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This is a really cool book. I love the contrast of the black and white photos with the black paper that it's printed on. The movement and freedom of roller disco that's captured in these photos is really incredible. Roller skating has been becoming more popular again since the start of the pandemic, and it will always have a special place in my heart. Growing up in the 90s, every time I'd visit Wisconsin in the summer, we'd go to THE roller rink. Like a lot of roller rinks however, it closed down. After moving to Wisconsin, my friends and I would talk about the roller rink, and I always wondered if I had seen them there, not knowing who they were at the time, and now how inseparable we are now. I also think that it's really important to recognize how important roller skating was and is in the black community, and to recognize how much has come from that. -Ashley
— From Ashley's PicksBrooklyn's Empire Rollerdrome opened its doors in 1941 and soon became the borough's premier destination for recreational and competitive roller skating. But it wasn't until the late 1970s that the celebrated rink reached iconic status by replacing its organist with a live DJ, installing a state of the art sound and light system, and renaming itself after the nationwide dance craze it had helped to originate: the Empire Roller Disco was born. In 1980, the acclaimed street photographer Patrick D. Pagnano went on assignment to document the Empire and its legendary cast of partygoers. The resulting photographs, gathered in Empire Roller Disco for the first time, capture the vibrant spirits, extraordinary styles, and sheer joys of Brooklyn roller disco at its dizzying peak.