Saturday, February 21, 2015

Tackling Youth Involvement in Gangs

   In response to my last post, I wanted to seek out information pertaining to youth involvement in gangs. This article serves as a great resource; it not only provides programs for children to turn to, but  addresses risk factors and stereotypes. Take a look! 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/171154.pdf

As I was looking through this website, a thought came to mind: how many books can I name that focus on the issue of gang violence? Honestly, I couldn't think of a single one besides Yummy. After doing a quick Google search, I found two children's books that deal with the topic. Please let me know if there are any other books that you know of! Although this is a touchy subject to read about in a classroom setting, I think it's important to have a few books about it in my personal library. 

Examples I came across:

Drive-By  by Lynne Ewing 
Durango Street  by Frank Bonham 
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3 comments:

  1. Dr. JonesFebruary 26, 2015 at 9:52 AM

    Keara, I will bring these titles to class tonight, but just so you have a written record of these suggestions I will list them here as well:

    Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers (fiction)
    Bang! by Sharon Flake (fiction)
    Homeboyz by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (fiction)
    Life in Prison by Stanley "Tookie" Williams (autobiography; nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize)
    Monster by Walter Dean Myers
    Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz by Mona Ruiz with Geoff Boucher (autobiography)

    **Also, I haven't read it yet, but I would think G. Neri's book, Knockout Games, might have a place in this collection too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr. JonesFebruary 26, 2015 at 9:52 AM

    Keara, I will bring these titles to class tonight, but just so you have a written record of these suggestions I will list them here as well:

    Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers (fiction)
    Bang! by Sharon Flake (fiction)
    Homeboyz by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (fiction)
    Life in Prison by Stanley "Tookie" Williams (autobiography; nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize)
    Monster by Walter Dean Myers
    Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz by Mona Ruiz with Geoff Boucher (autobiography)

    **Also, I haven't read it yet, but I would think G. Neri's book, Knockout Games, might have a place in this collection too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KearaFebruary 26, 2015 at 6:10 PM

    Dr. Jones,
    Thank you for the list! I few of these books, such as Homeboyz and Bang! sound vaguely familiar. Clearly, I need to do a little more digging into what they are about. I'm also glad you included a few autobiographies. As a reader, I often enjoy reading books that have strong ties to a characters actual life. I think it makes it easier to understand their situation and relate to me. Again,thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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