This book does an excellent job of detailing the lives and stories of a cohort of criminals that are going through a youth rehabilitation center in Texas. Most of the concentration is on the life stories of the teenagers, and the processes they are involved in at the center to become rehabilitated. However, this book also presents lost of factual information and research about the criminal justices system in particular, and its history of dealing with juvenile offenders. The youth who get sentenced to the rehabilitation center are eligible for early release and shortened sentences if they successful complete the rehabilitation program. There are both female and male teenagers at the center, and although most of their day is spent in counseling and doing school work, they also have one of the best football and track teams in the nation. Each youth is assigned to a group, and work with this group to tell detailed life and crime stories.

This book would be an excellent choice for an older teenager doing a report on the criminal justice system and rehabilitation of youth. It also might be a great choice for an older teenager who was just interested in these issues in general. The stories in this book are absolutely heart-wrenching. It is unbelievable the amount of abuse these teenagers suffered throughout their childhood and it is also incredibly sad how their past events led them to engage in very horrible criminal activities.