DURANGO STREET BY (Author)Bonham, Frank[Paperback]Jan-1999

by Frank Bonham

"Forgot to tell you, Rufus. You gets beat into this gang, and you gets beat out."Bantu was circling for a swing at Rufus's head. In his hand he gripped an old greasy chain. One boy was moving in from the left, a short length of black hose in his hand. Another was swinging his heavy bunch of keys on its lon brass chain, waiting for a clear shot.As Bantu lunged, Rufus ducked under his swing and stabbed his fist into the gang leader's face. Bantu dropped the chain. Rufus laughed. "You slow, man!" Then the boy with the hose was on him.If Rufus ran, he was out of the gang. If he stayed, he would either be in or so badly beaten it didn't matter whether he was in or out.Rufus fought with the silent bitterness of a cornered animal.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Novels, Realistic Fiction, African American

Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Frank Bonham (February 25, 1914 – 1988) was an author of Westerns and young adult novels. Bonham wrote 48 novels, as well as TV scripts. Bonham was born in Los Angeles. He was a UCLA graduate. Bonham was known for his works for young adults written in the 1960s, with tough, realistic urban settings, including The Nitty Gritty and Durango Street, as well as for his westerns. Several of his works have been published posthumously, many of which were drawn from his pulp magazine stories, originally published between 1941 and 1952. Durango Street was an ALA Notable Book.

Reviews

[Mark Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read this book when I was in sixth grade. it's pretty surprising to find that decades later, the writing and the story still stand up. Sadly, the book has a glaring omission against the reality of gang life today, as it was written before guns were omnipresent in American life.

[Eisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I begin, this is actually the second time constructing this review. After posting, I have no idea why but the original version deleted itself. So yeah... I'm trying though. Here we are folks, ready or not, I finally present you with a review instead of just a rating! (Which is actually a 3.5)

After watching the film Freedom Writers I just had to read the books that had inspired a class full of people with a history of hostility and ignorance to open themselves to hope and a future. So now here I am, with Durango Street beside me and a whirlwind of questions in my mind.

Durango Street is a gang story showing how these characters struggle and fight for their lives. This is their story.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the book, however I don't think that I could ever consider it to be a favourite. This isn't anything to do with the writer or their style or writing or even the storyline. I just felt that since I could not relate to this book as much as I had wanted and because of how built up it was, I was just a little bit disappointed. As stated before it isn't because it isn't a fantastic book it just wasn't too much of a spectacular book for me since I couldn't have much relation to it.

However, this book isn't one that will force you into being a passive reader. It shows you a world, where honestly, you just wish to dip your head into so you can understand these people more. You become so involved with characters, rooting for them that you can't pass anything by passively. I think that is the best aspect of this book.

Would I recommend it? Yes, why not and give it a whirl. Let me know what you think though!

Sorry this was such a messy and rushed review, I promise the first one was so much better which I had actually spent quite a bit of time on. However this is all I can give right now. I am trying though!

[Emily.rebman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book. It is about gangs and how somebody can be pulled into a gang. The book tells about how once someone starts a gang, no matter if you quit the gang life or not, they are always in the gang. It’s about a boy named Rufus. He is in a boy’s boot camp for troubled boys. He gets out and ends up getting jumped by a gang called the Gassers. The question is: will he join a gang again or stay clean from gangs like he is told? I would recommend this book to any high school student, but mostly high school boys because of the feel of the book.

[Madisonw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read DURANGO STREET for the month of January. The book is written by Frank Bonham. The story is first taken place in Pine city, Rufus then comes back to the Flats where his mother,brother, and sister live. The main character in the story is a young boy named Rufus who is very interested in Ernie brown,who is a famous football player his mom was married too. I found the book in the corner of the library. I didn't really know what kinda of book to get so I got a sports book.
Rufus is a troubled boy who was sent off to a detention center in Pine city. Rufus gets let out early for good behavior, he go's home and goes to the store and gets bottles thrown at him and Janet talks to the police, Janet's his little sister.
I honestly did like the way it ended. I thought they could've made it sound better than it actually did. My favorite quotes is, "A kid joins a gang because he has been thrown out of every school,playground, and club in the city." This quote stuck out the most because its the meaning of surviving, and not knowing what is going to happen.
I honestly didn't like the book, but that doesn't mean someone else will. A reader that's into football players and troubled kids would really like this ,especially when u can relate in a personal level.

