Gangs: My Close Calls With The Hardest Men On The Streets From Rio

by Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp squares up to the world's hardest streetfighters in Gangs... Across the world millions of people are members of street gangs. In groups they fight, stab, rob, rape and murder anyone who isn't one of their own. And when rival gangs meet - what you get is warfare. Ross Kemp, whose dad was a copper and taught him right from wrong, decided to infiltrate these secret underworld organizations to discover who they are, what makes them tick and what the law is doing to curb their criminal activity. On his harrowing journey he: • meets murderous members of the Number gang in a Cape Town jail • crosses paths with warlords in Guatemala • gets shot at in El Salvador • is set on fire as an initiation test for Russian Neo-Nazis Only TV hardman Ross Kemp could get this close to the world's most violent street gangs: he's tough enough to earn their trust and so get them to confide their innermost secrets. It's a wild ride - and not for the faint hearted. Ross Kemp was born in Essex in 1964, to a father who was a senior detective with the Metropolitan Police and had served in the army for four years. He is a BAFTA award-winning actor, journalist and author, who is best known for his role of Grant Mitchell in Eastenders. His award-winning documentary series Ross Kemp on Gangs led to his international recognition as an investigative journalist.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down!! Ross certainly put himself in danger just to get an inside story on how many different gangs work all over the world, something I'm sure many people wouldn't do!!
I found his writing style engaging, like you could imagine being there yourself and seeing the horrors unfolding in front of your own eyes.

Gangs have always interested me and this was one way I could be informed without watching a show (at the time I purchased this book I didn't know he had a show on Gangs)...Sometimes I find writing can be a purer form of showing a situation whereas TV shows can easily be edited depending on what country you live in. Plus your own imagination can make the situations that Ross got into even scarier than just watching it on the TV...However, I'm also keen to see his TV show now..From what he's mentioned in his book he just wants to give a frank account of how these people work, what they're out to achieve, why they want to belong to a gang,etc. It's an eye opener and truly happy I read it.

[Book Hunt With Us · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a thrilling reading experience for me while travelling to and from work😲

"Gangs" is a journey of Ross Kemp, who encounters the world's most dangerous gangsters, who don't need a second thought to rob, stab, kill or rape anyone who isn't one of their own. The book gives a real feel of what gangs would be like. For sure, this work is definitely not one of those glamorised myths we see in films and music where gang members live in luxurious mansions and 'be badass ' as though it's something amazing - all a far call from reality.

However, this book is not for the faint-hearted, but those who can handle the horror of reality. It's ironic how an actor covers real events scarier than a fictional situation - because sometimes... reality can be much stranger than fiction. 😶

The book doesn't really sugarcoat anything. It's as real as it can get, with situations getting dark in a matter of minutes - accurately describing the gangster life. The news these days also show us the lives of a few teenagers who think of killing as ordinary. For them, taking a life is just 'playing around'. Being inhuman has become ordinary news.

Cape Town has got one of the deadliest gangs I could probably ever come across: The Number Gang.
Kemp got shot at in Rio and was then set on fire as an initiation test for Russian Neo Nazis.
No-he was definitely not happy about that one.

Gang hideouts are in deteriorating conditions. Rival gangs live opposite each other and when they meet, all hell breaks loose! Houses in these areas have numerous bullet holes. It's home to innocent people too, who continue to bear the brunt of all these horrors, having nowhere else to go.

There are some beautiful places as well, tourist destinations and such, but at your own risk. Night times can be the most dangerous-the peak hours for gang fights.

The fact that real-life gang members were actually ready to talk in the series still does not cease to surprise me. Each of their members had joined these terrifying gangs for their own different reasons- some trying to find a sense of identity, loyalty and purpose while the others, as though born for this line of 'work', guilt-free.

"Communities are socially cut-off and hate everyone outside it and get hated by them in return. Children are brought up to hate their neighbours. Feeling of depression, hopelessness and gang warfare was tremendous."

People gain identity from being part of gangs but lose their slightest chances for a peaceful life. Once they choose this life for themselves, there is no turning back from this vicious circle of evil.

Low life expectancy rates- people rarely surviving the age of 20. Violence everywhere. Its a situation of ' kill or die' for many. Children seeing corpses lying around all the time. You can't even fathom the effect it could have on their innocent minds, turning into murderers at such a young age.

All are not them aren't up to trouble - some people have dedicated their lives to convince those who want to join gangs to turn away from their decision, which gives us some hope for the people of the place.

In spite of all the dark storyline, Ross Kemp manages to put in some light humour, which I really appreciate for the few moments where I was able to breathe 😅
Miraculously, Kemp and his crew managed to stay alive after this adventure. This book was definitely an emotional ride and moved me to tears many times.

We learn a lesson that education is the key to the peace that most of us are lucky enough to enjoy in our lives, whether you realize it or not. While people are being forced to be a part of this dangerous lifestyle, we can only hope and pray that they too get to their turn at a better life.

