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prettypious's review
5.0
Amazing memoir! This book did what it came to do! It was so good and informative in terms of his life but also the history of Harlem during a specific moment in time. Highly recommend the book, Omari Hardwick does the narration for the audiobook and he did his thing! Grade A reading experience
thechanelmuse's review
5.0
Dapper Dan is visionary. I've been familiar with his work in Hip-Hop culture for years, but I never knew his come up story. I finished this book in one sitting. The way it's written makes you feel like you’re almost watching a movie. He’s gonna have a hell of a biopic.
nickscoby's review
4.0
I am an 80s/90s hip hop head, so I was very aware of Dapper Dan and his iconic looks. But I mistakenly believed that the cultural movement shaped his work and I see now that it was the other way around.
I was loathe to part ways with Uncle Dan when I got to the end of the journey. I felt like I got to know him, hip hop, and Harlem even better. To be clear: this is a book about being black in America, but specifically being black in Harlem. 75 year old Dap witnessed the neighborhood's high and low periods and was shaped by the area just as much as he influenced the streets. I don't want to give away any spoilers but it is safe to say that Dapper Dan has lived an interesting life and I am thrilled to see that his career has been revived. Again.
I was loathe to part ways with Uncle Dan when I got to the end of the journey. I felt like I got to know him, hip hop, and Harlem even better. To be clear: this is a book about being black in America, but specifically being black in Harlem. 75 year old Dap witnessed the neighborhood's high and low periods and was shaped by the area just as much as he influenced the streets. I don't want to give away any spoilers but it is safe to say that Dapper Dan has lived an interesting life and I am thrilled to see that his career has been revived. Again.
tophat8855's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. I started it on Sunday and read half of it riding buses around Oakland. It's a quick read and really interesting. Dapper Dan's story is full of "two steps forward, one step back", but he keeps going. He's honest about his relationship with drugs as a young person and his gambling.
On thing I wish he'd had expounded on is his relationships. He says in the book that he didn't want to tell the stories of the women he'd been with because that's not his story, but I think it's possible to tell your story without encroaching on others'.
But this was a fast, easy read. My coworkers are going to listen to the audio book for our office book club, but I recommend having the actual book because it includes pictures of his designs, but also things like the Mike Tyson/Mitch Green fight outside his store. You'll want the pictures.
On thing I wish he'd had expounded on is his relationships. He says in the book that he didn't want to tell the stories of the women he'd been with because that's not his story, but I think it's possible to tell your story without encroaching on others'.
But this was a fast, easy read. My coworkers are going to listen to the audio book for our office book club, but I recommend having the actual book because it includes pictures of his designs, but also things like the Mike Tyson/Mitch Green fight outside his store. You'll want the pictures.
theonebeajones's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
readingissosexy's review against another edition
3.0
Oh to have a hustler brain like Dan's, this 9 to 5 is killing me fr fr
courtz531's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Excellent book. As a native of NYC and as someone who knew little about Dapper Dan, this was a great read. We learn about Dapper's journey from childhood on. Dapper Dan is particularly reflective and it is always clear why he makes the decisions he does. This book has heart and soul.
marigale's review
5.0
This was a great read - very conversational, thoughtful, the pictures at the end are cool. I've been wanting to learn more about fashion and fashion history & this was a great piece of nonfiction that was both informative and enjoyable (a hard combo, imo).