Moby Dyke is a 2023 book by Krista Burton that documents America's remaining lesbian bars and tries to identify the sources of the industry's decline amid a growing proportion of the population identifying as LGBTQ+.[1] Burton visited each of the twenty bars profiled in the book at least twice.[2][3][4]
Burton's interest in the industry's decline began in 2010 when she and her girlfriend sought out a Chicago lesbian bar shortly after moving to the city.[5][6] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Burton was asked what she missed the most – dyke bars – and found an agent but then learned the depth of the industry's decline.[7]
Reception
A review for Publishers Weekly described Burton's book as "a witty cross-country tour of lesbian bars", praising the author's humor throughout it, as well as her observations on the decline of lesbian bars in the United States.[8]Kirkus Reviews commented on Burton's writing style, which they called "bloglike" due to its inclusion of stream of consciousness prose, as well as the fact it's written more as a travel diary instead of an academic study. They concluded the review by calling Moby Dyke "a lighthearted, honest narrative about [the author's] messy adventure."[9]