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[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on Holiday in Butlins (the only positive thing to come from that holiday!) and i really enjoyed it, so much so that i bought the second one and the dvds when i came home. I have a huge deal of respect for Ross putting himself in that situation and coming up with something that is frightening, heartfelt but also very funny at times. He seems to be able to communicate with many people on all levels and i really enjoyed the book. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in crime or true life.

[Yassemin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!
This book was an awesome insight into the various gang cultures of different countries in today's society. Ross Kemp struck me as a man of such bravery and courage and extremely admirable, he took many risks trying to interview various gang members and none of which he avoided. I would certainly recommend this book if your interest lies with true crime or even if your just a fan of the guy, I mean lets face it, he's pretty cool!

[April tabern · Rating 2 out of 5]

good book ad some hair raiseing moments for ross real n readable

[Ruchir Pathak · Rating 4 out of 5]

One more dusted in the year, 26 days for GANGS by ROSS KEMP, bought this book I guess 2 years back from the BOOKCHOR LOCK THE BOX sale but finally opened that box last month. I have loooots of pending books!! This one was published in 2007, apparently a series by Ross Kemp for Sky. The book is a non-fictional account of different gangs operating in different countries where this anchor Ross Kemp went and talked to the gangsters. The countries/cities he covered in this book were Rio, New Zealand, Capetown, San Salvador, Moscow, Kingston, and St. Louis. He talked with gangsters and tried to put a picture of why these gangs formed and how they operate and what is the current status (2007). The book has some real coloured pictures of his journey and meetings, a worthy read if you fancy reading about gangs and non-fictions. I rate 4/5, do try once if you're an avid reader.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Above all else this book has made me feel nostalgic. Thrown back in time to 2009, when I soaked in every episode of the TV-show "Ross Kemp on Gangs". This book has exactly the same content, give or take. Give, because Ross describes in great detail how much fear he felt in certain situations, something that sometimes only hardly can come across on camera.
Take because the episodes, in my opinion, had more content in them. And content, that's what would interesrt me the most in a documentary series like this one. The more information I get, the better. So judging from this point of view this book, compared to the series, feels a little bit dilluted. In and by itself it's an entertaining and informative read though.

[Anni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this but then I love the programme (or any similar one) so that's pretty much a given.

I liked the way it was written as felt like it was him talking rather than someone else writing it, if that makes sense. I think he has a great way of connecting with the gangs whilst still appreciating how wrong they are.

My only gripe is that it couldve been longer as only a short book looking at a very selective number of Gangs and only a small section on each

[Alex Keen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading and enjoying this book when I was a teenager and very little has changed. Ross gets access to some really interesting people deep within gang culture and that helps to tell several short stories about gangs across the world. There are some unintentionally funny parts where Ross sounds a bit 'Alan Partridge' but if anything that makes the book even better.

[Terri Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this 3 stars, for my own fault. I enjoyed reading this however, I struggled to remember some of it because I'm not used to the genre.

I love Ross Kemp and will definitely be reading another one of his books. I just struggled with this ond.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read into 7 different parts of the world time to buy gangs 2

[Jean-Luc Regaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

[F W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book.... a good read.

[Antonilson Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book 👏👏brilhant

[Tibert Joubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really want to read the second one! Loved it

[Deborah Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad there is so much hate and violence in this world

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pealiskaudne, ühekülgne, kallutatud. Tegelikult oli alguses tegu telesarjaga, millest siis raha pärast tehti ka raamatuversioon. Herr Kemp ei hiilga taustatundmisega, tundub uskuvat igasugu härjasitta mida (sageli ja enamjaolt harimatud ja kirjaoskamatud) gängsterid ärbeldes puhuvad. Suht vastik oli lugeda kuidas härra respekteerib ja mõistab kõiksugu võikaid inimjätiseid, Salvadori õudstaest jõukudest või Lõuna-Aafrika vanglakunne, Numbrijõukusid. Tolerants saab aga kohe otsa kui kokku puututakse Moskva neonatsidega. Teksti hakkab siginema halvustav ilkumine, mannetud katsed halvustada ja üleolev mõnitamine. Võib-olla oli asi sellest, et need Moskva proto-neonatsid (kes tänapäevaks on niikuinii muutunud puutinlasteks) olid kõige vähem inimesi tapnud - kui üldse - , nende hulgas oli ka ülikoolis käivaid noori ja jõukatest perekondadest ja hea haridusega inimesi, seevastu mitmekordsed massimõrtsukad Kolmandast maailmast jällegi ei osanud oma nimegi õieti kirjutada aga ilmutasid inimeste piinamise teel hukkamiste alal erakordset fantaasiat ja leidlikkust. Lame ja nüri, härra Kemp.
Raamatu poindist ma ei saanud ka aru, peale hirmusegase põnevusvärina tekitamise. Sihtgrupp ju kuskile El Salvadori slummidesse Mara Salvatrucha ja 18 Streeti vahelistesse tülidesse muidu ei satu, Lõuna-Aafrika range režiimiga vanglatest rääkimata. Kemp käis ringi, küsis kogu aeg samu küsimusi a la "Mis tunne on siis olla gängimees ja esimese inimese tappa 12-aastaselt?", imetles gängsterite relvi ja kuulas nende kiitlemist ja ärplemist (ja tundus seda ka uskuvat) ja ilmutas kaasatundmist ja sümpaatiat kõigi, välja arvatud Moskva "neonatside" puhul. A noh, lääne inimesele on kallutatud poliitiline korrektsus ikka pealuusse taotud, seal ei aita enam midagi.
Raamatul on ainult hariv ja informatiivne tähendus, Kempi maailmaparandajalikud tüütud ja imalad targutused võib kohe tähelepanuta jätta. On ka teine osa, "Gangs II", ma olen seda ka kunagi lugenud, aga seal need gängid läksid kuidagi lahjemaks. Ma ei mäleta kas Bloodide ja Cripside sõtta ka süveneti aga üldiselt olid seal "gängid" a la Poola jalgpallihuligaanid, hea et naabertänava poiste õunaraksu kampa kajastama ei tormatud. Vaatan, ehk tulevikus jääb ette uuesti, tegemist on ülikergesti loetava ja seeditava asjaga, selline hamburger raamatu kujul, paras kuskil reisi peal lugeda.

