ABSTRACT
There are no easy explanations for why an adolescent chooses to join the Gang Community, but it is clear that if adolescents didn’t receive something from membership, they wouldn’t join. It is hard for outsiders to imagine what gang life is like. In this chapter, Debbie provides a glimpse into what Lil Boy Blue, Smurf, Juice, and Lil Garfield’s lives were like as gangbangers (gang members). We also describe the literacy found in this community, including tagging, oral language, rap, and other forms of representing that the boys engaged in regularly and that facilitated their membership in the community.
