Uprising: Crips and Bloods Tell the Story of America's Youth in the Crossfire
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- USD 5.99
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- USD 5.99
Descripción editorial
"Moments of brutal clarity…One finishes the book convinced of its authentic depiction of gang life."
— The New York Times Book Review
In the spring of 1992 the African American neighborhoods of Los Angeles — Compton, Watts, Gardena, South Central — were irrevocably transformed by the greatest domestic disturbance of this century: the "Uprisings," as they were then described on the streets. In the aftermath of the violence emerged a powerful spirit of reconciliation and change, as gang members who had once fought each other for years came together in an attempt to rebuild their homes, businesses, families and most importantly themselves. This new sense of peace and cooperation continued to thrive in the inner city, and now, with uprising, thirteen former Crips and Bloods give voice to their fresh hopes for the future.What these men reveal is both provocative and profound: the rites of initiation, the pressure to commit crimes, the bonds of gang brotherhood, the significance of gangsta rap, the need for self-empowerment, and the durability of racism in our culture. But Uprising has a timely moral mission as well: Mean streets similar to those of L.A. can be found in cities across the country like Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, and Newark. Gang warfare is escalating, spreading to the heartland — and here Yusuf Jah and Sister Shah'Keyah proclaim that lives and communities must be saved.
An intricate mosaic of a nuanced and often turbulent world, Uprising defines issues that confront all Americans. It's message cannot be ignored. From the authors of Nation Conscious Rap comes a powerfully raw, intimate history of gang life in South Central L.A. In detailed interviews, gang members of the Crips and Bloods open up on a wide range of issues, including the bonds of the gang brotherhood, the significance of gansta rap, the despair of welfare, and the scourge of drugs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Somewhere within this turgid set of street-lingo interviews with L.A. gang members are some interesting anecdotes and words of wisdom: about the importance of decolonizing black minds, of getting out of the ``circle'' that contains even the likes of Bill Cosby; about using excellence to combat racism; about the importance of black self-help; about how alcohol may be more dangerous than other drugs; about the love and camaraderie that balances more negative gang experiences. But the authors, a husband-and-wife team of independent rap producers, seem to have turned on the tape recorder without providing sufficient context for their tales (e.g., we're not given enough information on the oft-mentioned L.A. gang truce). Nor do they challenge their subjects to explain their often loopy Afrocentrism (``I'm an African that has been kidnapped, living in America,'' says one). The 14 interviewees, all men, have transcended their pasts to work now for peace; would that their efforts were dignified by journalism, not stenography. Photos not seen by PW.