The Projects: Gang and Non-Gang Families in East Los Angeles (Paperback | 229 x 161) - James Diego Vigil - Special Order (non-refundable) 2-3 weeks despatch
Using family life histories, interviews and observations, and social agency records, the author researches what factors make some poor, Mexican American families in East L.A. more vulnerable to gang membership than others. Simultaneous.
The Pico Gardens housing development in East Los Angeles has a high percentage of resident families with a history of persistent poverty, gang involvement, and crime. In some families, members of three generations have belonged to gangs. Many other Pico Gardens families, however, have managed to avoid the cycle of gang involvement.
In this work, Vigil adds to the tradition of poverty research and elaborates on the association of family dynamics and gang membership. The main objective of his research was to discover what factors make some families more vulnerable to gang membership, and why gang resistance was evidenced in similarly situated non-gang-involved families. Providing rich, in-depth interviews and observations, Vigil examines the wide variations in income and social capital that exist among the ostensibly poor, mostly Mexican American residents. Vigil documents how families connect and interact with social agencies in greater East Los Angeles to help chart the routines and rhythms of the lives of public housing residents. He presents family life histories to augment and provide texture to the quantitative information.
By studying life in Pico Gardens, Vigil feels we can better understand how human agency interacts with structural factors to produce the reality that families living in all public housing developments must contend with daily.
This impressive study offers the results of the author's research and long familiarity with the Pico Gardens neighborhood of East Los Angeles, in this case with a focus on the families that live there and how family structure or the lack thereof impacts gang membership. The history of the gangs in the area and the specific behaviors and norms of the gang culture are described. The lives of female gang members receive a separate chapter. The research period was a lengthy one, providing a sustained look at the lives and careers of gang members and those who were able to avoid gang participation. The stories of many individuals are included throughout, gathered from interviews. Vigil, who teaches social ecology at the U. of California, Irvine, has written extensively on the gangs of East L.A. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
General
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9780292717312
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| Fiction/Non-Fiction |
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Non-Fiction
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| Publisher |
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Univ of Texas Pr
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| Pages |
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239
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| List Price |
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$22.95
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| Author |
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Vigil, James Diego
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| Publication Date |
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11/01/2007
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| Release Status |
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In Print
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| Format |
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Paperback
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| Language |
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English
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| Measurements |
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Height: 9 Inches (US)
Width: 6 Inches (US)
Thickness: 0.5 Inches (US)
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| Foreword |
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Weisner, Thomas S.
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