Title: After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party
Author: Noel Hankin
Publisher: Leon Niknah Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-1-7366149-0-7
Pages: 278
Genre: Non-fiction / Pop Artist Biographies
Reviewer: Jack Chambers
Hollywood Book Reviews
One question which many people often ask themselves is how do they define an era. Not the specific term, but the thing that made an era so specific and compelling. Was it the historical events which put these eras on the map, or perhaps the important historical or celebrity figures helped define why an era was as important as it was? One way that many people can sum up what made a specific era so important was music and dance, and there is no greater example of using music to define an era than the ‘70s and Disco.
In author Noel Hankin’s After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party, the author goes to great lengths to bring individuals from all walks of life together to show what made the ‘70s and Disco so important. From the music and dance movements meteoric rise to fame, to the powerful figures that frequented the disco clubs of that era, each chapter showed how not only great music, but the dancing and social status that the music invoked in people, would help define an entire era and generation of people in the decade that followed.
Transportive was the first word that sprang to mind when reading this book. The author’s ability to transport readers into the past and witness the events of the era the author experienced first-hand was amazing to see come to life on the pages. As a founder of TBOF (The Best of Friends, Inc.), the author not only explored disco and the impact it had on the ‘70s, but added a depth of context as the group founded three of the first black-owned nightclubs in midtown Manhattan. Reading about the way disco and nightclubs in general rose to fame in the ‘70s in New York City especially, and how these clubs became central places for everyone to congregate, from politicians and FBI agents to mobsters and celebrities, the reader can feel the passion and the depth of detail the author poured into this book.
This is the best book a reader could buy if their favorite genre is non-fiction, especially those which focus on biographies regarding pop artists, dance, and popular music – all in one book. The imagery readers get as the book hones in on the disco scene, and the powerful themes of friendship, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity which come to life through the author’s first-hand accounts of the events of this era are remarkable. The book explores the highs and lows of running this booming business, and the almost energetic quality of the author’s writing really captured the emotions and experiences of the disco era so perfectly.