Barrio Gangs: Street Life and Identity in Southern California

by James Diego Vigil

Within the Mexican American barrios of Los Angeles, gang activity, including crime and violent acts, has grown and flourished. In the past, community leaders and law enforcement officials have approached the problem, not as something that needs to be understood, but only as something to be gotten rid of. Rejecting that approach, James D. Vigil asserts that only by understanding the complex factors that give birth and persistence to gangs can gang violence be ended. Drawing on many years of experience in the barrios as a youth worker, high school teacher, and researcher, Vigil identifies the elements from which gangs isolation from the dominant culture, poverty, family stress and crowded households, peer pressure, and the adolescent struggle for self-identity. Using interviews with actual gang members, he reveals how the gang often functions as parent, school, and law enforcement in the absence of other role models in the gang members' lives. And he accounts for the longevity of gangs, sometimes over decades, by showing how they offer barrio youth a sense of identity and belonging nowhere else available.

Genres: Crime

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Elijah Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Eye-Opening Look Beyond the HeadlinesJames Diego Vigil's Barrio Gangs is a truly essential read for anyone wanting to understand the deep-rooted issues behind gang life in Southern California. As a reader who is always looking for books that challenge my assumptions, this one did not disappoint. It's an academic work, but Vigil writes with a rare clarity and compassion that makes it feel deeply personal and accessible.The core of the book is Vigil's concept of "multiple marginality," which suggests that gang membership isn't caused by a single factor, but by a perfect storm of social, economic, cultural, and psychological pressures. He supports this idea with powerful, firsthand accounts from the young people themselves. These interviews are the heart of the book—raw, honest, and often heartbreaking. They reveal that for many, the gang is not a choice of evil, but a search for identity, respect, and a sense of belonging that their environment doesn't offer.What I appreciate most is Vigil's refusal to sensationalize his subject. He acknowledges the violence and the negative impact of gang life but does so without judgment. Instead, he focuses on the human stories, showing the young men and women not as monsters, but as products of their circumstances. The book is an academic text, but it’s also a powerful act of empathy, urging the reader to look past stereotypes and see the complex individuals behind them.Barrio Gangs is an incredibly important book that sheds light on a complex social issue. It’s a compelling argument for a more nuanced understanding of urban life and a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, sociology, or American culture.

[Mohammad Chaudhry]

Apparently rescued this book a while back when it was being weeded and just came across it. Pretty good so far...