Table of Contents
Foreword 5
Introduction
How Can Kids Be Stopped from Joining a Gang? 7
Section 1 Opposing Viewpoints on Gangs
Viewpoint 1 Gangs Are a Serious Problem Peter Landesman 13
Viewpoint 2 The Threat from Gangs is Exaggerated Judith Greene Kevin Pranis 22
Viewpoint 3 Gangs Are a Growing Problem Among Girls Paul Bracchi 31
Viewpoint 4 Gangs Are a Growing Problem in the Military Matthew A. Roberts 38
Viewpoint 5 Race Motivates Gang Violence Thomas Watkins 46
Viewpoint 6 Race Does Not Motivate Gang Violence Charlie Beck 52
Section 2 Model Essays and Writing Exercises
Preface A The Five-Paragraph Essay 59
Preface B The Descriptive Essay 61
Essay 1 A Gang Member Gets Out 64
Exercise IA Create an Outline from an Existing Essay 67
Exercise IB Create an Outline for Your Own Essay 68
Essay 2 The Gruesome Path into a Girl Gang 71
Exercise 2A Conducting an Interview 74
Exercise 2B Report on an Event 76
Essay 3 America's Deadliest Gang-MS-13 78
Exercise 3A Examining Introductions and Conclusions 84
Exercise 3B Using Quotations to Enliven Your Essay 85
Final Writing Challenge: Write Your Own Descriptive Five-Paragraph Essay 87
Section 3 Supporting Research Material 87
Appendix A Facts About Gangs 91
Appendix B Finding and Using Sources of Information 97
Appendix C Using MLA Style to Create a Works Cited List 101
Appendix D Sample Essay Topics 104
Organizations to Contact 106
Bibliography 111
Index 116
Picture Credits 119
About the Editor 120
