A review by notlikethebeer
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin

adventurous challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Part memoir, part history, part exploration, Gay Bar tries to do a LOT. Not to mention that it aims to do this across three different contexts (London, San Fran, LA). I really appreciate what it tried to do, but I think it became quite sprawling and hard to follow at times: I often didn't know whether we were in a historical contextualization or Atherton Lin's present day. Personally, I found this to be a memoir more than anything else: which is not to say that there wasn't an impressive amount of research and information (there was!!) nor that it failed to provide a history and analysis. It was just more anchored to Atherton Lin's experience more than anything. I went into this hoping to learn more about why WE, as a community, seek refuge in bars and clubs. What I learnt was why Atherton Lin and his compatriots did this. Again, there was a wealth of information in here and I really appreciate just how much I learnt, but there were some clear limitations. Some aspects were touched upon - such as the policing of (non-white) bodies in clubs and the increasing presence of straight women in gay clubs - but not really analyses; other important topics felt glossed over altogether, like much semblance of women's history or a more considered analysis of the role of the gay bar in a community often so strongly affected by addiction. That being said, it sparked some fantastic book club conversation, and has left me with a lot to chew over. I also really appreciated that this focused on an era of gay bars I haven't read much about, in the wake of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Lastly, and perhaps what I will take most from this, is that I was incredibly struck and appreciative by the way that sex and sexuality was presented!
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