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MENAFTER10
Told in a series of interconnecting stories of strangers and friends using a popular hookup app, MENAFTER10 is a rich and raw depiction of how hard it is being Black, gay, and online.
MENAFTER10 is a mobile dating app made for “urban men looking for urban men.” Among its users is Chauncey Lee, who is always online, always looking. What exactly he’s looking for is a mystery even to him but he does his best trying to find it by dating in bedrooms across an unnamed city. Brontae Williams is just the opposite. He’s lonely and desperately wants to settle down into a long-term relationship. His biggest problem is that the only thing anyone wants these days is quick and casual sex. LeMilion Meeks, however, is used to the fast life. With his big personality, he might come off as content with snorting coke in club bathrooms, but secretly he’s learning that knowing his HIV status is entirely different than knowing what to do with it.
Despite their individual differences, these men and the men they meet online intersect and merge in this brilliant debut novel.
MENAFTER10 is a mobile dating app made for “urban men looking for urban men.” Among its users is Chauncey Lee, who is always online, always looking. What exactly he’s looking for is a mystery even to him but he does his best trying to find it by dating in bedrooms across an unnamed city. Brontae Williams is just the opposite. He’s lonely and desperately wants to settle down into a long-term relationship. His biggest problem is that the only thing anyone wants these days is quick and casual sex. LeMilion Meeks, however, is used to the fast life. With his big personality, he might come off as content with snorting coke in club bathrooms, but secretly he’s learning that knowing his HIV status is entirely different than knowing what to do with it.
Despite their individual differences, these men and the men they meet online intersect and merge in this brilliant debut novel.
178 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2021
4 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
Casey Hamilton
1 book18 followersCASEY HAMILTON is a writer with his roots in raw, fictional storytelling. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a graduate of Southern University and A&M College, he now writes from Atlanta, Georgia. After briefly working as a freelance copywriter, Hamilton followed his passion for creative writing with his 2013 amateur debut as a YouTube content creator and star of the gay web series, Judys. MENAFTER10 is Hamilton's first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 28, 2021
Raw, personal, gritty. Black gay men. A hook up app called Menafter10.
When I started reading this book, I had a certain feeling of discomfort. Not because the story is raw and graphic, but because I’m a white woman and it felt like this book wasn’t meant for me and I was intruding. While reading, the discomfort faded away, and the story grew on me, although I still believe this book is most of all meant for (Black) gay men.
Menafter10 follows different men using the app, including three friends. Chauncey just hooks up, a little proud that he’s asking for a condom lately. Brontea secretly hates going out with his friends and longs for a solid relationship. LeMillion is the queen, snorts coke, and in the meanwhile he’s not sure what to do with his HIV status. Three friends and other men using an app to find sex and more. The story reminded me a bit of Where We Go from Here although Menafter10 is much, much grittier.
I really liked the writing. It’s captivating and descriptive, and the story is quite short and very easy readable. Recommended for everyone who wants to read more about the struggles Black gay men have nowadays. I truly enjoyed the read and am curious what Casey Hamilton will write next!
I received an ARC from Amble Press and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
When I started reading this book, I had a certain feeling of discomfort. Not because the story is raw and graphic, but because I’m a white woman and it felt like this book wasn’t meant for me and I was intruding. While reading, the discomfort faded away, and the story grew on me, although I still believe this book is most of all meant for (Black) gay men.
Menafter10 follows different men using the app, including three friends. Chauncey just hooks up, a little proud that he’s asking for a condom lately. Brontea secretly hates going out with his friends and longs for a solid relationship. LeMillion is the queen, snorts coke, and in the meanwhile he’s not sure what to do with his HIV status. Three friends and other men using an app to find sex and more. The story reminded me a bit of Where We Go from Here although Menafter10 is much, much grittier.
I really liked the writing. It’s captivating and descriptive, and the story is quite short and very easy readable. Recommended for everyone who wants to read more about the struggles Black gay men have nowadays. I truly enjoyed the read and am curious what Casey Hamilton will write next!
I received an ARC from Amble Press and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2021
‘Hey bro, wanna make some $$$...’ – life and unlocking needs online
Georgia author Casey Hamilton earned his degree from Southern University and A&M College and made his writing debut on YouTube as the creator and star of ‘Judys,’ a gay web series. Now he extends his talent with MENAFTER10, his debut novel, referencing his experience with the online presence as transferred to his characters.
In an online Lambda Literary chat with Gar McVey-Russell, Casey states, ‘I’ve wanted to write a story about the Black gay experience since college. Partly, because once I came out at 18, I kind of thought that the hard part was over. I thought that I was free to be, to live my truth. I thought that there might be some people in society that don’t accept me but I certainly never thought that so much of the hurt and hardships I encountered as a Black gay man would come from other gay men, most of whom were also Black. So MENAFTER10 came to me as a result of wanting to write the book I wish I would have had when I was just starting out as an out gay man…’
With that degree of sensitivity, Casey places his novel in a ‘world’ that could be anywhere, as the story basically takes place online in a geosocial online dating app for ‘urban men looking for urban men’ – that app being MENAFTER10. His scriptive art is impressive in his Prologue – ‘God’s light wasn’t available to guide his men-children through the dark of night. Instead, what lit the streets after the sun had set was artificial, subject to flickering on and off, changing its color, going completely out and never being bright enough to ward off all the darkness. That didn’t stop them, though. They had needs, the certain kind of needs that peaked at night…’ And with that explanation for the creation of the app MENAFTER10, Casey has penned a novel so well written, including his mastery of street talk and online acronyms and chatter-talk, that his future in literature seems assured.
