Review of After Dark

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Brenda Creech
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Review of After Dark

Post by Brenda Creech »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "After Dark" by Noel Hankin.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party by Noel Hankin is a nonfiction book about the birth of the discotheque in New York City in the 1970s. A group of college graduates came together and decided to promote dance parties. They called themselves "The Best of Friends" (TBOF). They had organized parties in various homes and locations in college, so they were confident they could do the same professionally. At first, they held the dances at different venues on different weeknights. They catered mainly to the black businessmen and women who came to dance. They had strict rules. No drugs were allowed, they had a dress code, and the atmosphere demanded respect, just like the attendees got respect.

Before disco music became popular, clubs were already called discotheques. TBOF eventually owned five discotheques in New York City. With the success of TBOF, other discotheques began cropping up. TBOF dominated midtown NYC with their clubs, and people from all walks of life and skin colors came to dance. The DJs knew how to mix the music and keep dancers on the dance floor. Their standards were high, and there was zero tolerance for anyone who broke the rules. Find out how TBOF remained the best promoter in NYC for fifteen years. Meet the diverse people who frequented their clubs, from businessmen and women to drug dealers to members of the mafia and even celebrities. Check out how the group went from promoting dances at different venues on weeknights to owning their discotheques. TBOF set the precedence for dancing in the heart of NYC, and the memory of their clubs lives on today.

Hankin's book brought back a lot of memories. I was in my early 20s when discotheques became popular, and I loved the sound of disco music. Just about everyone loved to dance. Mostly black patrons visited the clubs in NYC, but there were a few whites and Hispanics. Skin color was not an issue—everyone just came to dance. The relationship between the friends was what I liked best about this story. They each pulled their weight and were dedicated to making their discotheques successful, while most had families and other careers. After a few years, they began to leave the group one by one to pursue other avenues in their lives, but their friendships remained. I also liked that there is a section at the end where the author tells where each member is. There is a chronology of TBOF members; some appendices show pictures of the flyers they used to promote their clubs, their favorite songs, and more. There is a short piece about the author as well. There are also pictures throughout the pages of the book of the members of TBOF and some celebrities.

There was a bit of redundancy from chapter to chapter, but it is just an observation on my part, not a dislike. It is a well-written and well-edited book, and Hankin kept the story flowing even when the narrative went from one club to another and went back and forth from year to year. The timeline wasn't always in chronological order, but I barely noticed the changes. The book held my interest, perhaps because it brought back many memories of my young adult years.

I believe the book had professional editing. The errors were so few that there was no reason to remove a star. I only encountered a few mistakes, and there was very little profanity. In addition, Hankin's writing is natural and easy to follow, and the story is interesting. For those reasons, I am delighted to give this book 4 out of 4 stars.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs and to baby boomers who were young adults in the late 60s through the early 80s. If you like disco, you will enjoy reminiscing through this book. Teens may also enjoy reading about the dances from their parents' younger days.

******
After Dark
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B. Creech
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Post by Damis Seres Rodriguez »

Honestly, I don't believe this is the type of book that I'd enjoy. However, your review was as always, amazing. Thanks so much.
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Brenda Creech
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Post by Brenda Creech »

damis wrote: 17 Jun 2022, 08:12 Honestly, I don't believe this is the type of book that I'd enjoy. However, your review was as always, amazing. Thanks so much.
It is a story that unless you lived during that time it wouldn't be of interest. Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by and commenting!
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Post by julietmumbua23 »

Music truly has deep roots. Great review.
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Post by Brenda Creech »

julietmumbua23 wrote: 18 Jun 2022, 02:30 Music truly has deep roots. Great review.
Yes it does! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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Post by Wildflowertheorist »

It might be interesting to learn about discotheque and TBOF. Fantastic review!
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Post by Jane Ogwang »

The book is definitely nostalgic for a certain age of audience and I'm glad you capture this quite clearly in your excellent review. Great work!
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Brenda Creech
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Post by Brenda Creech »

Wildflowertheorist wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 00:08 It might be interesting to learn about discotheque and TBOF. Fantastic review!
Thank you very much! It was an interesting era! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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Post by Azubike Richard »

Fantastic review but I would not read the book because nothing impressed me about the book. Nice review from you
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Brenda Creech
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Post by Brenda Creech »

TrJ001 wrote: 23 Jun 2022, 03:57 The book is definitely nostalgic for a certain age of audience and I'm glad you capture this quite clearly in your excellent review. Great work!
Thank you very much! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
B. Creech
"Like beauty in the eyes, the divinity of the rose may be in the nose that smells it, and the lover that beholds it." Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
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Post by Brenda Creech »

Richard Azubike wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 07:08 Fantastic review but I would not read the book because nothing impressed me about the book. Nice review from you
Thank you! It really is a book that will be appreciated more by those who grew up in that era! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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Post by Diana Lowery »

I enjoy memoirs, music, and nostalgia. Your review has caught my attention. The fact that there are only a few errors is also a plus.
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Brenda Creech
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Post by Brenda Creech »

diana lowery wrote: 28 Jun 2022, 14:45 I enjoy memoirs, music, and nostalgia. Your review has caught my attention. The fact that there are only a few errors is also a plus.
It was a nostalgic read! It brought back many memories of those days when I once was young! :D Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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Post by Margi zuu202 »

Book of the Day BOTD is non fiction dating back in the 60's to early 70's the love of music brought a group of black folks together and they gave it a name TBOF that became mega success in the NYC. hankins college experience of holding house party because his passion in modern parties there's always alot of drugs, sexy and other dark happenings glad their group TBOF enforced a more conservative business stance that involved socializing,music, dancing they had personal connection with their audience that got them far with their music career.the author hankin took me back to the life in the 60's with his picturesque narration it was hard for them to create disco music especially him and his group being Black .the review was well written making the book easy to read and understand..I will recommend this book
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Post by Yasmine M »

I enjoyed reading your review, I had no idea this is how the disco dance party started.
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