War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption [Paperback] Refreshingly Honest / Hardcore

War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier’s March Toward Redemption [Paperback] used books online

Refreshingly Honest / Hardcore DaShaun “Jiwe” Morris Scribner (September 8, 2009)

From Publishers Weekly

Ayy Blood, we gotta take a ride. Hop yo’ ass in the bawr, shouts a veteran gangbanger to Morris near the beginning of this disappointing work. Raised in poverty by a crack-smoking single mother, Morris spins a woeful tale of constant violence, serious crime and murder galore. Shuttled back and forth across the country as a boy, he quickly falls in with the Bloods—an African-American street gang whose thirst for inflicting pain on others seems rarely slaked. Attack breeds revenge in an endless cycle of death, with Morris placing himself at the center of it all. There’s an adrenaline rush when I whip my burner out, he writes. It’s a confidence-booster to see how the toughest guys cry for their lives when I cock that shit back. Obviously meant to be raw and from the street, this whole project reads as self-aggrandizing. Compounding the amateurish feel are clunky poems penned by Jason Davis preceding each chapter. If all this is meant to inspire African-American and Latino youth to turn their backs on the thug life, as Terrie Williams writes in the overwrought afterword, it fails miserably. What it does is reinforce stereotypes that already dominate the mainstream media. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
–This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier’s March Toward Redemption (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a book that tells it like it is – or at least like it was during the days when the street gang known as the Bloods (or Piru in some cases where there is a deep west coast connection) were becoming more and more popular on the East Coast, this is the book to read. I have years of experience on the fringe of this hidden society as a youth worker in Metro NY and Metro Newark areas. I can tell you that the author is telling the truth from the source. He was on the inside and tell details that you will not read anywhere else. I’m actually surprised to see some details as the law could possibly still prosecute… But that is another story. He goes after it all and gives you a real, hardcore look inside the destructive lifestyle of a Bloods gang member with both East and West Coast ties. Whether you work in law enforcement, as a youth counselor, as a teacher, as a concerned parent or just as a curious member of society, this is the current “go to” book for information on understanding the mind set of these gang members. Highly recommended by this reader. As an aside, I met the author the other night at an event and those flocking to his side were present and formerly involved Blood gang members – many of which are seeking to change their lives for the better. He may still have enough experiences to write another book so hang on and keep this guy on your radar screen.

~ by partten on February 18, 2011.