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Born and Raised in the Streets of Compton
A story of ghetto youth growing up in the city of Compton, California, a place where the navigation of daily life is literally, a tightrope between life and death.
Born and Raised in the Streets of Compton is a true story based upon many events among the urban black youth growing up amidst poverty in the notorious city of Compton, California. This story follows the path of a second generation Crip member, who weaves his journey into the context of the United States sociological history and governmental action that propagated the birth and escalation of gangs and gang violence, now careening out of control.
This work represents the personal history of a young black man's struggle in the context of racism, poverty, and violence, serving as a valuable historical resource. Included is a report released by the United States Senate Select Committee on COINTELPRO's activities against the Black Panther Party and Martin Luther King Jr., in 1975, along with another report that outlined a plot to dismantle stability in the black community. Finally added, is a historical break-down of the evolution of street gangs from the 1930's to the present, which includes a complete compilation of gangs and gang territories in the United States as well as statistical material and an extensive reference listing.
Born and Raised in the Streets of Compton is a true story based upon many events among the urban black youth growing up amidst poverty in the notorious city of Compton, California. This story follows the path of a second generation Crip member, who weaves his journey into the context of the United States sociological history and governmental action that propagated the birth and escalation of gangs and gang violence, now careening out of control.
This work represents the personal history of a young black man's struggle in the context of racism, poverty, and violence, serving as a valuable historical resource. Included is a report released by the United States Senate Select Committee on COINTELPRO's activities against the Black Panther Party and Martin Luther King Jr., in 1975, along with another report that outlined a plot to dismantle stability in the black community. Finally added, is a historical break-down of the evolution of street gangs from the 1930's to the present, which includes a complete compilation of gangs and gang territories in the United States as well as statistical material and an extensive reference listing.
474 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2014
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November 4, 2015
The reason I ranked this book with four stars is because of the grammar problems throughout the book - long run on sentences, incomplete sentences, etc., however, the content is very valuable.
This book contains adult language and will offend some people.
Kevin Lewis grew up in Compton, CA. He writes this book based on himself and the happenings in his life with a fictional character, Michael. The books takes the reader along with Michael on his journey from a young boy who grows to like gangbangin' and joins the one of the notorious gangs in Los Angeles: the Crips. While the reader is following Michael's life into the gang, getting arrested, going to jail, getting out of jail, then going to prison, one learns about the history of suppression of the African Americans in the ghettos. This book is valuable in not only understanding why one joins a gang, but for the historical documents included in the book. Lists of gang members names, lists of those who died by gang members, lists of innocent people who died at the hand of gang members or in drive-by shootings, information from newspaper articles and government documents.
I recommend this book for history of pop culture classes, sociology classes, psychology classes, communications studies, African American history and studies, and criminology classes. If you are interested in what is happening on our streets today, this book will give you some insights.
When I visited with Kevin Lewis about this book, I asked why did he join a the gang. His answer was "do or die and to protect my family." Lewis went on to explain that his father left for work every morning around 3:30 a.m. or so and he would watch from his upstairs bedroom window to make sure that nothing happened to him while he was outside warming up the car, scraping frost off the windows, etc., until he drove off to work. When Lewis spoke about his family he said he joined the gang so his little brother didn't have too and to keep other gang members from bothering his family. Gang members often referred to give as "Crazy."
Today, Kevin Lewis lives with his wife in Kansas. How did Lewis end up in Kansas? Read the book and you will learn from someone who dealt with things first hand: things most only see in the movies.
This book contains adult language and will offend some people.
Kevin Lewis grew up in Compton, CA. He writes this book based on himself and the happenings in his life with a fictional character, Michael. The books takes the reader along with Michael on his journey from a young boy who grows to like gangbangin' and joins the one of the notorious gangs in Los Angeles: the Crips. While the reader is following Michael's life into the gang, getting arrested, going to jail, getting out of jail, then going to prison, one learns about the history of suppression of the African Americans in the ghettos. This book is valuable in not only understanding why one joins a gang, but for the historical documents included in the book. Lists of gang members names, lists of those who died by gang members, lists of innocent people who died at the hand of gang members or in drive-by shootings, information from newspaper articles and government documents.
I recommend this book for history of pop culture classes, sociology classes, psychology classes, communications studies, African American history and studies, and criminology classes. If you are interested in what is happening on our streets today, this book will give you some insights.
When I visited with Kevin Lewis about this book, I asked why did he join a the gang. His answer was "do or die and to protect my family." Lewis went on to explain that his father left for work every morning around 3:30 a.m. or so and he would watch from his upstairs bedroom window to make sure that nothing happened to him while he was outside warming up the car, scraping frost off the windows, etc., until he drove off to work. When Lewis spoke about his family he said he joined the gang so his little brother didn't have too and to keep other gang members from bothering his family. Gang members often referred to give as "Crazy."
Today, Kevin Lewis lives with his wife in Kansas. How did Lewis end up in Kansas? Read the book and you will learn from someone who dealt with things first hand: things most only see in the movies.
Displaying 1 of 1 review