Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America by Lily Burana

In Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America, the author, Lily Burana, takes us into the clubs and bars from the stripper's perspective. She decides to go on a stripping tour throughout America.

Burana is also a freelance writer who happens to get engaged to a man she met while on the road for a writing assignment. Her impending end to bachelorette status spurs her to revisit her former profession: exotic dancer.

She got her start as a stripper when she was struggling to pay her bills in New York. A friend of hers had done it before and talked her into checking out a place called Peepland. While not the typical bar/strip club, Peepland did give Burana her first taste of the highs that come with quick money and lots of attention.

On and off for the next six years she worked as a stripper in various clubs in New York and California. She even took part in a class action lawsuit against the famous Mitchell brothers. The lawsuit helped to get rid of stage fees and house fees, but clubs didn't really follow through with the new mandates. Still, it was a gutsy move to take part in a law suit against a club she was still working at.

Burana had some fun while revisiting her former career, but she also experienced some anxiety and frustration too. There's a nice scene in her book where she recalls throwing a tantrum when a house mom (a lady who helps out the dancers in the club) doesn't take her request seriously. There's another scene where a guy tries to get her to hook up with him, but all he winds up doing is giving her several hundred dollars while she coyly plays him like a pro.

Overall the book is an interesting read, especially if you are interested in being a dancer or are already a dancer. Her funny insights and brutal honesty make this book a great reading experience.