“An alien sex! They’re smashing the line between good girls and bad girls, between women and men.”
On this episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Books & Authors” Show with Books Forward, author Nancy Bernhard joins us to discuss her historical novel The Double Standard Sporting House, a bold and thought-provoking story set in 1860s New York City.
Airing as part of our second Wednesday Books & Authors series, this episode also celebrates National Books Blitz Month, highlighting literature that gives voice to overlooked histories.
Bernhard’s novel unfolds during a time when New York was firmly under the influence of the Tammany Society, the powerful political machine that dominated the city’s leadership. Against this backdrop of corruption and unchecked authority, The Double Standard Sporting House reveals how women — denied status, rights, and power — relied on intelligence, strategy, and resilience to survive and shape their own destinies.
🖋️ Book Review by Nancy J. Reid (Big Blend Radio & Big Blend Magazines)
Set in the 1860s, The Double Standard Sporting House explores the realities of a society ruled by powerful men and rigid moral hypocrisy. As the novel illustrates, women were forced to navigate a world where survival often meant confronting — and manipulating — the very systems designed to suppress them. The story invites readers to reflect on how far women have come, and how many struggles still echo into the present.
At the center of the novel is Nell “Doc” Hastings, a brothel owner whose strength lies not only in her courage but in her intellect and determination. Through her leadership, she provides women in trouble with safety, opportunity, and a chance to rebuild their lives. “Doc” forges strategic alliances with men who can help protect her girls, while using her medical expertise — and any means necessary — to fund a free clinic for women in need of care, support, and a fresh start.
Historical figures weave seamlessly into the narrative, including James Fisk Jr., the notorious Gilded Age financier known as “Diamond Jim.” A robber baron infamous for his role in Black Friday of 1869, Fisk and his partner attempted to corner the gold market by leveraging their relationship with President Ulysses S. Grant — a scheme that ultimately collapsed. Fisk’s dramatic life ended in assassination, killed by his former mistress’s new lover, a real-life event that adds weight and intrigue to the novel’s historical texture.
Fast-paced, richly descriptive, and populated with memorable characters, The Double Standard Sporting House is both engaging and unsettling. It offers a compelling look at the cost of unchecked power and the ingenuity women employed to claim autonomy in a world stacked against them. The story is undeniably cinematic — one that easily lends itself to adaptation as a television series or film — while remaining deeply rooted in historical truth.
🔗 Links
✍️ Author Website – Nancy Bernhard: https://www.nancybernhard.com/
📚 Books Forward: https://booksforward.com/
