A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture

 

“Street gangs mirror the inhuman ambitions and greed of society's trendsetters and deities even as they fight to the death over scraps from the table of the international drug trade.  But John Hagedorn, characteristically, also finds hope in the contradictory values of outlaw youth—selflessness, solidarity, and love amid cupidity and directionless rage—and he maintains the hope that a culture of resistance will ultimately prevail over the forces of self-destruction. Whether one shares his optimism or not, he makes a compelling case that the future of the world will be determined on the streets of our cities.” —Mike Davis, from the Foreword