The provided synopsis distills the story well: ‘MENAFTER10 is a geosocial online dating application for gay "urban men looking for urban men." Among its users is Chauncey Lee, who is always online, always looking. What exactly he's looking for is a mystery even to him, but he does his best trying to find it by dating in bedrooms across an unnamed city. Brontae Williams is just the opposite. He's lonely and desperately wants to settle down into a long-term relationship. His biggest problem is that the only thing anyone wants these days is quick and casual sex. LeMilion Meeks, however, is used to the fast life. With his big personality, he might come off as content with snorting coke in club bathrooms, but he's learning that knowing his HIV status is entirely different than knowing what to do with it. Despite the differences between them, their reasons for using the app are the same. The stories of these men and the men they meet online intersect and converge.’
Placed squarely in the world in which we are living (and relating) now, Casey’s debut is stunning, the sort of novel that shoots off a bright signal that this is an author to note. Very highly recommended.
Georgia author Casey Hamilton earned his degree from Southern University and A&M College and made his writing debut on YouTube as the creator and star of ‘Judys,’ a gay web series. Now he extends his talent with MENAFTER10, his debut novel, referencing his experience with the online presence as transferred to his characters.
In an online Lambda Literary chat with Gar McVey-Russell, Casey states, ‘I’ve wanted to write a story about the Black gay experience since college. Partly, because once I came out at 18, I kind of thought that the hard part was over. I thought that I was free to be, to live my truth. I thought that there might be some people in society that don’t accept me but I certainly never thought that so much of the hurt and hardships I encountered as a Black gay man would come from other gay men, most of whom were also Black. So MENAFTER10 came to me as a result of wanting to write the book I wish I would have had when I was just starting out as an out gay man…’
With that degree of sensitivity, Casey places his novel in a ‘world’ that could be anywhere, as the story basically takes place online in a geosocial online dating app for ‘urban men looking for urban men’ – that app being MENAFTER10. His scriptive art is impressive in his Prologue – ‘God’s light wasn’t available to guide his men-children through the dark of night. Instead, what lit the streets after the sun had set was artificial, subject to flickering on and off, changing its color, going completely out and never being bright enough to ward off all the darkness. That didn’t stop them, though. They had needs, the certain kind of needs that peaked at night…’ And with that explanation for the creation of the app MENAFTER10, Casey has penned a novel so well written, including his mastery of street talk and online acronyms and chatter-talk, that his future in literature seems assured.
The provided synopsis distills the story well: ‘MENAFTER10 is a geosocial online dating application for gay "urban men looking for urban men." Among its users is Chauncey Lee, who is always online, always looking. What exactly he's looking for is a mystery even to him, but he does his best trying to find it by dating in bedrooms across an unnamed city. Brontae Williams is just the opposite. He's lonely and desperately wants to settle down into a long-term relationship. His biggest problem is that the only thing anyone wants these days is quick and casual sex. LeMilion Meeks, however, is used to the fast life. With his big personality, he might come off as content with snorting coke in club bathrooms, but he's learning that knowing his HIV status is entirely different than knowing what to do with it. Despite the differences between them, their reasons for using the app are the same. The stories of these men and the men they meet online intersect and converge.’
Placed squarely in the world in which we are living (and relating) now, Casey’s debut is stunning, the sort of novel that shoots off a bright signal that this is an author to note. Very highly recommended.
October 6, 2021
Going in my collection
Menafter10 was a nice read. Even though being a woman there were characters I could still relate too. The authors word pictures were just enough to either allow your imagination run free or you could let the arthur paint one for you. Sensual couldn't put down.
Menafter10 was a nice read. Even though being a woman there were characters I could still relate too. The authors word pictures were just enough to either allow your imagination run free or you could let the arthur paint one for you. Sensual couldn't put down.
June 5, 2022
This might be my favourite novel so far in 2o22.
October 27, 2021
MENAFTER10 should be on everyone's must read list. This is the best queer book I've read all year. The black gay characters are realistic, funny, and well fleshed out. You can tell the author put a lot of thought into how he wanted to portray life as a black and gay man in the US.
Obviously the app in the book is a stand in for real life apps like Grindr, Scruff, Jack'd, Adam4Adam, etc. But the truths of online dating and hookup apps go beyond any one app and the situations in the book are relatable familiar if you've ever used one.
