderation to help people deal with their drinking problems and also Creating Harmony, which helps people find a new beginning after devastation and abuse.
Gut wrenching and unforgettable.
Thank you to Riverdale Avenue Books and Romolda Hodas for the ebook for review.
#netgalley. #ThePrincessOf42ndStreet
Find out more at:
www.creatingharmony.com
www.moderation.org

The King of Porn's daughter leads you on an incredible journey of her life with her strange family. So very interesting and repulsive at the same time. A very captivating saga. Not for the faint-hearted.

Romola Hodas’ father began his business career by servicing cigarette vending machines and juke boxes. He grew that into porn shorts and finally porn stores and other shady businesses.
Romola discloses painful and tragic memories of her childhood. Her father was verbally abusive and his questionable business dealings affected the home life. Her mother was schizophrenic and bipolar. Romola is left to care for her siblings while trying to have a normal childhood. What results is openly described in this biography. She tells of the good and bad things that took place in her home and in her personal life.

I enjoyed reading this biography. It was open and searing. The reader will be aghast at the violence and casual drug use and smile at Romola successes. It is clearly the memories of Romola and how she perceived events that took place in her life. Isn’t that all any of us have to give? I credit her for allowing perfect strangers to feel the sting of being called fat and the hurt of being screamed at and told she was the cause of the family’s problems.

A good read. I can’t say it is a joy to read but it is important to see how Romola handled being in a family that is in the public eye negatively and the results of her father’s actions.


I received an eBook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or ratings of this book.

Wow - all I can say is WOW! For a former NY’er, this book providedso much color and additional information about a time and culture that I was too young to know. Great writing, and kept the pages turning!