Books,+ebooks,+reference

media type="custom" key="9299010" 1. Bender, David, Bruno Leone, and Charles P Cozic. //Gangs: Opposing Viewpoints//. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996. Print. This book does not have one specific author, but rather three editors who came together to make this book. The editors' credentials are that they have also done other opposing viewpoint books because they have made a series of opposing viewpoints. This book was created to inform the reader of the inner workings of gangs and if gangs are really a problem in the United States. This is an informational report that has been put together through researching of other books written about gangs by experts in this field. The editors that put this book together feel that gangs are beneficial to the members that make up the gang, but overall they are hindering the societies that live near where the gangs operate. The editors are not biased because they are writing from the point of view that gangs are not good for society, but they are also writing in the opposing viewpoint to show that they have researched their topic thoroughly and that they are prepared for any counter arguments people may have about gangs in the United States. The main arguments that the editors provide are that gangs provide protection and kinship for the members of the gang, but they make life unsafe for the societies that live near or around where the gangs operate. The evidence that the editors give to show that they have thoroughly researched their topic is the list of all of the experts' works they used to put this book together. This is an excellently researched, logical, and clear source that has helped me collect valuable information for my topic.

2. Friedman, Lauri S. //Gangs//. Detroit: Greenhave, 2010. Print. Lauri S. Friedman is the author of the book //Gangs//. She has excellent credentials for this book because it is an essay that talks about the opposing viewpoints and the problems with gangs. Her credentials are excellent because she cites her sources at the end of the book and she has also written essays such as the one in //Gangs// about other topics, like drunk driving and how the United States should treat prisoners of war. The purpose of //Gangs// is to show the benefits of gangs and the disadvantages of gangs in the United States. This is an essay that is intended for anyone that is caught up in gangs in the United States, such as law enforcement officials, teachers, and gang members themselves. The author's thesis is that even though the gangs might have some benefits for the gang members gangs do not benefit society as a whole. The author takes a number of positions by showing the advantages and disadvantages to gangs in the United States. The main arguments are that gangs do not benefit society because they make it dangerous for people to live in the areas were gangs are active, but the members of the gang get a sense of kinship and protection for being a member of a gang. The information that the author uses to support her main arguments are stats that show levels of schooling for students in areas where gangs are how they drop and she has quotes from law enforcement officials that say after talking to gang members who were in jail on why they joined gangs they found out that for the members it was mainly for protection and kinship. The evidence that the author shows that shows that they are someone who should be believed is that she lists her references at the end of the book. This work is logical and clear and she shows that she knows gangs and that she spent a lot of time researching her topic so, as to gain more information for her book.

3. Wiener, Valerie. //Winning the War Against Youth Gangs//. Westport: Greenwood, 1999. Print. The author of this book is Valerie Wiener. Valerie Wiener has written many books about helping parents, families, and communities cope with the fact that there child, loved one, or friend is now a member of a youth gang. Her first book that she wrote on this subject was called //Gang Free: Friendship Choices for Today's Youth//. The purpose of this book is to do the same thing that her first book she wrote does. What this book is supposed to do is be a guide to friends, family members, and the community of some who has joined a gang. It is a guide for explaining why their friend/child has joined a gang, and what they can do to either try and get the person out of the gang or to help keep that person safe. This is an informational report intended for friends, family members, and communities of people that have joined a gang. It is meant to help them cope with the "loss" of their child/friend. The author's thesis is that even though someone you care for has joined a gang it does not mean that you have lost them forever and there are ways to help stay in contact with them and keep them safe. The author's main arguments is that the more you care for your child and stay in constant contact with them the less likely they are to join a gang, but if it happens it is still possible to get your loved one back. The main information that the author provides to back her book is she has talked to children who have joined gangs and she has quotes and poems from them about their time in a gang. This work is logical, clear and well-researched and she shows that she truly wants and knows how to help someone who has had a loved one join a gang.