If you liked this book you have to check out B-Boy Blues (and the sequels) by James Earl Hardy, Another Country by James Baldwin, Monument by Bryan Washington, Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles, Kiss the Scars on the Back of My Neck by Joe Okonwo, The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany, The Bright Lands by Johnathon Fram and The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller.
Obviously the app in the book is a stand in for real life apps like Grindr, Scruff, Jack'd, Adam4Adam, etc. But the truths of online dating and hookup apps go beyond any one app and the situations in the book are relatable familiar if you've ever used one.
If you liked this book you have to check out B-Boy Blues (and the sequels) by James Earl Hardy, Another Country by James Baldwin, Monument by Bryan Washington, Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles, Kiss the Scars on the Back of My Neck by Joe Okonwo, The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany, The Bright Lands by Johnathon Fram and The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller.
October 2, 2021
They all need...
Hugs. Lots and lots of hugs. Even the Douchebag dad. A series of interrelated vignettes of young gay Black men, connected and disconnected by the geosocial hookup app that gives this slender volume its name. Hamilton does an excellent job of summoning the existential despair of young men who haven't yet learned they are innately lovable.
Hugs. Lots and lots of hugs. Even the Douchebag dad. A series of interrelated vignettes of young gay Black men, connected and disconnected by the geosocial hookup app that gives this slender volume its name. Hamilton does an excellent job of summoning the existential despair of young men who haven't yet learned they are innately lovable.
July 22, 2022
Through a series of interwoven vignettes, the author explores a number of intricacies related to being black and gay. Modern dating app culture and social media influence are also major themes in these raw, no-holds-barred stories. It was encouraging to read a novel that explored another point of view than the large majority of gay literature today.
November 6, 2021
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the advanced digital review copy of this title.
This book was not written for me. I mean what do I know about being a gay, black man? But that's its beauty: the transferable feelings of being human.
MENAFTER10 reads like the book version of the movie "Crash," with deep understanding of each of the characters who eventually all find a way for their lives to collide in meaningful ways.
It is an emotional page-turner painting a particularly honest and heartfelt narrative of the struggles among the culture of dating apps.
"Brontae almost shook his head and declined, but he was so tired of shaking his head. It was easier to just go along with it, all of it, because not doing what everyone else was doing didn't make him any different, he thought. It didn't leave him any less lonely."
Finally the ending may seem abrupt at first but the more it resonates in my conscience, the more appropriate it seems given the deep subject matter. This is a book with impact.
This book was not written for me. I mean what do I know about being a gay, black man? But that's its beauty: the transferable feelings of being human.
MENAFTER10 reads like the book version of the movie "Crash," with deep understanding of each of the characters who eventually all find a way for their lives to collide in meaningful ways.
It is an emotional page-turner painting a particularly honest and heartfelt narrative of the struggles among the culture of dating apps.
"Brontae almost shook his head and declined, but he was so tired of shaking his head. It was easier to just go along with it, all of it, because not doing what everyone else was doing didn't make him any different, he thought. It didn't leave him any less lonely."
Finally the ending may seem abrupt at first but the more it resonates in my conscience, the more appropriate it seems given the deep subject matter. This is a book with impact.
November 16, 2021
In history, certain inventions have changed the world--steam power, electricity, flight. But in terms of relationship building, nothing in LGBT life can compare to the introduction of the dating app. Sure, there were chat rooms, but nothing can compare to the seemingly accessibility of sexual partners in the app for its users.
Hamilton looks at this world through the eyes of a group of gay, urban, Black men. In interrelated chapters, one learns of their lives, families, and their relationship with each other. However, except for socializing at the bar, the individuals had very little 'friend' relationships. When they do come together near the end of the work, I found it surprising. I found that the narrative always kept one very far away from the action--even the sexual encounters I found were cool. Maybe, that is the point of the work.
My thanks to Edelweiss/Above the Treeline for this free electronic version in exchange for an unbiased review.
Hamilton looks at this world through the eyes of a group of gay, urban, Black men. In interrelated chapters, one learns of their lives, families, and their relationship with each other. However, except for socializing at the bar, the individuals had very little 'friend' relationships. When they do come together near the end of the work, I found it surprising. I found that the narrative always kept one very far away from the action--even the sexual encounters I found were cool. Maybe, that is the point of the work.
My thanks to Edelweiss/Above the Treeline for this free electronic version in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 5, 2023
I will preface this with "I am a white, gay, Australian man" and this book - apart from being gay - may not have me as the target audience.
MENAFTER10 is an app, like grindr, and this book follows some of the black users of said app (this app in the book is more for the black community). I loved it, I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, and turned on (haha)
I hope Casey has more to come, as the book was thrilling.
MENAFTER10 is an app, like grindr, and this book follows some of the black users of said app (this app in the book is more for the black community). I loved it, I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, and turned on (haha)
I hope Casey has more to come, as the book was thrilling.
October 17, 2023
One of the most important works on modern gay life. A must-read for gay men.
March 10, 2025
New age written book about gay male friendships and their sex life via dating sites. Easy read, fun, light hearted and engaging.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews