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| Qty | Store | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Burnside | Sociology- Children and Family |
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All God's Children: Inside the Dark and Violent World of Street Families
by Rene Denfeld
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9781586483098 |
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
James Daniel Nelson first hit the streets as a teenager in 1992. Rejoined a clutch of runaways and misfits who camped out together in a squat under a Portland bridge. Within a few months the group — they called themselves a family — was arrested for a string of violent murders.
While Nelson sat in prison, the society he had helped form grew into a national phenomenon. Street families spread to every city from New York to San Francisco, and to many small towns in between, bringing violence with them. In 2003, almost eleven years after his original murder, Nelson, now called Thantos, got out of prison, returned to Portland, created a new street family, and killed once more. Twelve family members were arrested along with him.
Rene Denfeld spent over a decade following the evolution of street family culture. She discovered that, contrary to popular belief, the majority of these teenagers hail from loving middle-class homes. Yet they have left those homes to form insular communities with cultish hierarchies, codes of behavior, languages, quasi-religions, and harsh rules. She reveals the extremes to which desperate teenagers will go in their search for a sense of community, and builds a persuasive and troubling case that street families have grown among us into a dark reversal of the American ideal.
Review:
"Denfeld brings to light the elaborate structure and culture of the 'families' that harbor the reported 1.5 million teenagers living on the streets of the U.S. Based on a decade of research, his intimate portrait of this fantasy-fueled, violent subculture—populated almost exclusively by teens from white, middle-class homes—is gory and shocking. He spares no details in describing cold characters, cultish rituals and murders, often from the perspective of those involved. Though the anecdotes are intriguing, and Denfeld brings some perspective to the psychology of these street families, he doesn't evaluate the larger cultural forces that have brought them together or their effect on society. Still, this is a powerful study of the dramatic measures that a growing number of lonely teenagers will take to feel like they belong." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"A fine Portland writer pens an often revelatory study of teens who bond together as 'families' on the streets, with much of her book focusing on a group in the Rose City involved in several murders; an important book that is the product of a decade's research." Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Review:
"A chilling look into the culture of feral teens that emerged nationwide in the 1990s." Elle Magazine
Review:
"In the end, what is most fascinating about this alien world is how much it has in common with mainstream teen experience." San Francisco Chronicle
Review:
"An up-close journalistic investigation of street families....A gripping tale." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis:
How one violent pack of street youth terrorized Portland, Oregon, and how their frightening-- and fascinating--subculture has swept unnoticed across America
About the Author
Rene Denfeld is the author of two previous books, including the international bestseller The New Victorians. She has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times Magazine. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and three children.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:
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mtinnin73, March 10, 2008 (view all comments by mtinnin73)
In time you think you can forget or learn to live with things that you've done, or that you have been a part of rather by choice or not.
James D. Nelson (aka: Highlander) was a very trouble teen back in 1992 and it seems to this day that still may be the case and believe me if anyone can make that statement it would be me.
What happened in 1992 was terrible for the youths of portland oregon and the families for which it was brought upon...and with that I only have one question for those who are paying attention.
Who is the heartless one, the person that did the crimes or the person that makes money off other peoples misfortune and/or family losses?
For those who are curious, I'm Michael Lynn Tinnin (aka Black Panther) and believe me none you know half of what happens, cause you never pay attention to anything but yourselves and never look at what is going on around you.....
That's my opinion and that opinion is said with many years of watching people, learning and listening...all in all, still just an opinion.
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mcgolis, March 3, 2008 (view all comments by mcgolis)
This book challenges Portland's acceptance of homeless youth and exposes a reality most of us choose to ignore. The author's ability to connect and localize the culture of street families with the murder of Jessica Williams is breathtaking. I read this book in one day, it is a must read for anybody who has walked through downtown or Hawthorne and felt guilty about not giving these kids money...Don't! You'll never look at the Portland the same way. Eye-opening, compassionate, paradigm-shifting read!
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Emmas_Momma07, June 24, 2007 (view all comments by Emmas_Momma07)
Although this book was well written, I will give Rene Denfield that, I found it VERY inaccurate. I was living in Portland Oregon at the time in the homeless shelter that many of the teens involved in the murder were staying at, I knew them. I knew Jessica. Not all of the individuals seemed violent. I trusted them, well most of them but not Nelson. I would advise people to read another book don't waste your time with this novel
View all 6 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9781586483098
- Subtitle:
- Inside the Dark and Violent World of Street Families
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Libri
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Murder
- Subject:
- Criminology
- Subject:
- Gangs
- Subject:
- Violence in Society
- Subject:
- General Biography
- Publication Date:
- February 2007
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 306
- Dimensions:
- 9.34x6.42x1.15 in. 1.18 lbs.