[Marty Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to re-read this old chestnut from back in the day. It was my favorite book when I was in junior high, and I read it several times. Bonham did his research, and the book considered to be a pretty accurate view of urban gang life in the 1960s. So much of it is still true, though the criminality and weapons are different, along with the ways in which society attempts to deal with the problem. When I read this book as a kid, I really wanted to believe that Ernie Brown was Rufus Henry's real dad. I cringed at the words "Negro" and "colored" to describe the characters, but I realize that it was the right language to use at the time. I was surprised to notice phrases that were familiar, as if I had read it yesterday instead of many years ago.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written and published before The Outsiders, this book is dated. There are a few racial slurs and everything is super-inexpensive. The emotional struggles are real, but I felt like the inter- and infra-gang conflicts were too easily resolved. Not a book I'd recommend to students in my East Side San Jose classroom, even those that liked The Outsiders.

[Gabriele Maffoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've met this book with mrs Gruwell.
Whatever you think it could happen, think the opposite. It's a book that makes you understand how certain type of people think, how in certain situations you have to deal with your own demons. How you can live a life and try to be honest when nobody is.

[Janelly Canales]

this book is bombskiess its fuckking downn its reall like yuh can relate to it still down :)

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

1965, durango street...why is it so difficult to learn when a story was 1st published? i looked at the details of this one--saw that it said "published in 1999" and i had one of those doobie-doobie-doo moments, cause i know i read this one when i was in high school...the 70s.

in one sitting.

on a summer afternoon.

nearest i can tell, it was published in 1965..."a book ahead of its time," i thought i read somewhere, and true...

poking around, nothing to do...wasn't that always the case? remember those years? there's nothing to do!...and i must have come across this in my sister's bedroom...bookshelf...take it into my room where i sat in a corner and read it in one sitting...a captivating story...and it says so much about the proverbial playground we all play on...most of us, all of our lives.

we never leave the focking playground...and whether it is the moo-moo cows, the heathen fornicators, the liberals, the conservatives, dems, reps...whatever, we usually find a way to some gang so we can show our colors...

be loud, be somebody.

[Grant Fruchey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book I chose is called Durango Street. It is written by Frank Bonham. The main character in my book is named Rufus and in the beginning of the book the main setting is a work camp but after he gets out of that the main setting is a community called Durango Street. I found this book while I was searching the library for a short but also interesting book to read and I came across Durango Street.

Durango Street starts while Rufus is at Pine valley work camp, a camp for juvenile delinquents. The camp receives a call about Rufus’s mother. The call is to inform Rufus that the government is moving his Mother to live at Durango Street, a project apartment project. When Rufus got released from Pine Valley he then went and lived with his mom. Little did Ruffus know it was a very dangerous place to live in.

At the end of the book Rufus has cleaned up his act and is trying to throw a big dance for the troubled youth in the area. He did this because he knew his old rival gang the Gassers would try to crash his dance so he arranged for the police to protect the dance and arrest the gassers. Rufus’s plan worked perfectly and the Gassers showed up and attempted to burn down the building where the dance was taking place. Surely the police did their job and arrested every member of the gassers. A quote that stands out to me in this book is “ A guy can't change his life by walking away from the past. You have got to be ready to pay for what you have done”(Reuben). This quote sticks out to me because it shows that you have to own up to your mistakes to fully move on.

[JPS · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in this book was solely based on watching the movie, The Freedom Writers.

With that said, I think this book had a great story of not only gang-life but the lack of resources provided to low income areas. Because of this neglect, it’s a repeated cycle for most: grow up in poverty stricken households, join a gang, get in trouble, go to jail, repeat. There is not outlet. With Rufus and company, it highlights the uncomfortable and common feelings of going at things alone in an area where one can get beat up by just looking different. They felt like they had no other option but to join a gang in order to feel apart of something.

I didn’t quite like the writing style but I loved the story. The ending was very calm as well. Wasn’t quite expecting that considering what was leading up to it. It’s like a movie that just abruptly ends with minimal emotion.

Overall, good book. I recommend it.

[Handewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I‘d had really big expectations about the book coz I’d seen it in the movie “Freedom Writers” and wondered it but, I’m totally disappointed. The story is very short, the plot is non-continuous. The end of the story isn’t satisfying, either. Yes, the gang story keeps you reading, anyway I wanted to learn more about Ernie Brown and Rufus at the very end. No need to spend time to read it, find some more worthy stuff to read.

[David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I found through "What's the name of that book?" on here. I hadn't read it since, I'm guessing, the 70s or so when I was growing up. For a YA book written in the mid-60s, it aged pretty well. I was reminded of why I was drawn to it, and once I found it, I remembered that I read several others by the author, the late Frank Bonham. I plan to dig those up, too. Thanks to my local library branch, which pulled out a copy through interlibrary loan from Ohio.

