Prom Night: The Best Night of Your Life

by Elissa Stein

Prom Night is a masterpiece of fashion feats and derring 'dos. It's a stirring survey of taffeta, tuxedos, and tulle; a compelling compendium of baby blue, bouffants, and boutonnieres. But most of all it's a touching reminder of that legendary night that promised to be the best night ever. Ever. Whether the theme was Stairway to Heaven or Forever Young and whether the fashion du jour was Sissy Spacek la Carrie or prim Jackie O., the aim was to look as glamorous and sophisticated as possible. And that's exactly what Prom Night delivers: glamour and sophistication. Showcasing over 90 snapshots, candids, and formal prom pictures from the 1940s onward and including a thought-provoking prom timeline, this little book is a paean to a very, very special night.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2005

About the author

ELISSA STEIN’S most current book is FLOW: the Cultural Story of Menstruation. She lived her publishing dream-come-true night with a launch party at Rizzoli's on 57th Street that The New Yorker wrote about the next day. Previous projects include NYC adventures with kids, interactive thank you notes, and labor support for parents-to-be, along with visual histories of iconic pop culture—two of which were featured in Entertainment Weekly’s Must Have list. In addition to writing, she runs her own graphic design business. To balance the above, she practices yoga, knits with enthusiasm, and shops for vintage coats on ebay. She lives in New York City with her husband Jon and their two children.

Reviews

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would serve as a fun resource for a writer looking for character ideas for a story about high school from 1950s-1980s. It was fun to look through, seeing what people wore, but I was left wanting more. Many of the photos were from the author's own prom, which felt like filler, and it didn't seem like there was a lot of diversity regarding time periods (the intro says proms were super huge from 1910-1940, but the earliest pictures are from the 1950s) and race (about 90% of the photos are of white couples). I wanted stories about the couples -- how their night turned out, what happened to them post-prom -- but we only get a hint of what happened to a few of them that turns up in a mere paragraph of the last page. It seems a little too easy to just collect a bunch of prom pictures, add the couple's name and high school, and then call it a day. Sure, it can be fun to make up stories about each couple yourself, but after awhile it's like paging through a stranger's yearbook full of people you don't know: "Who's this? Who's this?" And after while of receiving no answer, interest wanes.

[Malbadeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost killed sarah and i on the way home from the beach because I couldn't stop looking at this book while i was driving. I strongly recommend following it up with some very loud, very dramatic, airsupply. Drive with your knee, bruise your chest and forearm while providing the sign language interpretation it deserves and get on with living life the way it should be lived: loud, sappy, and in polyester (preferably baby blue).

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me laugh.......prom night...........some much can happen. quirky book full of pictures......just a nice book to make you smile and bring back memories.