Peace in the Streets: Breaking the Cycle of Gang Violence [Paperback]

Arturo Hernandez (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Gang members are not from Mars or Venus. Their behavior differs only in degree from expected teenage behavior," says Hernandez, who puts 20 years of experience in working with gang members into this book, with the premise that First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton first brought to lightAit takes a village to raise a child. Two-thirds of the account consists of riveting true-life stories of the author's work with gang members; the remainder is a blueprint detailing how to work together to salvage young lives. The thesis of a 1927 book by Ed Thrasher, The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago, is that you reduce delinquency by developing a teenager's personal interests. Seventy years later, Hernandez wholeheartedly concurs with that thesis, and he shares what has and has not worked in his effort to bring peace to the streets. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.ASandra Isaacson, U.S. EPA ESD-LV Lib., Las Vegas
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: CWLA Press (Child Welfare League of America) (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878686924
• ISBN-13: 978-0878686926
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #942,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A realistic yet hopeful look at gang life., May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Peace in the Streets: Breaking the Cycle of Gang Violence (Paperback)

Peace in the Streets is a realistic yet hopeful look at gang life. Hernandez uses vivid imagery and poignant stories to weave a picture of children immersed in gang life. The book recreates the lives of the students that participated in his small alternative school in East L.A. Peace in the Streets portrays the children not as violent monsters but as adolescents lost in an imperfect system and society. Hernandez possesses the unique ability to understand and eloquently portray the path most children followed before entering gang life. He writes with an empathy and sensitivity rarely seen in books of this nature. As an educator working in at-risk schools I found this book to be very enlightening. Peace in the Streets is one of the few books in this genre that offers incredible insight into the lives of gang members while providing a step by step plan for communities to help their youths. This book is a pleasurable and necessary read for educators, parents, and communities struggling with issues related to gangs.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book can give you hope if you work with gang members, April 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Peace in the Streets: Breaking the Cycle of Gang Violence (Paperback)

As someone who has worked with gang members for a number of years, this book really resonated with me. It is so hard to communicate to people who gang members are behind the facades they wear. Arturo Hernandez's real life experiences speak powerfully to both the hopelessness and the hope to be found in America's inner-city areas. He also provides insights as to the underlying problems which have created our gang problems today, and hypothesizes about possible solutions, many of which seem viable based on my personal experiences. This book is a must-read, particularly for those in education-related fields dealing with gangs.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very enlightening book on gang violence, March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Peace in the Streets: Breaking the Cycle of Gang Violence (Paperback)

I read this book for my political science class and I loved it. It gave me my first look at gang violence. The author gives you a stunning first hand account on not the gangs as a whole, but the kids as indviduals. He helps you to see that these kids are all different. Some are good in school, others can't read... he helps us, who do not have to deal with these problems, see that there is no "typical kid or family". Every student who is thinking about going into social work, Psychology, policics, teaching, etc... should read this book. It will open your eyes.