Wow--this is a truly intelligent page-turner! Burana gives a hell of a "show", merging dramatic content with great style. So many illusions about stripping exist: it's super-glamorous; it's totally degrading; it's a path to enlightenment for women; it's a harmless fantasyland for men. Apparently, it's way more complicated that than, as this book aims to show.

STRIP CITY lets you in behind the illusions, combining smart analysis, personal revelation, history, girlie stuff, and respect for good "show-womanship" with a complex, yet accessible narrator's voice. I may not know this world, but I trust the author's voice. I'm not being sold any particular point of view. She just tells it like it is.

STRIP CITY is written with real maturity. No snotty "I'm not a victim!" defensiveness or political sniveling or ditzy exhibitionism. There's no hard-and-fast answers here, and ya know what? That's honest. I've been given a lot to think about, and been told a lot of great stories (see the bit about Montana! Whoa). Check it out.

When I ordered this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, or if it would even be worth my time. But, it became instantly apparent from the first few pages, that the author is both an incredibly intelligent and gifted writer. I am not a dancer, but my curiosity has led me to occasionally wander into a local strip club with a few of my more open-minded friends. (Yes, even Salt Lake City has strip clubs, although with a few more regulations!)

I respect and appreciate Lily's candor and humor, as well as her non-judgmental and humane exploration of various strip clubs throughout the U.S. While it may be easy for some to make harshly critical judgements based on hearsay or personal opinion of the strip scene, Lily presents her story in a way that is non-offensive, creating an atmosphere of comraderie with her readers.

I recommend this hard-to-put-down book to anyone, regardless of their personal opinions (positive or negative) of the sex industry. It gives a truly illuminating glimpse into this age-old, lucrative business.

After becoming engaged to a charming cowboy in Wyoming, New York and San Francisco-based writer and stripper Lily Burana decides to take a last tour of the strip clubs in America, in order to decide what stripping has meant to her. Burana packs her bags (even her inventory of necessaries is fascinating) and heads out into America.
With emotional honesty, a journalistic eye on her own life, and a great deal of humor, Burana narrates the story of her journey while she looks back at the generations of strippers and burlesque queens who preceded her, and at the same time evaluates the years she spent dancing in clubs in New York and San Francisco. Included in her narrative are starkly moving tales of the rebellious teenager she was, the activist she became, and the woman and writer she is.
Burana also describes the world and business of strip clubs with an experienced eye, and allows us to meet the dancers, managers, employees, and club owners. Burana gives us a fascinating look at the backstage world of stripping that is usually hidden from view.
Strip City combines history, expose, and memoir in such a way that the interweaving tales of Burana's past and present, and the story of her trade, make not only a moving and informative story, but an engaging one.