One of the founders of the Crips, a Los Angeles gang, tells the reader about the dangers of gang life, particularly of getting involved with drug use and drug dealing.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Gr. 3^-5, with an adult discussion leader. Who better to give advice on a subject than someone who's "been there" ? That's the idea behind the Tookie Speaks Out against Gang Violence series, coauthored by Stanley "Tookie" Williams, cofounder of the notorious gang Crips and currently in residence in San Quentin State Prison. Because kids may recognize Tookie, whose face has been plastered across the pages of a host of popular magazines and newspapers in conjunction with the publication of this eight-book series, he may, in fact, be a good messenger. Certainly, there is a crying need for books about the dangers of drugs and gangs for this age level, but the books that this title represents don't entirely fill the bill. The series has some visual appeal: photos in full color feature a racially mixed roundup of children and teenagers meant to attract both reluctant YA and younger readers. As an additional draw, Tookie's face appears somewhere in every book: as a teen in his south-central L.A. neighborhood, as a child dressed in a suit and tie, as a handcuffed prisoner staring directly out at the reader. There is even a self-portrait. And the books do broach a lot of gang-related concerns--from the way gangs affect self-esteem to gang violence and drug use. But although each book in the series purports to tackle a different aspect of gang involvement, there is a lot of repetition. In fact, the series might easily have been cut in half without compromising content. Simplistic statements constantly jump out ("The people you hurt will someday hurt you"), and the introduction of some valuable terminology (mobbing, set-tripping, gangbanging, etc.) is compromised by intrusive and arbitrary pronunciation guides. Facts about Tookie's life are intriguing, but they are too few to balance the preachy text, and Tookie's presentation as a tragic figure of sorts is troubling. He may well have "learned his lesson," but because we never find out much about what actually brought him to death row, we are denied some of the most telling facts of all. Stephanie Zvirin
Review
Tookie learned the hard way that belonging to a gang is not smart. I salute him for his courage and his determination to overcome his circumstances. --Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A must for parents to have in the home. Very easy to read.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gangs and Drugs (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) (Hardcover)
This 24 page book has a lot of information that Parents should sit down with there children ages 5-15 and read together and talk with their children about how they feel and if they have every been approched by a gang(s) member, and if so what how to handle the situation.
7 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Books that are a must,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gangs and Drugs (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) (Paperback)
After reading all of the the Books, I knew that it is a must for the School's Organizatios, Colleges Educators, Parents, and most of all the youth to have them, Needing to ansewer a question, just knowing what to look out for, or being able to stay way from the negatives. These Books are also good for class asignments!.Thanks Sandra D
7 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give Tookie a Get of Jail Free Card!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Gangs and Drugs (Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence) (Paperback)
I work at a private school, teaching a first grade class. Mycolleagues and I found Tookie's books on gang violence fascinating andinformative. The glossary was particularly helpful, defining streetterminology such as 'hood and street soldier. My only lament was thatTookie himself could not be there in person to offer further adviceand words of wisdom.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
