Crews: Gang Members Talk to Maria Hinojosa [Hardcover]

Maria Hinojosa (Author), German Perez (Illustrator, Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1995

A vivid portrait of New York City gang life features a collection of interviews by a noted reporter for National Public Radio that detail the experiences of crew members in their struggle to survive in a world of violence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the 1990 stabbing of a Utah tourist by a NYC gang member, NPR correspondent Hinojosa conducted an "All Things Considered" interview with members of a Queens, N.Y., "crew" (also called posses or gangs). Building on that report, she explores this world through seven interviews with young Queens gang members. They speak candidly, often with disturbing detachment, about a variety of issues: the sense of family offered by crews, how they view their futures, raising their own children, and misconceptions about posses. Members commit petty crimes, but the crews nonetheless seem like social groups compared to the "hard core" gangs of such cities as Los Angeles. Often, however, they come across as caricatures: all talk and no action. Though Hinojosa's own naive views sometimes intrude, her book works best when she gets her subjects to drop their bravado and recount their individual experiences in an increasingly violent society. The resultant portraits powerfully demonstrate how loneliness, hopelessness and low self-esteem affect a growing number of young people. A compelling afterword brings the subjects' lives up to date. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up?A provocative and personal look at Latino gang members in New York City. Shank, Coki, Cindy, Tre, Smooth b, and their friends answer the interviewer's questions to reveal lives driven overwhelmingly by some common threads: the need for acceptance, suppressed anger, dysfunctional families, poverty, violence, and drugs. For these teens their "crews" or "posses," the street term for gangs, serve as a safe haven, an anchor to reality, and a place in which to feel in control. Hinojosa's open-ended questioning style encourgages young men and women to tell their own stories. Their reflections on childhood, family, school, loneliness, friendships, the street, drugs, sex, death, fights, and the future are moving testaments to the resiliency of the human spirit. The contemporary topic, universal themes, accessible writing, and compelling language will fill a void on many library's shelves. These powerful statements may serve as a wake-up call to young adults and all who work with them today.?Gail Richmond, San Diego Unified Schools, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books (J); 1st edition (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152928731
• ISBN-13: 978-0152928735
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,208,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crews, November 23, 2003

By 

mdvk (Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crews: Gang Members Talk to Maria Hinojosa (Paperback)

I thought this book was very good at showing how it accually is to live on the streets, because they talked to real people. I also like the way that they discribed the conditions that they had to live in so good. Maria was very good at talking to the people like they were haveing a regular converstion so it felt like you were there with them. It was also helpful that they had a glossery in the back of the book so if you didnt know what a street term ment,you could look it up and you would know what the gang members were talking about and/or discribing. Over all I think this book is worth while and I would suggest it to everyone intrested.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book..., March 20, 2001

By 

TheWay (Bellevue,WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crews: Gang Members Talk to Maria Hinojosa (Paperback)

This book really made me think a lot about what a "loose cannon" really goes through to get how they are. Usually, the media exploits these types of people and they don't talk about how they got this way... But in this book, they tell you about their lives and how they get to the point where they are at and what they want in the future. Maria really did a good job and let the boys and girls speak their mind. Once you read this book, you will start to understand the Crew members and the atmosphere that they live in.So check it out because its something that will elevate your thinking about other human beings.