[Laura Crosse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this book over three years and I actually bought it for my boyfriend because he was a big fan of the TV series. However as I've come to realise hes not a book person so I found this the other day, dusted it down and gave it a chance and what a read!

Literally from the first page we are pulled into the sinister worlds of gangs first in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and then through a multitude of other countries including New Zealand, El Salvador, Jamaica and more. Kemp doesnt just find out about the lifes of gangs by talking to the usual policeforces and government figures, although he does do this also to get their perspective, but he talks to the highest up gang members he can get in contact with. He meets them in their neighbourhood under their rules and he just prays that they take a liking to him.

I found New Zealand the most interesting chapter as I have lived their previously as a young child and after asking my parents they tell me they can remember seeing members of the Mongrel Mob, distinguished by their facial tattoos, nearly in every town they visited.

To sum it up this book is a brilliant, if shocking look into the lives of gang members. You come to understand that most gangs are a vicious circle of death and violence and a lot are helped along by corrupt governments and you almost begin to feel sorry for the cruellest, meanest, most dangerous men in the world.

[Andrew Voysey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up completely by accident as easy travel reading. My only preconceptions, having not seen the TV series, were of various impressionists ripping Kemp apart for his narrative style and ridiculous situations he claims not to want to find himself in, despite being the purported creator of the idea behind the book/series.

Anyway, irritations about the narrative style aside, a pretty interesting tour through some of the world's most viscous ganglands - quite apart from some of the detail that I hadn't appreciated before (like New Zealand being the country in the world with the highest gang per head of population ratio) as well as the geographically diverse contexts he takes you through, I found his bigger messages about what links all of the gang behaviours and motivations together, regardless of local circumstance the most powerful. I'm not convinced these were his original thoughts but then I don't really care - some interesting thoughts to ponder on regarding equity, equality and opportunity. The power of the Big Society?

[Niels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a page-turner of the good kind. As a result of the gang topic, you never know what to expect in the next part of the book.
Kemp describes his subjects with a delicate touch of words, which neither makes the criminals being portrayed seem too good or too bad.

The book is a light read, and you will after reading it sit and ponder social subjects instead of more heavy literary or philosophical issues.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in gang culture and global subcultures of crime.

[Brian Pujols · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is about a guy that is in a gang and then he gets in a gang promblem so he need to watch out for wat happened in the street because he could get shot or kill in the street from other gangs and he dont know what to do anymore because he have a problem and his gang members dont waht to be in that problem he got so the guy he tries to solve the problem by carry a gun and if the people comes he be ready to fight back.

[Ruth Soz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Definitely not the thing to read in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A very eye opening look at gang life and gang culture in various locations throughout the world. This book serves as a companion to the Sky TV series, although I have never seen it. The writing itself was good, and it was easy to follow and in a twisted way fascinating. But a strong stomach is needed to get through some parts.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lurid and superficial, the book focuses more on outrages than any meaningful investigation or insight into gangs. To his credit, the author notes he is not (and not attempting to be) a journalist; all the same, Gangs smacked too much sensationalism for my liking.

The only attempt to explain the whys of gang life is a vague, unexplored 'income inequality exacerbates things' theory.

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked the Sky t.v. series or are interested in the dif this is well worth a read as it does give a small few more details. An interesting if not particularly deep look at the varying forms gang violence has taken around the world.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, but didn´t go into much detail and not very informative about the area of crime the gang was involved in. Ross Kemp has no expertise in this field and acts only as an observer. Too much of an overview and non-specialist account for my liking.

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

an insightful book about the most dangerous and notorious gangs in the world. It also inadvertently ends up giving you an insight into the jail systems of the world and the way the police and society in general has handled the formation of these gangs.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ross kemp has an easily accessable style of writing so anyone could read this though it's not the most mentally stimulating of reads it was still fairly interesting.

[Joy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting and frightening insight into the world of gangs across the globe. Well
Written and engaging - definitely want to read the second one!

[Michal H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent book, makes you think in the bigger picture about gangs and the world that is for sure. He must have shit himself a few times!

[Scott Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you liked the series , this is an easy read