The Book of the Courtesans

a new nonfiction series

In the archives of the Paris police, there is a book. It is large and heavy, with a worn leather binding, brass hardware, and a broken lock. It contains the criminal files of a group of women called Les Insoumis— “the Undominated.” These were women who lived their lives outside the bounds of polite society, but who refused to register as prostitutes. Mo…