Smith, Debra; Whitmore, Kathryn F.

"This volume is an ethnographic study of four Mexican American male adolescents and their involvement in gangs and school. By using storytelling, the authors give meaning to the reader's and the boys' world. Recommended. All readership levels."—CHOICE"Debbie Smith and Kathy Whitmore have produced a remarkable book....In this age of fragmentation when the alienation of youth has reached such an extreme [they] have provided us not only with an opportunity for reflection, but also for direct action in our classrooms and in our communities to reach out and change the conditions of those who grow up disenfranchised and dispossessed."—Denny TaylorFrom the Foreword"This is exactly the type of study that we need in the expanding and generative area of Literacy Studies. It explores populations that are under-represented in published research--Mexican American students, high school students, and gang communities, and provides much needed and topical insights into the literacy communities that these students negotiate."—Debra GoodmanHofstra University

• Contents: D. Taylor, Foreword. Preface. Introducing the Characters: Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, Lil Garfield, and Debbie. Family Community: Mi Familia. Gang Community: "West Up Cuzz." School Community, Part One (I): "They Don't Want Us Here." School Community, Part Two (II): "This Is Our School." Juvenile Court Community: "In and Out of Juvie." Images of Gangs in the Media and Research Literature. Living on the Boundaries of School: Advocacy and Research. Literacy in Communities of Success and Failure. Appendices: Timeline. Family Trees. Glossary of Gang Terminology as Used by Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, and Lil Garfield. Smurf and Sad Boy's Story.

Smith, Debra; Whitmore, Kathryn F.

"This volume is an ethnographic study of four Mexican American male adolescents and their involvement in gangs and school. By using storytelling, the authors give meaning to the reader's and the boys' world. Recommended. All readership levels."—CHOICE"Debbie Smith and Kathy Whitmore have produced a remarkable book....In this age of fragmentation when the alienation of youth has reached such an extreme [they] have provided us not only with an opportunity for reflection, but also for direct action in our classrooms and in our communities to reach out and change the conditions of those who grow up disenfranchised and dispossessed."—Denny TaylorFrom the Foreword"This is exactly the type of study that we need in the expanding and generative area of Literacy Studies. It explores populations that are under-represented in published research--Mexican American students, high school students, and gang communities, and provides much needed and topical insights into the literacy communities that these students negotiate."—Debra GoodmanHofstra University

• Contents: D. Taylor, Foreword. Preface. Introducing the Characters: Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, Lil Garfield, and Debbie. Family Community: Mi Familia. Gang Community: "West Up Cuzz." School Community, Part One (I): "They Don't Want Us Here." School Community, Part Two (II): "This Is Our School." Juvenile Court Community: "In and Out of Juvie." Images of Gangs in the Media and Research Literature. Living on the Boundaries of School: Advocacy and Research. Literacy in Communities of Success and Failure. Appendices: Timeline. Family Trees. Glossary of Gang Terminology as Used by Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, and Lil Garfield. Smurf and Sad Boy's Story.

Smith, Debra; Whitmore, Kathryn F.

"This volume is an ethnographic study of four Mexican American male adolescents and their involvement in gangs and school. By using storytelling, the authors give meaning to the reader's and the boys' world. Recommended. All readership levels."—CHOICE"Debbie Smith and Kathy Whitmore have produced a remarkable book....In this age of fragmentation when the alienation of youth has reached such an extreme [they] have provided us not only with an opportunity for reflection, but also for direct action in our classrooms and in our communities to reach out and change the conditions of those who grow up disenfranchised and dispossessed."—Denny TaylorFrom the Foreword"This is exactly the type of study that we need in the expanding and generative area of Literacy Studies. It explores populations that are under-represented in published research--Mexican American students, high school students, and gang communities, and provides much needed and topical insights into the literacy communities that these students negotiate."—Debra GoodmanHofstra University

• Contents: D. Taylor, Foreword. Preface. Introducing the Characters: Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, Lil Garfield, and Debbie. Family Community: Mi Familia. Gang Community: "West Up Cuzz." School Community, Part One (I): "They Don't Want Us Here." School Community, Part Two (II): "This Is Our School." Juvenile Court Community: "In and Out of Juvie." Images of Gangs in the Media and Research Literature. Living on the Boundaries of School: Advocacy and Research. Literacy in Communities of Success and Failure. Appendices: Timeline. Family Trees. Glossary of Gang Terminology as Used by Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, and Lil Garfield. Smurf and Sad Boy's Story.