You either love it or hate it. But one thing's for sure: rumors of its death are premature. This fast-paced yet in-depth look at one of the most outrageous eras in musical―and cultural―history discusses the fashion and the freaks, the music-makers and the celebrators, to uncover why disco was so revered and reviled.

In its early days, disco was dismissed by the public as producers' music made by studio musicians. But this amalgam of African-American rhythm and blues, soul, and funk soon caught fire, bringing together gay and straight, black and white, young and old in a way no other popular music has before or since―a phenomenon that is still reverberating through the culture.

As it takes you from the history of dance halls to the rise of impossible-to-get-into clubs; from the reigning queens (Gloria Gaynor, Grace Jones, and Donna Summer among them) to the wanna-bes (including Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, and even Ethel Merman!); from the political mayhem of the Vietnam era to the party-all-night eighties, HOT STUFF will make you want to dust off those platform shoes, dig out your mirrored ball, and shake your booty all night long.

AMAZON REVIEW

Good Retro Fun,  June 13, 2001

By A Customer

I certainly enjoyed this brief, fun trip down memory lane. Mr. Andriote successfully evokes the essence of an era in a wonderful, light and fun way. Hot Stuff offers a lucid explanation of the confluence of factors that caused disco music to begin, and then explode into the mainstream. He is at his best when evoking the energy of this era and the "disco scene". As you turn the pages, you too will re-live the era and if only for a brief moment, you will lose 4 inches from your waist, regain the hair you have lost and fit into those bell-bottom jeans one more time. Thank you John-Manuel for the trip down memory lane.

"The timing is good for author and medical journalist John-Manuel Andriote. After writing a sobering book about the affect of AIDS on gay life in America, Andriote was looking for a lighter topic. He found it in researching the music of his youth."

―CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"If an entertaining look at the music and careers of such stars as Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, the Andrea True Connection, and the Village People is what you're after, look no further."

―BOOKLIST (American Library Association)

"Ideal beach or travel reading."

―THE WASHINGTON BLADE

"A FIZZY CHAMPAGNE TOAST OF A BOOK"

―Kevin Riordan,

GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

"EXCELLENT WRITING"

― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY