Wannabe - Gangs in Suburbs and Schools (Hardcover)

Boyz n' the Burbs comments on youth gangs in suburbs and schools. Based on interviews with over 400 boys and girls between the ages of ten and 20, the author offers a portrayal of their lives in and around gangs. It chronicles the way in which suburban youths become involved with gangs, learn about committing crimes and violent acts, and gradually begin to question their loyalty to gang life. Contrary to the popular view of gang members as thoughtless thugs, Monti describes the difficult choices they make and explores the youngsters' ambivalence toward dealing in illegal narcotics and taking up arms against neighbours and their fellow students. Youngsters use gangs to express their disdain for an adult world that provides them with few effective ways to become a conventional person and, at the same time, as a means to negotiate an entrance into that very world. Suburban gangs are seen to be different from inner-city gangs in some important ways. What young persons find in their families, neighborhoods, and schools clearly has an impact on the making and unmaking of gang members.