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A review by justinlife
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This book meets at the intersection of memoir and history. It’s one person taking a dive in the familiar waters of the places he’s known but also adding context by exploring the history of the places as well. We see gay history through bar history. We see history take shape and form an environment- a place we can visualize. As gay and queer culture become mainstream, Lin reminds us of what we’ve lost in doing so.
This was a fun read about a part of gay culture that gets mythologized. Lin explores that mythology, their past importance, and his current relationship with gay bars. They are both dangerous and welcoming, filthy and communal, home and a vacation.
By the end of the book we are left with a lot to think about. What is the queer community? What has gay capitalism done to it? In striving for acceptance, what happens for those of us don’t want acceptance? What does it mean to be a community? None of these have easy answers, if there are answers at all.
It could also just be a book by an aging queer reminiscing about time gone by. What I appreciated about this book is that when history gets told, the context around it gets forgotten and stale. Lin brings the context, the smells, and the atmosphere. It’s harder to remember that and I’m glad that it’s recorded.
This was a fun read about a part of gay culture that gets mythologized. Lin explores that mythology, their past importance, and his current relationship with gay bars. They are both dangerous and welcoming, filthy and communal, home and a vacation.
By the end of the book we are left with a lot to think about. What is the queer community? What has gay capitalism done to it? In striving for acceptance, what happens for those of us don’t want acceptance? What does it mean to be a community? None of these have easy answers, if there are answers at all.
It could also just be a book by an aging queer reminiscing about time gone by. What I appreciated about this book is that when history gets told, the context around it gets forgotten and stale. Lin brings the context, the smells, and the atmosphere. It’s harder to remember that and I’m glad that it’s recorded.