Inner City Hoodlum (Holloway House Originals) [Paperback]

Donald Goines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1975 | Series: Holloway House Originals

Johnny Washington, a black teenager in Los Angeles, knows the freight yard like the back of his hand. He and his pals, Josh and Buddy, hit them often, stealing for a fence. They have to. They're the soul support of their families. But when Josh is killed by a security guard (who gets his brains scattered by Buddy with nunchaku sticks), they are forced to look for other work. They find it with the underworld kings in Elliot Davis. But when Davis recruits Johnny's sister for his stabke and later OD's her, Johnny and Buddy come on with a vengeance.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Holloway House Pub Co (June 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870671936
• ISBN-13: 978-0870671937
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,129,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another piece from the mind of Goines, November 24, 2004

By 

soulonice (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Inner City Hoodlum (Mass Market Paperback)

This book followed the same formula, but there are some moments in it that separate it from the other books he has written. The ending of this book pissed me off, but besides that, I loved it. Two friends kill a guard in self-defense, and turn to a neighborhood numbers man with a known reputation. Things hit close to home with one of the young cats, and he, along with his friend, seek revenge for the overdose of his younger sister, by the Duke, the numbers man. There are the vivid scenes, the gruesome descriptions, and everything else which makes Donald Goines work stand out. Don't expect a happy ending, because that is not what Donald Goines was all about. He was about presenting reality.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yep, September 14, 2004

By 

Shamontiel L. Vaughn "Message from Montie" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Inner City Hoodlum (Holloway House Originals) (Paperback)

I have mixed emotions about the book. Finally, I met some colorful characters that didn't totally resemble the characters from the other six books I read. I enjoyed every minute of Johnny and Buddy's story, I was intrigued by Leslie's tale of prostitution, and wondered what in the hell Duke had in his pants to make these girls so stupid.

But I don't understand why Spence is so eztra angry (would've enjoyed his back story), why Johnny never used what he taught Buddy as protection, and how submissive Gloria became.

Either way, this book gave an intersting spin on how hood life is for young kids who have no other means to make it.

P.S. I love the toilet mishap.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat Of A Repeat!, August 13, 2003

By 

"whitley22" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inner City Hoodlum (Mass Market Paperback)

I love Donald Goines books but this book was not what I expected. The book was like a repeat of 1 of his other books. After reading it I felt like that was my 2nd time reading the book. I liked it because it still was real and spoke the truth. It didn't hold anything back.