Library Journal (
Star Review: March 1995) 
Independent investigative
journalist Korem speaks from
experience and research in this
thoughtful work,expressing concern
for the steadily rising numbers of
youths from affluent homes who, like
their inner-city cohorts, choose
delinquent, occultic, or ideological
gang-based activity as a way of life.
European and American youths are
joining gangs to escape the reality
of life in severely dysfunctional,
often abusive home situations.
Lacking a family member, or
substitute, to support them in
crises, they turn to gang affiliation
for empowerment and a masking of
their pain. Korem says that some
youths (affluent more than poor) do
manage to leave gangs, either on
their own or with help. But he lays
out a strong strategy for at-risk
youngsters at the neighborhood and
community level. As have other, he
stresses the value of an "ounce
of prevention." The young are
the future. Recommended strongly for
professionals, academics, and the
general public.
Booklist (March 1995)
Korem, an investigative
journalist, brings a peculiar
expertise to his study of youth
gangs: formerly a professional
magician, he uses sleight of hand
(and of mind) in school presentations
to help kids grasp the false promises
at the center of any gang's appeal.
This is a straightforward,
nonsensational discussion of the
causes, typology, and potential for
prevention of and disengagement from
youth gangs in relatively affluent
communities (in Europe as well as the
U.S.), which are often startled to
learn they have a gang problem. In
every culture, Korem notes, the kids
most vulnerable to gangs live in
broken, unstable, or severely
dysfunctional families and have no
adult "protector" on whom
they can rely in a crisis. Global
shifts in youth subcultures affect
the relative appeal of types of gangs
(delinquent, ideological, or, much
less commonly, occult), but neither
that subculture nor contact with
inner-city gangs causes the formation
of suburban gangs. Korem will
enlighten many readers with his
thoughtful and instructive approach
to a growing and troubling social
problem.
Law Enforcement Training
Network (August 1995) Gangs are no longer
something we can call an under-class
phenomenon. It's a national issue. .
. . The great thing about [Suburban
Gangs] is that it helps us understand
as a nation what causes youths to
turn to these gangs. . . . It's an
excellent read.
ANOTHER
TITLE BY DAN KOREM
The Art of
Profiling
Reading
People Right the First Time
DAN KOREM
Reading people is a natural
reaction. Now learn how to profile
people like a trained
professional—with comprehensive
and systematic accuracy that extends
beyond just reading body language.
