The gang: A study of 1,313 gangs in Chicago

by Frederic Milton Thrasher

While gangs and gang culture have been around for countless centuries, The Gang is one of the first academic studies of the phenomenon. Originally published in 1927, Frederic Milton Thrasher’s magnum opus offers a profound and careful analysis of hundreds of gangs in Chicago in the early part of the twentieth century. With rich prose and an eye for detail, Thrasher looked specifically at the way in which urban geography shaped gangs, and posited the thesis that neighborhoods in flux were more likely to produce gangs. Moreover, he traced gang culture back to feudal and medieval power systems and linked tribal ethos in other societies to codes of honor and glory found in American gangs. Thrasher approaches his subject with empathy and insightfulness, and creates a multifaceted and textured portrait that still has much to offer to readers today. With handsome images that evoke the era, this unabridged edition of The Gang not only explores an important moment in the history of Chicago, but also is itself a landmark in the history of sociology and subcultural theory.

Genres: Research, Nonfiction, History, Sociology

Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

Reviews

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In any ubiquitous crowd of children, spontaneous play-groups are forming everywhere - gangs in embryo.”

"The kids face a real struggle for existence with other kids and with the antagonistic forces in their wider social environment. Based on interests and aptitudes, a play-group emerges whose activities vary from “hide-and-go-seek” to crap-shooting."

“Marriage is one of the most potent causes of disintegration. Gangs are largely an adolescent phenomenon, and occupy a period in the life of a boy between childhood, when he is usually incorporated in a family structure, and marriage, when he is reincorporated into a family and other orderly relations.”

[DORIS · Rating 3 out of 5]

TO MANY GANGS IN CHIC. TOWN TO MANY GANGSTERS EVERYWHERE.PUT DOWN THE GUNS DO NOT MAKE IS BAD NITS ONLY MADES US SAD .YET WE HAVE TO PERTECT OUR SELVES. NOW WE DONT NO WHY WE ARE GETTING ONE FOR THE GOOD BAD AND THE UGLY. LETS SAVE LIFE NOT TAKE LIVES GOD GAVE US LIFE ITS UP TO HIM TO TAKE IT NO MAN NOT WOMAN NOT CHILD GODS WORLD AMEN.

[Doris Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

NICE BOOK.