Suburban Gangs

Korem, an investigative journalist, brings a peculiar expertise to his study of youth gangs: formerly a professional magician, he uses sleight of hand (and of mind) in school presentations to help kids grasp the false promises at the center of any gang's appeal. This is a straightforward, nonsensational discussion of the causes, typology, and potential for prevention of and disengagement from youth gangs in relatively affluent communities (in Europe as well as the U.S.), which are often startled to learn they have a gang problem. In every culture, Korem notes, the kids most vulnerable to gangs live in broken, unstable, or severely dysfunctional families and have no adult "protector" on whom they can rely in a crisis. Global shifts in youth subcultures affect the relative appeal of types of gangs (delinquent, ideological, or, much less commonly, occult), but neither that subculture nor contact with inner-city gangs causes the formation of suburban gangs. Korem will enlighten many readers with his thoughtful and instructive approach to a growing and troubling social problem. - Mary Carroll at Booklist.