Customer Reviews

Gangbangers: Understanding The Deadly Minds Of America's Street Gangs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best and most complete book on street gangs I have read. Much of it is in the voices of gang members, police officers and others who work with gangbangers.

The book left me afraid and wondering if there is any hope for tha gang problem that has infected virtually every city in the country.

I highly recommend this book.

...however, it actually made me quite pissed after the first two chapters.

I've always been interested in people that live very different lives than I do. The question I keep hunting for the answer to is WHY. Why have they become what they are, why are they thinking the way they do, why do they seem to have totally different values - in general, what makes them what they are? So, this book sounded like the right one for me.

Instead, it made me rather pissed. Mr. Christensen divides his book into chapters according to the racial background of different gangs. The first chapter is about gangs in general, about the basic forces behind a gangbanger's actions. The next two chapters are about black and Hispanic gangs. Now, what you get in the first three chapters is basically the SAME pieces of information repeated over and over again. You even get the very same testimonies by nameless bangers in the different subsections.

Since the author used to be a police officer himself and dealt with bangers, I did expect a lot more detailed, first person experiences - especially because most of the facts he collects about gangs in his book are only new to those that never tried to understand bangers' "deadly minds"... never even googled "street gangs". That is the reason I'm giving this book 3 stars after all - it could be a starting point for a newbie.

In the next two chapters he writes about white and Asian gangs, so at least there is some new information there compared to the continuous repetition in the first three chapters. However, it doesn't seem too professional at all for him to beging chapter four (about white gangs) with an intro STRICTLY about how to get his other book (which he "humbly believes is the most complete book on the subject"... eh) - he will even give you a complete URL.

There's a few photos scattered all over the book, but they don't do any good, since they are extremely blurry. There are ones that are supposed to show gang tattoos or hang signals and one can hardly make out the person's body at all.

If you make it to chapter six "Facts and Fiction about Youth Gangs", dividing chapters according to ethnicity will seem even more senseless than before. As a Fact Mr. Christensen states, "So-called black gangs are no longer all black, Hispanic gangs are more and more mixed with whites and blacks, and many Southeast Asian gangs are now a mix of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong and even whites".

He hardly mentions female bangers and pretty much skips initiations, too.

So, this book is not going to give you some deep insight. However, if you're looking for some BASIC information on what gangs are about, you might enjoy it.

Gangs are not only ubiquitous but growing, becoming more pervasive and deadlier despite society's best efforts to stamp them out. The author interviews current and former gang members, law enforcement officers, school officials, lawyers, social workers, and other experts to provide chilling insight into the minds of those who join street gangs. A quick and easy read, this provocative book provides terrific insight into gang culture and etiquette. Respect, reputation, and revenge are integral to gang life. For example, the "commandments of the 'hood" include: thou shalt handle thy business, get girls, get respect, get thy money on, carry a gat (gun), and be down for thy homeboy right or wrong, and thou shalt not snitch. This book is a fascinating and worthwhile read.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Blinded by the Night, among other titles