[Juan Zamora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Durango street is one of those books where you expect a lot of fight sequences, but it's more the exploration of a troubled teen life that makes poor choices. The fights didn't pick up until more than half of the book where it had something to do with the main character's sister.

Overall I enjoyed the realism even though there wasn't much to read about the mc feelings, we at least got to see his inner thoughts and motives for doing what he does.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read every Frank Bonham books that the library had when I was a kid. I loved them. They were a little bit like S. E Hinton's book, but there was a little more humour and fun in them. I don't remember a lot of the plots now - just pieces here and there - but I remember enjoying them all greatly.

[Evan]

This book was okay it could be better.I did not like the book because it lacked on detail.My favortie charecter was the main character Ruffes.My favortie event was when Ruffes was in the gang and decided to join the gang. The pace of the novel was very fast and very complex. my connection to this book is getting in trouble.

[Zeynep Şen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most hopeful, real and human works I've read this year.

[CFDeeDee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did you do this to me Mr. Bonham? Why is no one dead ?
I was waiting for that with every page I read ..
Not sure how I really feel about this book ! But over all it was a nice quick reading.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wouldn't have been a bad book if it weren't for all the unanswered questions at the end. I liked the story, but I wanted more.

[Dijonn Salgado]

Durango Street by Frank Bonham opened my mind to the seriousness of gangs and the positive choices in life to make. A quote from the book that caught my attention was "A kid joins a gang because he's been thrown out of every school, playground, and club in the city." To me that means something because the sad truth it's all they know is gang banging;therefore other options don't seem available.Because everything else was taken away from them. This book was based on the character Rufus Henry a teenage boy who was just released from the juvenile detention center. He was arrested for stealing cars otherwise known as Grand Theft Auto. This time around he's given a parole officer and like any other P.O. they want you to stay out of trouble. For Rufus he's returning to a neighborhood that surrounds violence and gangs like no other. In my opinion, "Durango Street" was a good story it delivered a message to it. The only thing I would have to critique is the fact the characters and tendencies didn't seem realistic. The story was published in 1999 and the scenarios seemed outdated.
Life lessons Durango Street showed were the gang lifestyle can become old and you can become something better. The main character began to make positive choices to shy away from that lifestyle. He got a job and was put on a plan from structure. In my opinion, the author is saying you don't need a gang to be protected. The author writing was a pleasure to read. The novel was praised by reviewers,librarians,teachers, and young readers. I like the fact he kept the book seem realistic.Bonham made the character Rufus Henry a strong propelling young teen that could easily be mistaken with a actual person rather than a book protagonist.The setting wasn't specific but from the reading it sounds like inner-city Los Angeles. It also stressed the fact the neighborhood was gang infested, old, and ran down.

"Durango Street" was a compelling drama story to me. I liked it a lot and if theirs a movie I'd love to capture the visual. It showed in the novel that teens join gangs to feel a since of protection or acceptance. Rufus Henry the main character in the story was just released from boys camp and immediately was pressured into joining a gang for protection. The neighborhood he lived in seemed to live him without a choice. His friend "Baby" was in a gang and wanted his friend to join up. Rufus didn't want involvement because of his orders made from his P.O. but he wanted to survive as well. Durango Street relates to a couple of novels I've read but this one seemed to single out one person and that was Rufus.

In conclusion, Durango Street by Frank Bonham was a interesting novel. I recommend it to any young teen; it is a bad situation turned good. Uplifting good endings are a plus to any good book and this one is it. At risk teens should read this novel to show there is something more to life than gangs and that you should never feel peer pressured into something you don't want to do. Also, if it means anything it shows your respected more for being an individual who can stand up for yourself. Last but not least I liked the positive message from the author in the novel.

[M♥I♥S♥S♥M♥I♥N♥I♥M♥E aNdeRSoN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durango Street, a novel by Frank Bonham, was a book about a boy named Rufus. Rufus an eleven year boy who had been put into a wilderness camp (for grand theft auto) and was scheduled to be released. He was being released to a small neighborhood in which he knew absolutely nothing about; therefore he was nervous about what was to come. Unfortunately when he was released he immediately joined a street gang (The Moors) and got into a bit of a quarrel with the leader, aka the “King”. This caused tension between the gang, eventually resolving to voting out “King” and appointing Rufus as the new head man… but little does he know that the responsibilities of this new position is overwhelming!

