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Gang Books of Note
By an Amazon.com customer
Do or DieDo or Die by Leon Bing
Buy new: $11.69 / Used from: $0.01
Journalist Bing's study of California gangsters in the 1980s. Some sensationalization.
Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez
Buy used from: $0.01
Rodriguez' excellent autobiography about Chicano gangs in the '60s & '70s.
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang MemberMonster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur
Buy used from: $1.20
Crip Monster Kody Scott's autobiography about LA gangs in the 1980s. A modern day version of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin KingMy Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King by Reymundo Sanchez
Buy new: $21.56 / Used from: $14.88
Chicago Latin King's autobiography of the gang life in the 1980s. A very good book.
Street Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue PosseStreet Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue Posse by Douglas Century
Buy used from: $3.99
Journalist Century's relationship with a NYC "gangster" who is trying to go straight. Well written and entertaining.
Crews: Gang Members Talk to Maria HinojosaCrews: Gang Members Talk to Maria Hinojosa by Maria Hinojosa
Buy used from: $0.01
NPR's Hinojisa interviews NYC crew members (less organized, gang-like groups). An excellent, all-ages book.
8 Ball Chicks8 Ball Chicks by Gini Sikes
Buy new: $11.18 / Used from: $2.77
Journalist Sikes's study of female gangsters in LA, San Antonio & Milwaulkee. Similar to Bing's Do or Die.
Dead End Kids: Gang Girls and the Boys They KnowDead End Kids: Gang Girls and the Boys They Know by Mark S. Fleisher
Buy new: $19.75 / Used from: $7.24
Sociologist Fleisher's look at female gangsters in KC. A little too preachy, but very accurate.
The Youth Gang Problem: A Community ApproachThe Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach by Irving A. Spergel
Buy used from: $40.00
Excellent sociological analysis of gang history, structure & causes in US by a foremost expert in the field.
Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A.Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A. by Susan A. Phillips
Buy new: $20.08 / Used from: $4.95
Anthropological look at Latino, African-American & Bomber graffiti in LA with a short overview of gang life. Great pictures.
UprisingUprising by Yusuf Jah
Buy new: $22.95 / Used from: $0.59
Self-serving and terrible. A collection of interviews with OG's during the truce.
Hell's Angels: Three Can Keep a Secret If Two Are Dead'Hell's Angels: Three Can Keep a Secret If Two Are Dead' by Y. Lavigne
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $5.32
A great overview of outlaw motorcycle gangs and their histories. Lavigne is a journalist who writes to shock, but does a terrific job detailing these criminal enterprises.
Life in the Gang: Family, Friends, and Violence (Cambridge Studies in Criminology)Life in the Gang: Family, Friends, and Violence (Cambridge Studies in Criminology) by Scott H. Decker
Buy new: $25.78 / Used from: $13.23
An amazing study of gangs in St. Louis. The authors conduct interviews with 99 gangbangers and 24 members of their family and breakdown what these people actually do with their time.
Voices from the Streets: Young Former Gang Members Tell Their StoriesVoices from the Streets: Young Former Gang Members Tell Their Stories by S. Beth Atkin
Buy used from: $1.03
An all-ages book detailing the lives of several ex-gang members and how they left their gangs and some of the social workers who helped them. Hinojisa's Crews is better book.