A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures in the Mega-City [Paperback]

Diego Vigil (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0292787499 | ISBN-13: 978-0292787490 | Publication Date: July 15, 2002

With nearly 1,000 gangs and 200,000 gang members, Los Angeles holds the dubious distinction of being the youth gang capital of the United States. The process of street socialization that leads to gang membership now cuts across all ethnic groups, as evidenced by the growing numbers of gangs among recent immigrants from Asia and Latin America. This cross-cultural study of Los Angeles gangs identifies the social and economic factors that lead to gang membership and underscores their commonality across four ethnic groups--Chicano, African American, Vietnamese, and Salvadorian. James Diego Vigil begins at the community level, examining how destabilizing forces and marginalizing changes have disrupted the normal structures of parenting, schooling, and policing, thereby compelling many youths to grow up on the streets. He then turns to gang members' life stories to show how societal forces play out in individual lives. His findings provide a wealth of comparative data for scholars, policymakers, and law enforcement personnel seeking to respond to the complex problems associated with gangs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an ambitious and significant project - to map the ethnic diversity and gang subcultures of a major metropolis... The book will almost certainly find a large audience. It makes the gang experience accessible to college students [and others] who might easily dismiss these people as only objects of fear and beneath notice as struggling human beings. The life histories are vivid." - Joan W. Moore, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Review

This is an ambitious and significant project—to map the ethnic diversity and gang subcultures of a major metropolis.... The book will almost certainly find a large audience. It makes the gang experience accessible to college students [and others] who might easily dismiss these people as only objects of fear and beneath notice as struggling human beings. The life histories are vivid. (Joan W. Moore, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (July 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292787499
• ISBN-13: 978-0292787490
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good resource, October 22, 2007

By 

L. Purviance "lorraine" (No Calif) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures in the Mega-City (Paperback)

The comparisons contained in the book provide a peek into the world of street gang members. The perspective developed by comparison is compelling, and helps underscore the social issues. Read along with the studies driven by reporting data it fleshes out some of the dynamics of street socialization. It appears street gangs derive from a sense of isolation and powerlessness, fueled by the sense of futility, the social conditions are delineated in this work.