In this book, it speaks a lot about the true life of a “gangster”. From the way they have fun, are almost killed. This book was an interesting read, because the events that took place were so exciting. The reason that Bonham wrote this book was to inform and to express the dangers of the gangs that lie in the streets. Not only are they dangerous, but in the long run you will see that being in one is more trouble than trying to stay away from one. I think this is a phenomenal book because it shares the information that teens need to know about. I would recommend this book to all people, but teens especially because most of the time they are the people affected the most by all the violence.

[Gage]

Durango Street is an excellent book because theres always something going on. It starts out as a young boy in gang named Rufus who gets into a lot of trouble and has to move away from everything and had to spend some time in the juvenile center. When he gets out he is moved to Durango Street where it isnt long before he says he needs to join a gang again because people are messing with him that are in a gang. So he ends up joining the Moores which represent his hood in Durango. While hes doing all this with his new gang he starts to get more information about his dad whom is a famous football player. Rufus has a whole scrap book about him. He also ends up seeing him in his neighborhood from him coming to watch some kids play football that might have a successful chance at be sponsored by his football team. Even tho it is really his dad no one knows who his dad is and they wouldnt believe that it was his dad even if he told them and thats why he trys to keep everything about him and who his dad is a secret.

[Isaiah P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durango Street is a very exciting book. It has a lot of action thrills ans suspense, To were you can't put the book down. The author of this book is Frank Bonham.

The main Character in this story is Rufus Henery. He went to jail for being in a gang and he was let out early for good behavior. He was doing well, he went to school and had a job until another gang starts messing with rufus's sister named Anna. The gang was called the Gassers. They would cut some of anna's hair and hit her. Rufus had to join a gang to protect his sister . His gang was call the Moors.But if Rufus gets caught doing gang stuff he would be sent to jail for a long time.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a lot of action and suspense. The pase of the book is really fast, and it's a good book to read when you're bored. Overall this book holds the reader's interest, leads to questions about society.

[Gabriela Slusher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, written by Frank Bonham is about a boy named Rufus who finally comes out of work camp for grand theft auto. Even though, it would be a pleasure for Rufus to stay away from trouble and listen to his parole officer, there is no possible way for him to do that since the only place to go to Is, Durango Street. Ever since, Rufus came out of work camp, a gang back at Durango Street called the Gassers have been chasing him.

Since, Rufus has no other choice; he joins the rival Moors. Now that he has a gang by his side, he will be safe from the Gassers, just for a while.
This book, would be a favorite to whoever is interested in crime, and realistic fiction. It will also be a favorite to young adults.

[Karley]

This book is interesting. I think the boy learned his lesson when he got out of jail but when he went to go get milk for his mom and took his little sister he ran in to some trouble. And then he thinks he needs protection so then he goes back to his old ways and joins a gang and pushes a car in to the water and beats people up just b/c they are in the other gang. I learned if your in trouble don’t go to a gang you will just get in more trouble and go back to jail. And if u do the right thing and stay out of trouble u might get to live your dream.

[Mark Bratkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. It was mentioned in "The Freedom Writers Diaries" and everyone said such good things about it. It was written in 1965 and the character and language are definitely dated. I think that the author's purpose in writing the book was noble, but the action never builds to a climax. It seemed to unrealistic. I liked the main character, but I thought that he would face dire consequences for his actions and actually there were no consequences.

[Doug May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in seventh grade. The first book I ever enjoyed to the end. I have to admit I was disappointed at the end when Rufus sort of went along with the social workers. I think I was a fan of his anti-social beavior but that was just the mindset of a seventh grade delinquent. Thankfully, I think I am reformed as Rufus became but probably not without the necessary of strictures of society that keep us all together.

[Isaiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about a boy named Rufus Henry. He gets out of a youth work camp for stealing cars and because he was charged with grand theft auto. When he gets out, he is given a probation officer and is told to stay away from gangs and trouble. His first day out, he gets into a fight with a gang called the gassers because his sister told on them to the police. After the fight, he joins the gassers rival gang, the moors. After that, he gets into a lot of trouble.

[Edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durango Street is the story of a young Black teen who is trying to decide whether to join a gang and risk going back to Pine Valley Honor Camp. This is a dynamic novel dealing with current problems.

(I read this novel in the 70s when I was taking an adolescent lit. class. The critique came from one I did for the class. Although I haven't read it in many years, it probably is still relevant because of the gangs that we have.)

[Katee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book...might be better than The Outsiders. Book talked about how a gang can choose to make positive choices despite having made negative choices before and being surrounded by a negative environment. I wanted to know more about the conflicting emotions that were in the characters, but I definitely got the feeling that students would be able to relate to the characters due to the desire to do one thing yet feel forced to do another.