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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you walked in Paradise Valley today . . .,
By A Customer
This review is from: Paradise Valley Days (Hardcover)
. . . all you would see would be a faded hand painted signed on on a brick wall. Club 666 is still standing but that's about it. This book brings back an era of Zoot suits and all night Jamming. In the 1930's all the black business's and entertainment in Detroit were crammed into one small area because of racial discrimination. This book has several newspaper articles which give a broader insight into the area, and has poems and recollections which let you into the daily life of the area. And it was a colorful life: jazz, gambling, prostitution, world class shows, black and tans, Purple Gang gangsters, blind pigs, elegance, money and povery are all reflected upon by people who lived it. It is also a coffee table picture book. Many pictures. And the stories ... Often the big bands of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and others would play the white clubs elsewhere in Michigan, but due to discrimination, the band's bus would have to return to the Hotels in Paradise Valley, and the bands would mingle and jam all night. If a horn player thought he was good, this was where he came to prove himself. If you love jazz and Detroit, you will love this book! |
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Paradise Valley Days by The Detroit Black Writers Guild (Hardcover - June 1, 1998)
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